United News of Bangladesh

India won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in their quest for a world title after more than a decade. India filed an unchanged playing XI, while South Africa did the same.  While India are aiming for their second title of the event, South Africa have advanced to the final for the first time in their cricketing history.  Both the teams are unbeaten in the event so far.  In the semifinal, India knocked England out, while South Africa easily beat Afghanistan.  India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah. South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (capt), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.  

Ahead of France’s first knockout match at the European Championship, some of the players are turning their minds to politics back home. Sunday sees the first of two rounds of National Assembly elections called by France President Emmanuel Macron in an attempt to counter success for his far-right opponents in European parliamentary elections on June 9. That comes the day before France’s soccer team plays Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2024. “I urge everyone to go and vote,” France and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté said on Saturday at a news conference at the national team’s base camp in Paderborn, Germany. “I don’t want to tell people what to do but we must be together in all circumstances, we mustn’t be divided, that will only bring harm to everyone and to future generations.” Argentina coach Scaloni suspended from Copa America match vs. Peru for being repeatedly late The snap elections for the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, could lead to the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation. French opinion polls suggest the National Rally party could dominate the next parliament after the second round held July 7 and get the prime minister’s job. In that scenario, Centrist President Macron would retain the presidency until 2027 but in a sharply weakened role. “Of course it worries me, what is happening worries me,” the 25-year-old Konaté said. “We cannot leave power to certain people who are intent on dividing people. “Diversity has always been our strength. I come from an immigrant background. … Behind our skin color, there are hearts, that’s the most important thing.” Several France players have spoken out from Germany about the political turmoil back home, including Kylian Mbappé, Marcus Thuram and Ousmane Dembélé. Ronaldo, soccer's ultimate showstopper, still Portugal's main man despite slow start to Euro 2024 Before the tournament, Mbappé also urged young people to vote. “We know that it is a pivotal moment for French history, this is a never-before-seen event,” Mbappé said. “We are a generation that can make a difference, we can see that the extremes are knocking on the door of power and we have the opportunity to shape the future of our country.” Konaté was born in Paris to parents from Mali and grew up in the French capital. He played for Sochaux and Leipzig, in Germany, before joining Liverpool in 2021 — making his France debut the following year. “We must stop with prejudices and stereotypes,” Konaté said. "There is always a minority who will cause harm to the majority but when I see my parents, the jobs they had, garbage collector or cleaning lady, working at impossible hours, it saddens me that we do not highlight these kind of people who gave their health for France. “We talk a lot about immigration and Islam, we have to stop and that saddens me because it’s never the people concerned who talk about these subjects."

Cristiano Ronaldo has been a showstopper, as expected, at the European Championship. Just not necessarily in the way he’d like to be. The Portugal superstar with 632 million followers on Instagram and a never-ending stream of endorsement deals has had to deal with a raft of on-field selfie-seekers, during matches and in training. One presumed super-fan even leapt from the stands over the players’ tunnel toward a startled-looking Ronaldo as he headed to the locker room after Portugal’s match against Georgia. He’s raged at a referee (earning a yellow card), booted away a water bottle, and angrily remonstrated in the dug-out. He’s also had 12 shots, more than anyone else at Euro 2024. What Ronaldo hasn’t done is score a goal — and that’s the currency he deals in, at least in soccer. OK, there was that moment he passed up a golden chance to score by passing unselfishly to Bruno Fernandes for Portugal’s third goal in the 3-0 win over Turkey. A double-stepover that befuddled Abdulkerim Bardakci and left the Turkey center back on his back has proved a hit on social media and gave the world a reminder of the Ronaldo of 10, 15, even 20 years ago. Ronaldo, though, is 39 now. Those big moments have become fleeting, especially when it comes to the big tournaments and when he’s playing against top-level defenses. Make that seven straight matches in which he has failed to score at a major tournament, covering the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. For the first time in his 21-year international career taking in five World Cups and six European Championships, he has ended a group stage without a goal. So, with the powers of this undoubted soccer great on the wane, the question will again be asked heading into the knockout stage: will the constant drama surrounding Ronaldo wind up being a distraction for the Portugal team in its bid for another big soccer title, eight years after winning its only one at Euro 2016? Roberto Martinez clearly doesn’t think so. The Portugal coach is in thrall with Ronaldo, as shown by his reaction to the striker’s assist — his record-tying eighth at the European Championship — against Turkey. “It should be shown in every academy in Portugal and world football,” Martinez said, purring at this “spectacular” piece of play. A day earlier, he’d got into an exchange with a journalist who questioned whether Ronaldo could handle the intensity of a major tournament at age 39. “All you need to do is look at what he has done in the last 12 months,” Martinez proffered, pointing to his record in the Saudi league with Al-Nassr, for whom he started 31 of 34 games and scored a league-high 35 goals, and his 10 goals in Euro 2024 qualifying — second only to Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku. Before the tournament, Martinez had lauded Ronaldo by saying he “approaches every day as a new way to be the best” and that his stats “are better than anything, subjectively, that you can say.” Maybe to justify his arguments — or who knows, to keep in Ronaldo’s good books — Martinez started the striker against Georgia despite resting all of his other key outfield players for a game that meant little for Portugal, which had already qualified as group winner. It was at this stage at the last World Cup where Ronaldo lost his place in Portugal’s team, to the shock and anger of his millions of fans who might not see him play as much these days because of his move to the Middle East. He had started all three of the group games, scoring only a penalty, and reacted poorly to being substituted by then-coach Fernando Santos against South Korea in the third. Ronaldo didn’t start the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16 — his replacement, Goncalo Ramos scored a hat trick — nor the quarterfinal loss to Morocco, after which he left the field in tears. Given his public comments, it's unlikely Martinez will follow Santos’ path and drop his captain in the knockout stage, starting against Slovenia on Monday, for what may prove to be Ronaldo's last matches at a major tournament. Nor do his teammates, who have grown up idolizing Ronaldo, want that to happen. “We want to be side by side with our captain,” Portugal defender Diogo Dalot said, while midfielder Vitinha has spoken of the “privilege to be able to share moments with him on and off the pitch.″ Ronaldo’s desire and passion clearly remains. He is still a prolific scorer, albeit mostly against weak opposition these days, even if his mobility and, in particular, his pressing isn't at the level of a top-notch striker. It would be no surprise to see the top scorer in men’s international soccer — with 130 goals — get off the mark against Slovenia. Whether his continued selection is beneficial for Portugal is another thing entirely.

India is aiming to end its 11-year trophy drought in global cricket competitions. South Africa is chasing its first men’s World Cup title in any limited-overs format. The Twenty20 World Cup finale at Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday will feature the tournament’s two unbeaten teams and it’ll end in either triumph or heartbreak for opposing captains Rohit Sharma of India and Aiden Markram of South Africa. Sharma’s India squad has calmly seen off opposing teams with dominant performances – with the bat and the ball -- on tricky pitches in the United States and the Caribbean, reaching its third T20 World Cup final by eliminating defending champion England in a lopsided semifinal. “We’ve been very calm as a team,” Sharma said. “We do understand the occasion (in the final) but for us, it’s important to keep calm and composed.” Markram’s South African lineup didn’t panic in tougher game scenarios in the group stage and in the Super Eight before finally skittling first-time semifinalist Afghanistan for just 56 runs to coast into the championship decider. “It’s a personal and individual motivation that you get to a final, to earn the opportunity to hopefully lift the trophy,” said Markram, the first captain to steer a Proteas team into a World Cup final. “But we all understand (as a team) this game and how it works and how things can go for you, things can go against you, and you take that in your stride.” Sharma emphasized calmness as the key to India’s success, but wants to continue making the right decisions in the big moments. India showed plenty of depth in its squad and signaled it would be the team to beat when it successfully defended 119 against archrival Pakistan in the group stage on a difficult and much criticized drop-in pitch in New York. “We need to make good decisions through the 40 overs,” Sharma said. Yes, we do understand the occasion is important, but we need to play good cricket as well.” In a bowlers’ tournament on variable wickets, Sharma’s aggressive intent in the power plays has helped India put opposition teams on the backfoot early. His back-to-back half centuries in the last two games helped eliminate the past two champions – Australia and England – despite his opening partner Virat Kohli going through a lean patch and scoring just 75 runs in seven games. Kohli is yet to replicate Sharma’s aggression and has been dismissed without scoring twice in his worst-ever appearance in six T20 World Cups. “We understand his class and importance in big games. Form is never a player when you’ve played for 15 years,” Sharma said. “He’s looking good, the intent is there, (and) probably he’s saving himself for the final.” Sharma is the only remaining active player from the India lineup that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. Sharma, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were part of the squad that went close to winning the title in 2014 in Bangladesh before losing to Sri Lanka in the final. Like Sharma, Markram has also led South Africa admirably throughout the tournament that started June 1, including nervy wins over Bangladesh and Nepal in the group stage. Pace bowlers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada posed constant threats and are likely to challenge the aggression of Sharma. Spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj are capable of exploiting the perfect bowling conditions. Quinton de Kock, with 204 runs in South Africa’s eight consecutive wins, is the only Proteas batter with 200-plus runs in the tournament. David Miller’s 148 is the next highest tally in a series of games dominated by the bowlers. Rabada and Nortje have combined for 25 wickets in the tournament, while Maharaj and Shamsi have 20 wickets between them. Markram is conscious that South Africa has never got this far in any major tournament — slipping in the semifinals seven previous times in the T20 or 50-over formats — but also aware of the strengths those past stars have helped create. “They were guys that are legends of the game, legends of South African cricket,” he said. “In my eyes, it doesn’t matter if they made a final or not, because they inspired all of us to play cricket for South Africa. “Because of them, we’re trying to represent those people that have played before us, so we’re glad we’ve made them proud, (and) to an extent I still feel we’ve got one more step left.”

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has been suspended for one match and will miss his team's last Copa America group match against Peru on Saturday. Scaloni was suspended because Argentina was late returning for the second half in its two Copa matches, a 2-0 win against Canada and a 1-0 triumph over Chile, the disciplinary commission of CONMEBOL said on Friday. Scaloni also can't attend the post-match news conference. Later, Chile coach Ricardo Gareca was also suspended for one match for the same reason. Chile plays Canada on Saturday in Orlando. Defending Copa America champion Argentina has already secured a berth in the knockout stages. Argentina assistant Walter Samuel said during Friday’s press conference that Scaloni “was a little bitter about the situation.” “We consider ourselves a correct coaching staff,” Samuel said. ”In these six years (on the job) we have almost never had this type of sanction. (It is) a little abnormal. He wanted to be with the team tomorrow.” Copa America regulations say players must be on the pitch at the right time after the break and will be warned after a first violation. The sanction came after the second violation. Canada's players publicly complained about Argentina's late return for the second half of their match on June 20. Argentina needs a draw against Peru to secure first place in Group A.

Lionel Messi will skip Argentina's last Copa America group match against Peru on Saturday because of a right leg injury. Messi hurt his leg in Argentina's 1-0 victory over Chile on Tuesday that clinched a quarterfinal berth for the defending champions. The Argentina superstar received treatment on his right thigh area after getting kicked by Chile defender Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute, but he remained in the game. Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel said Friday that the team will go “day to day” with Messi's injury and monitor how it progresses. “The absence of Leo means a lot to us and to football in general,” Samuel said through a translator. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni did not attend Friday's news conference after being suspended for Saturday’s match in Miami Gardens, Florida, after his team was late returning for the second half in its previous two Copa America matches. Messi has battled injuries since joining Major League Soccer's Inter Miami last season, and Miami head coach Tata Martino and the team have been tasked with prioritizing his health amid a packed schedule. The 37-year-old Messi missed six matches at the end of his first MLS season because of a leg injury and missed a handful of games at the beginning of this season because of a hamstring injury. Although Argentina has already advanced to the knockout stage, it will win Group A unless it loses to Peru at Hard Rock Stadium and Canada beats Chile in a game played simultaneously in Orlando.

Vinícius Júnior scored two first-half goals to lead Brazil to a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night and put itself in position to advance out of Group D in the Copa America. “Today, he played almost a perfect match," Brazil coach Dorival Júnior said through an interpreter. “He was dynamic.” Sávio also scored a first-half goal for Brazil and Lucas Paquetá scored on a penalty kick in the second half. Omar Alderete scored Paraguay's goal. There were plenty of tense moments with five yellow cards and a red handed out. Andres Cubas was sent off for a red card in the 81st minute, forcing Paraguay to play the last part of the match down a man. Yellow cards were handed to Brazil’s Wendell, Vinícius Júnior and Lucas Paquetá and Paraguay’s Fabián Balbuena and Hernesto Caballero. The victory was quite a response for the Seleção, who opened the tournament Tuesday with a scoreless draw against Costa Rica despite outshooting their opponent 18-2. “There was a certain level of disappointment for the lack of results in the first match," Dorival Júnior said. "But I think our performance was of a great level. We’ve made great progress in very little time. We almost never have 20 days to work together. “I told you be patient because this team is trending on the right path.” With four points, Brazil is two behind group leader Colombia, which defeated Costa Rica 3-0 earlier Friday. A victory or tie by Brazil against Colombia on Tuesday ensures one of the group's two spots in the knockout stage. Brazil also has a six-goal differential advantage over Costa Rica, so a loss likely won't keep out the nine-time Copa America champions. Paraguay will not advance to the next round, leading to some tense back-and-forth between coach Daniel Garnero and reporters who questioned the team's continued struggles in this tournament. The country has won Copa America twice, but not since 1979. “There have been many head coaches and nobody’s finding the solution," Garnero said through an interpreter. "You’re talking about a match that just finished. I cannot talk about something that happened ages ago.” Brazil has had its difficulties against Paraguay in Copa America play, having drawn in their previous five meetings. That tied for the second-longest unbeaten streak against Brazil in this tournament, which Paraguay also was part of from 1963-83. But Brazil won the most recent meeting, defeating Paraguay 4-0 two years ago in World Cup qualifying, and there was little doubt about the outcome of this match after two late goals broke it open in what was a contentious end to the first half. Moments after teammate Bruno Guimarães hit the crossbar, Sávio put Brazil up 2-0 in the 43rd minute. Both teams got into a scrum in first-half stoppage time, with Chilean referee Piero Maza handing yellow cards to Wendell and Balbuena at three-plus minutes. Then Vinícius Júnior delivered the crushing blow five minutes into first-half stoppage time. Paraguay had its chances and even outshot Brazil 8-5, including 4-3 on goal. Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker made a tremendous save diving to his right to prevent a goal from Damián Bobodilla 15 minutes into the match. Early in the second half, however, Alderete scored to close the deficit to 3-1. Then 17 minutes later, Lucas Paquetá made up for a missed penalty kick in the first half by converting to give back Brazil its three-goal lead. “We played against two world class teams," said Garnero, referencing Paraguay's 2-1 loss to Colombia in its opener. "It’s complicated being in my place. I’m seeing a great effort by the team. They’ve measured up, but we still need to achieve the results.” Dorival Júnior made a bold and controversial move by deciding not to start Raphinha. The move, with national team legend Neymar watching from the stands, clearly paid off. Raphinha was a late-game substitute, entering the match at the 72nd minute in place of Sávio.

A month-long Men’s T20 World Cup cricket tournament is about to end with a blockbuster final between two unbeaten sides India and South Africa. Both teams will face each other at Bridgetown, Barbados on 29th June, 8:30 PM BST. Details of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Final Match Match Date (BST) Teams Time (BST) Venue 55 29/6/2024 South Africa vs India  8:30 PM Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados . Preview of the 2024 T20 World Cup Final between India and South Africa It is a fascinating and fitting World Cup final in so many ways. The battle for the trophy is supposed to be between the two undisputed best teams in the world. And no one’s more fitting for that other than the two unbeaten teams of the tournament.  South Africa is making their debut appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. Previously, they failed to win the World Cup semi-finals twice but got 3rd time lucky this time in the ongoing tournament against Afghanistan. India, on the other hand, won the initial edition of the tournament in 2007 hosted by South Africa, but failed to repeat it afterward. India lost one final (2024) and two semi-finals (2016 and 2022) since winning the 2007 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In 2024, team India are on their mission for their 2nd T20 World Cup championship. This time, South Africa appears to be unbeatable. Not only do they have a wonderfully balanced team in every department, but they also have a propensity to deliver the desired outcome in every case. They have a perfect winning record and are the only team participating in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 to do so. Additionally, South Africa are not reliant on a single player, just like any champion team. Only one of their batters is among the top 15 run-scorers in this World Cup. This may be primarily due to the kinds of pitches they were playing on. However, it is quite unexpected given the number of superstars in their bowling lineup that they have only one bowler in the top 5. However, there will be cause for concern with their close matchups. This concern might be erased from their head after a dominant win against Afghanistan. They showed in that match why they were the better side and gave a silent warning to the Indian team as well.  Across this World Cup tournament, India appears to be the most coordinated and skilled team. They played flawlessly and won the majority of their games comfortably to advance to the semi-finals. As of now, they appear to be the overwhelming favorite to win the trophy because of the way they have dominated their opponents. Up to this point, they have depended on the collective output. In almost every situation during the games, almost every player of the team contributed significantly as per their might. They are now a team that faces no fear and is capable of defeating anyone in any circumstance. They can now at last sense that their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy is about to come to an end. But they will desperately hope for Virat Kohli's form to be back in line despite they may not even require his assistance very much. Read more: South Africa beats Afghanistan to reach the Twenty20 World Cup final, ending a long cricket drought India Performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Played 8 Won 7 Lost 0 Tie/NR 1 Highest Run-scorer Rohit Sharma (248) Highest Wicket Taker Arshdeep Singh (15) . South Africa Performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Played 8 Won 8 Lost 0 Tie/NR 0 Highest Run-scorer Quinton de Kock (204) Highest Wicket Taker Anrich Nortje (13) . India vs South Africa Head-to-Head T20I Records So Far Matches Played India Won South Africa Won TIE/NR 26 14 11 1 . IND vs SA H2H Records T20World Cup Tournaments So Far Matches Played India Won South Africa Won TIE/NR 6 4 2 0 India have mostly proven to be the better side when these two teams faced each other in the World Cup.  Probable Lineups  India Rohit Sharma (Captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav. South Africa Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram (Captain), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi. Read more: Analysis of India Squad for the ICC Men's T20 World 2024 Key Players to Watch in India Team  Rohit Sharma Following a quiet start to the competition, Rohit Sharma really turned things up when it mattered the most. With his explosive 92-run innings against Australia and fiery 57 runs against England, he has shown his urge to be the first captain in 11 years to lead India to an ICC trophy glory. The Indian captain's role has become increasingly important in the last few matches. He has a century against South Africa in his career as well. India will undoubtedly be hoping that their captain performs as well as he did against Australia. Jasprit Bumrah India's strike bowler will be crucial in this match. He is the best at getting wickets early on. In a match where they need to pick up the likes of Quinton De Kock and Aiden Markram early, he is the most key player for the team. Although he has been poor against South Africa, he along with India would be eager to change it this time.  Kuldeep Yadav By taking significant wickets in the middle overs and keeping the opposition away from settling down, Kuldeep Yadav has been one of the most instrumental bowlers for India. He has completed his work to perfection so far and now needs to do it again. A middle-order consisting of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller need to be dispatched early, or else India could be in serious trouble. Kuldeep Yadav must take care to prevent that from occurring. Read more: After a disastrous T20 World Cup, what's next for Bangladesh cricket? Key Players to Watch in South Africa Team Anrich Nortje He has been a major factor in South Africa's success in this competition. The captain handed him the bowl, and he did a good job of it wherever the opposition tried to establish a solid foothold in the match. After witnessing what Rohit Sharma can do in the last two matches, taking his wicket would be South Africa's primary goal in this match. South Africa will rely on Anrich Nortje, who is an expert in this field.   Heinrich Klaasen Right now, he is probably one of the game's best hitters. He can easily alter how the match plays out. The Indian spinners are benefited from the pitches regardless of the condition. In the middle overs, the Indian spinners have been the best and Heinrich Klassen would be essential to maintaining South Africa's run rate in the face of India's lethal spin attack. Quinton de Kock Of course, the top run-scorer for South Africa have a huge role to play in their first-ever final. He averages 44.57, the most in his career, against India. If he gives the Proteas a good start, South Africa might be able to cope better against Indian spinners. He would love that too.  Verdict The India vs South Africa final is going to be an exciting and competitive match where both teams could win given the option. There is not much differentiating point between the two finalists. However, India is a slight favorite because of their experience in playing finals over the years compared to South Africa, for whom it is the first time in history. This controlling nerve might be the only point between these two where India have an advantage. But for the fans, they should sit tight to witness an epic battle between the two invincibles of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Read more: T20 World Cup: India beat England comfortably, setting up final with South Africa

Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club earned the 2nd consecutive victory in the  Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) U -16 Football League 2023-24 beating Dhaka Wanderers Club by 1-0 goal at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here on Friday. Shoriful scored the match-winning goal for Fakirerpool YMC in the 20th minute from a penalty. Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club made a flying Start in the  U-16 League for Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football Clubs outplaying Uttara Football Club by 3-1 goals in their first match.

Bangladesh Customs maintained their top spot in the country's first-ever International Open Veteran Athletics Championship 2024 securing 51 gold, 31 silver and 19 bronze medals on the 2nd day of the three-day meet at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Friday. The Masters Games Association of Bengal, India followed the Customs team collecting 38 gold, 34 silver and 12 bronze medals while Sri Lankan team is the 3rd slot with 16 gold and 9 silver medals. One hundred and forty events were decided on the first two days of the three-day meet. Some 353 men's and women's athletes from five South Asian countries -- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and hosts Bangladesh--are competing in 233 events of the three-day meet. A total of 253 athletes from 36 different teams and organisations are representing Bangladesh in the meet. Veteran men's athletes of 35 to 70 years age groups, divided in eight groups and women's athletes of 35 to 65 years age group, split into seven groups, are competing in the meet, for the first time in Bangladesh.