United News of Bangladesh

Former India captain Virat Kohli is facing a possible fine after bumping shoulders with Australia’s Sam Konstas in a fiery opening Thursday to the fourth test of the five-match series. After choosing to bat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia reached 311-6 at stumps Thursday. Teenager Konstas (60), Usman Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Steve Smith (68 not out) all made half-centuries in front of a crowd of 87,242. Jasprit Bumrah claimed 3-75, continuing his dominance of Australia’s batters in this series. The on-field action heated up at the end of the 10th over. Kohli collided shoulder to shoulder as he walked past 19-year-old Konstas, whose risky stroke-play was causing enormous frustration for the fielding side. Debutant Konstas and 36-year-old Kohli exchanged words after the collision. A visibly angry Kohli started walking back towards Konstas before umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja hurried over to settle things down between the pair. India assistant coach Abishek Nayar said he could not confirm a media report that Kohli had accepted a fine of 20% of his match fee. Nayar said he did not see the incident as he was “having a conversation outside." “When you play a game like that, there’s always going to be emotions, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not as big as it seems,” he said. Bangladeshi off-break bowler Mahedi Hasan advances to top 10 in ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking Konstas said Kohli had run into him “accidentally.” “I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. But I think that’s just cricket, just the tension,” Konstas said. Konstas said his aggressive batting was part of a new era in test cricket. “Yeah definitely. I reckon 20 or 30 years ago people would be saying ‘defend a lot, just bat all day’,” Konstas said. “But I think there’s a new generation, new shots. It’s exciting for me. I like doing that, putting pressure back on the bowlers.” Konstas admitted it “probably would look silly” if he was dismissed playing such outlandish shots. “That’s the beauty about being young and maybe a bit naïve,” he said. Asked about his verbal battles with India’s bowlers, Konstas said: “It got heated at times which was good for me. I feel like that brings the best out of me.” Nayar said India’s bowlers showed a lot of character to bounce back after Konstas led Australia’s scoring in the opening session. “Overall, we were happy with where we ended,” he said. Earlier, Konstas looked nervous as he played and missed four times in the opening over of the match, bowled by Bumrah. The youngster fought back by playing three audacious reverse scoops over slips in Bumrah’s fourth over, hitting two fours and a six. Konstas dominated an opening stand of 89 before he was lbw to spinner Ravindra Jadeja, ending a pulsating 65-ball debut. Australia reached 112-1 at lunch. South Africa aims to seal its place in WTC final in test series against Pakistan Khawaja scored his first half-century of the series before Bumrah struck at 154-2 when the left-hander chipped a catch to mid-wicket. Australia was in control at 237-2 but lost momentum when Labuschagne miscued a lofted drive and was caught at mid-off off the bowling of spinner Washington Sundar. Labuschagne had added 83 for the third wicket with Steve Smith. Travis Head, the leading run-scorer in the series, was bowled for a duck by Bumrah after offering no shot in a crucial breakthrough for India three runs later. Mitchell Marsh was caught behind for four in Bumrah’s next over as Australia suffered a middle-order collapse, losing three wickets for nine runs. Akash Deep broke a partnership of 53 between Smith and Alex Carey (31) in the second over with the second new ball when Carey was caught behind. At stumps, Pat Cummins was was providing good support for Smith, reaching eight not out. The five-match series is level at 1-1 after a rainy draw at Brisbane, The fifth and final test is scheduled to start on Jan. 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Bangladesh Amy made a good start in the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Hockey Players Welfare Unity at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium on Wednesday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity, who came to the limelight beating Bangladesh Air Force by 4-3 goals in their first appearance on Tuesday, failed to match the fitness level against their opponents in the match-deciding fourth quarter today. Bangladeshi off-break bowler Mahedi Hasan advances to top 10 in ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking Apart from the fourth quarter, the match was almost an even encounter. The first quarter was goalless; six minutes into the second quarter, Amirul Islam put the Hockey Players Welfare Unity ahead with his favorite skill, dragging off the penalty corner (1-0). The lead stayed till the end of the second quarter. However, the Army stored their best for the later part as their physical fitness made a visible impact in the game. It was almost one way traffic as the Army piled up huge pressure in the opponents territory. Hockey Players Welfare Unity custodian Nuruzzaman Noyon frustrated the Armymen, saving a couple good attempts. Abdul Malek scored the first for Army in the 32nd minute to level the margin (1-1) and Ahsan Habib scored the match-winner for Army in the 56th minute of the match (2-1). Bangladesh Army will face Bangladesh Air Force in the last group match on Thursday. Earlier in the day’s first match, BKSP crushed Bangladesh Police by 5-0 goals with Johnny Islam scoring a brace, Mehedi Hasan Ovi, Hojaifa Hossain and Tayeb Ali scoring one goal each for the National Sports Training Institute team BKSP.

Bangladeshi right handed off-break bowler and all rounder Sheikh Mahedi Hasan advanced to the top 10 in the ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking for the first time, jumping 13 steps ahead as per the latest ranking published by ICC on Tuesday (December 24). Mahedi Hasan, who played a vital role in Bangladesh's T20 series win, white-washing hosts West Indies 3-0 recently, reached his career best ICC ranking scoring 636 rating points. He grabbed eight wickets against West Indies—four wickets for 13 runs in the first match, two wickets for 20 runs in the second match and two wickets in the third match. England captain Ben Stokes out of cricket for 3 months Mahedi Hasan and three more Bangladesh bowlers—Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain and Hasan Mahmud—earned their career best ICC ranking following their brilliant performances to beat West Indies in the three-match T20 series. Bangladesh’s experienced right handed pacer Taskin Ahmed also advanced to his his career best ICC ranking of 11th,  jumping seven steps ahead scoring 630 rating points,   Promising leg spinner Rishad Hossain also advanced to his career best ICC ranking of 17th, jumping 21 steps ahead with rating points of 621 while another Bangladeshi bowler Hasan Mahmud advanced to his career best ranking of 24th moving 23 steps ahead.with ranking points of 597.  India captain Sharma wants his team's other bowlers to help standout star Bumrah against Australia West Indian spinner Akeal  Hosein, who claimed two wickets for 13 runs against Bangladesh in the first T20 match, clinched the top slot in the ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking with rating points of 707.

South Africa will be eyeing a place in the World Test Championship final with an all-seam attack against Pakistan in the first test, starting Thursday. The Proteas need to win one of its remaining two test matches in this WTC cycle to guarantee a place at the Lord’s final next year and captain Temba Bavuma believes expectations have risen in his team to do well in the two-test series. “There’ll be pressure that comes with that,” Bavuma said. “But to be honest with you, we’re coming into the series to win the series 2-0. We understand that for us to do that, there’s certain things that we need to do as a team: keep things simple, keep doing the small things right, and allow the results to take care of itself.” South Africa has included four fast bowlers in the lineup with Corbin Bosch, who consistently bowls above 140 kph, set to play his first test at his hometown. Seasoned fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen will team up with Dane Paterson and Bosch to challenge Pakistan's batters on an expected pacey Centurion pitch where fast bowlers have a clear advantage over the last six years, picking up 227 wickets with spinners dismissing only 16 batters. Heading into the tests, South Africa's top-order batters did struggle against Pakistan in a rare 3-0 ODI whitewash with Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs all failing to read the offspin bowling of Salman Ali Agha in the opening game of the series. “Whether it’s easy, whether it’s hard, we’ve got to find a way to do it,” Bavuma said. “Whatever, I don’t know, trauma that was there ... guys will have to deal with it.” Pakistan has long been struggling in test matches in South Africa, losing 12 and winning just two of the 15 test matches since it first toured the country in 1995. Pakistan's below-par show in South Africa includes its lowest test score of 49 at the Wanderers in 2013. Pakistan is lying at No. 7 in the WTC points table and Aaqib Javed is its fourth head coach in this WTC cycle with Mickey Arthur and Mohammad Hafeez quitting after one series. Jason Gillespie resigned just two weeks before Thursday’s test. Gillespie, who was hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board in April, had a horror start to his two-year contract when Bangladesh swept Pakistan in Pakistan 2-0 in the test series before England won the first test at Multan. Gillespie was removed from the selection panel and Javed masterminded Pakistan’s back-to-back wins against England on two engineered spinning pitches where Noman Ali and Sajid Khan bagged 39 wickets. But Pakistan has brought in only Noman Ali for the two-test series in South Africa and is still contemplating whether to follow South Africa and go with an all-out pace attack. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who played in the preceding white-ball series in South Africa, has been surprisingly left out for the test matches. Naseem Shah and Babar Azam return to the test fold after missing the last two home tests against England while selectors have recalled seamer Mohammad Abbas after three years with the left-arm seam option of Mir Hamza in the squad. Abbas took 90 wickets in 25 test matches from 2017 to 21 before he ran out of selectors’ favor despite his consistent performances for Hampshire in England and in domestic first-class cricket.

India captain Rohit Sharma has urged his fellow bowlers to provide more support to star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in their ongoing series against Australia. With the five-match series tied at 1-1 following a rain-affected draw in Brisbane, the focus now shifts to Thursday's test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Bumrah has been exceptional, claiming 21 wickets at an average of 10.90, whereas the rest of the Indian bowling attack has collectively taken 26 wickets at a higher average of 36.81. Sharma acknowledged Bumrah’s dominance but emphasized the need for the other bowlers, including Mohammed Siraj, to contribute more effectively. "Bumrah has been outstanding so far," Sharma said. "Siraj and the others know they must step up to support him and get the job done. They've been trying hard but have been a bit unlucky with missed opportunities and near chances." Travis Head is in doubt for Australia in 4th cricket test against India Sharma also reassured that he is fit despite a knee injury sustained during a net session, but he did not confirm whether he would continue batting at No. 6, where he has struggled in the series. India is also considering including two spinners in response to Melbourne’s forecasted high temperatures, which could reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). With veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retiring and returning home after the Brisbane test, Washington Sundar and newcomer Tanush Kotian are being considered for spin duties. Ravindra Jadeja, who has bowled 23 overs without taking a wicket, remains in the mix. Meanwhile, Australia's Travis Head has been cleared to play and will be joined by MCG specialist Scott Boland, who famously took six wickets for seven runs on his test debut during the 2021-22 Ashes series. Australia will make two changes, with 19-year-old Sam Konstas set to debut in place of Nathan McSweeney, and Boland replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood. 6-team 2nd South Asian Lawyers Cricket taking place Dec 23-26 Head has been in remarkable form, scoring 409 runs at an average of 81.80, including centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. While other Australian batters have struggled against Bumrah, Head has stood out as a key performer. The fifth and final test of the series is scheduled to begin on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Hockey Players Welfare Unity, formed with some national players and youngsters, made a good start in the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey beating Bangladesh Air Force by 4-3 goals at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here on Tuesday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity studded with national players like Puskor Khisa Mimo, Hasan Jubaer Niloy, Prince Lal Shamonto and some youngsters like Amirul Islam, proved their worth in the first match. The Air Force team comprising seven national players, tried hard to turn the tide, but all of their efforts failed short against their spirited opponents. After a goalless first quarter, Air Force team took the lead in the 17th minute thanks to a beautiful field goal scored by Rakibul Hasan Rocky (1-0). Read: Women's Hockey Asia Cup: Bangladesh tastes first victory to finish 9th crushing Sri Lanka However, Amirul, who was in the top form in the recently concluded Asian Junior Hockey, leveled the margin for Players Welfare Unity from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute (1-1). Hasan Jubaer Niloy put Hockey Players Welfare Unity ahead in the 35th minute (2-1) while Abdul Alim scored another goal for them in the 42nd minute that saw the team 3-1 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Arashad Hossain scored the 2nd goal for Air Force in the 44th minute to make the score line 3-2. However, Abdul Alim again second his 2nd goal and the 4th goal for the Players Welfare Unity in the 57th minute (4-2). In the 59th minute, Sohanur Rahman Sabuj scored the 3rd goal to reduce the margin for Air Force team (4-3)

A brilliant hattrick by Nabib Newaz Jibon helped  Rahmatganj MFS to maintain their all-win run in Group B of the 10-team Bashundhara Group Federation Club Football outplaying Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool by 6-0 goal in their 2nad match at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh Tuesday afternoon. With the day’s 2nd consecutive victory after beating Dhaka Mohammedan SC 1-0 in the first match, the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS topped the Group B list securing full six points from straight two matches while Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool failed to open the account losing their first match. Local forward Nabib Newaz Jibon made a hat-trick scoring three goals in the 45+2, 56th and 75th minutes, local striker Meraj Hossain Opi, Ghana forward Samuel Boateng and Fahim Nur Toha scored the remaining three goals for Rahmantagnj MFS in the 12th, 53rd and 90+2 minutes respectively. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Mohammedan SC returned to winning way after a shocking 0-1 defeat against Rahmatganj in the first match, crushing Chittagong Abahnai Ltd also by 6-0 goals at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Tuesday afternoon. Uzbek medio Muzaffarov opened the floodgate for the black and whites Mohammedan in the 11th minute (1-0), Mali striker Souleymane Diabate doubled the margin the 14th minute to dominate the first half by 2-0 goals, Midfielder Arif Hossain scored the 3rd goal for Mohammedan in the 52nd minute (3-0), midfielder Raju Ahmed Zishan further sounded the team margin in the 69th minute (4-0), forward Sourav Dewan netted the 5th goal in the 77th minute while medio Juwel Mia sealed the fate of the match scoring the 6th goal in the 80th minute (6-0). Defending champions Bashundhara Kings, which managed 1-0 victory over Brothers Union Club in the tournament opener, miserably tasted the defeat in their 2nd Group A match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goals at their home ground-- Bashundhara Kings Arena --in the capital. With day’s well merited victory, Fortis SC dominated the Group A with unbeaten run securing four points from two outings. Incidentally, last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings also suffered a shocking 0-1 goal defeat against Dhaka Mohammedan SC in their 2nd match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football in Cumilla. With this debacle, holders Bashundhara Kings went down in the race with three points from two matches. Grouping of the Federation Cup:  Group A -Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, Fortis FC, Brothers Union Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club Group B - Mohammedan SC Ltd, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Chattagram Abahani Ltd, Rahmatganj MFS and Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club. Later, top two teams from each of the two groups will play in the meet's next round (qualification and elimination) like the Franchisee cricket league.

Rangpur Division created history by winning the title of the inaugural edition of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 on Tuesday beating Dhaka Metro by five wickets on Tuesday in Sylhet.  The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hosted the tournament to give the local cricketer more chances to play T20 cricket ahead of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). All the teams, which take part in the NCL First-class, also played the T20 edition of one of the most prestigious domestic cricket events of the country.  Rangpur won the toss in the final and opted to bowl first. Dhaka started with a big hope as Imranuzzaman drove Mukidul Islam Mugdho for a four through the deep cover region off the first ball of the match.  6-team 2nd South Asian Lawyers Cricket taking place Dec 23-26 But the morning did not show the day well for them. Dhaka lost four wickets in just eight runs with Mukidul taking three wickets in his first two overs.  With just 16 runs on the board, Dhaka lost five wickets. They had no clue against Rangpur's disciplined bowling attack.  Only two Dhaka batters— Shamsur Rahman Shuvo and Abu Hider Rony— were able to reach a double-digit figure.  Dhaka Metro beat Khulna to reach NCL T20 final Eventually, Dhaka crumbled for 62 runs in 16.3 overs. It was the lowest total in a T20 event final in Bangladesh.  For Rangpur, Mukidul and Alauddin Babu shared six wickets equally between them.    In reply, Rangpur reached the target with 52 balls to play and five wickets in hand.  But before closing the game, Rangpur also lost wickets quickly. They were reduced to 47 for five in 7.5 overs, keeping hope alive for Dhaka. But a cautious 23-run stand by Ariful Haque and Anamul Haque Anam sealed the match for Rangpur, earning them the pride of first NCL T20 title.  The NCL T20 served as a much-needed opportunity for local cricketers to prove their mettle in the shorter format of the game. These cricketers often get overlooked in BPL, where teams have a wider pool of cricketers, including foreign recruits.

Australia run-maker Travis Head is questionable for the fourth cricket test against India beginning Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and teenager Sam Konstas was set to make his first test start for the home side. The 30-year-old Head has been in strong form, hitting centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. Head has made 409 runs at an average of 81.80 across the first three tests of the five-test Border-Gavaskar series, dominating India even as the rest of Australia’s batters have faced significant issues against fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The series is level at 1-1 after the third test in Brisbane ended in a rainy draw. Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Tuesday he was “confident” Head would play but still needed to overcome a small calf strain. After not training a day earlier due to a tight quadricep muscle from the Brisbane test, the star left-hander had a short stint in the Melbourne Cricket Ground nets on Tuesday when he received throw downs for about 20 minutes. Mbappé scores again after hitting 'rock bottom' with Madrid McDonald said Tuesday that the 19-year-old Konstas will make his test debut at the MCG. After being called into the squad in place of opener Nathan McSweeney, Konstas will become one of Australia’s youngest test cricketers. The last time Konstas played at the MCG, he made three and 73 not out for Australia A last month against India A.

England captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of cricket for at least three months because of a torn left hamstring. Stokes will undergo surgery on the hamstring next month, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement on Monday. He was injured a week ago during the third test loss to New Zealand in Hamilton. The 33-year-old allrounder had already been left out of England's squad announced on Sunday for the Champions Trophy in February and March in Pakistan. Hamstring issues previously forced Stokes to miss the home summer series against Sri Lanka and the first test in Pakistan in October.