United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal's latest hike in domestic match fees has drawn wide praise, but questions remain over whether all cricketers will get enough playing opportunities to benefit from it. Tamim announced the increase on Thursday, the second such hike in five months after an earlier rise in April. The latest revision lifts first-class match fees by 114.29 percent, while List A and T20 fees double from last season. Women's match fees have also doubled across all three formats. Tamim said a player completing the domestic season could now earn Tk 35-40 lakh a year including salary, more than Tk 3 lakh a month on average. But only 21 players across eight teams played all seven matches in last season's National Cricket League four-day competition, while no Rangpur Division player featured in all 10 of the team's T20 matches, according to BCB data. Under the new fee structure, a player appearing in all seven NCL four-day matches can earn Tk 10.5 lakh, with a further Tk 20.5 lakh possible from a proposed new six-team, three-format domestic structure. A Chattogram Division cricketer said the benefit "is not going to be there for all the players," noting that national and 'A' team players are best placed to gain since they also feature in the BPL and DPL. The BCB hopes a newly proposed NCL Second XI will widen opportunities for players outside the main system, though its match fee has not yet been decided.    

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first defeats in their domestic leagues on Friday, with Kylian Mbappé missing a stoppage-time penalty as Madrid lost 1-0 to Real Betis and PSG surrendered an early lead in a 2-1 home defeat to Monaco. Madrid had won its opening three La Liga matches but was beaten in Seville in its first loss since Jose Mourinho returned as coach. Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles was the hero, making a crucial save from Mbappé's penalty in injury time after Vinícius Júnior was brought down inside the area. Betis had taken the lead through Irish striker Troy Parrott, who finished after Courtois had made an initial save from a header. Mbappé, who had scored four goals in his previous two matches, endured a difficult night. He also missed an opportunity in the first half after being set up by Vinícius. “We played a great game, and sometimes you lose and you don't know why,” Mourinho said. “We dominated, controlled everything, had lots of attacks and chances.” Madrid will next host Inter Milan in its opening Champions League match on Tuesday. In France, PSG appeared on course for victory after Marquinhos put the home side ahead in the 31st minute. Monaco, however, responded through Flavio Nazinho in the 58th minute and Stanis Idumbo in the 72nd. Monaco moved top of Ligue 1 as the only team to win all three of its opening matches. PSG had drawn its first two league games against Rennes and Lille and also lost the French Super Cup to Lens last month. The defeat came on the same day PSG announced contract extensions for coach Luis Enrique and several players. Enrique will remain at the European champions through 2030, while João Neves, Lucas Beraldo, Senny Mayulu and Willian Pacho signed deals through 2031. Fabian Ruiz extended his contract through 2028. Elsewhere, Liverpool secured its first Premier League victory under coach Andoni Iraola, beating Ipswich 2-0 away. Alexander Isak scored twice inside the opening nine minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing both assists. Liverpool had drawn its first two league games 2-2 against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. New signing Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut as a second-half substitute after joining from PSG for a reported £123 million ($166 million). In Italy, Como moved top of Serie A after beating Genoa 4-1, with Assane Diao scoring twice and Nico Paz and Martin Baturina adding the other goals. Cesc Fabregas' Como will make its Champions League debut against Leipzig on Sept. 10. In Germany, Stuttgart defeated Koln 4-1 in the Bundesliga.

Serena and Venus Williams' much-anticipated return to the US Open ended in a dramatic first-round defeat Friday night as the sisters lost to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint in a match tiebreaker. The Williams sisters fought back from 4-1 down in the third set and appeared in control after taking a 5-0 lead in the 10-point tiebreaker. But Chan and Joint rallied to win 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the sisters' first US Open appearance since 2022 at the Grand Slam event they won together in 1999 and 2009. The loss marked another heartbreaking doubles defeat for the Williams sisters after they also fell in a match tiebreaker at the Cincinnati Open earlier this summer. Serena, 44, returned to competitive tennis this year after stepping away from the sport in 2022 following a career that included 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Venus, 46, has continued competing on tour. The sisters appeared to struggle in the decisive tiebreaker, with both committing double faults after playing strongly during the closing stages of the third set. The US Open was a special stage for the Williams sisters, who won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together and three Olympic gold medals. They also shared the No. 1 ranking in women's doubles for eight weeks. Serena had already lost to Joint at Wimbledon earlier this summer in her return to singles competition. She and Venus later withdrew from their Wimbledon doubles match after Serena suffered a knee injury. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the fourth round with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Wu Yibing. The defending men's champion, who missed four months because of a right wrist injury, will next meet No. 20 seed Tommy Paul. Two-time defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka also reached the fourth round, defeating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4. Sabalenka, the top seed, was briefly distracted during the match by the smell of marijuana and asked the chair umpire for help. She is bidding to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2012-14 to win three consecutive US Open titles. Sabalenka will face American Taylor Townsend in the fourth round. Third-seeded Jessica Pegula recovered from a poor start to beat 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pegula will next play Romania's Sorana Cirstea. Other players advancing included Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, Marta Kostyuk, Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and will face Tiafoe, while Tsitsipas reached the fourth round at the US Open for the first time after defeating No. 18 seed Jiri Lehecka.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday announced a sweeping increase in match fees for domestic cricketers, aiming to help players earn up to Tk 35-40 lakh a year from domestic cricket alone. BCB president Tamim Iqbal unveiled the decision at a press conference, saying the hike amounted to more than 100 percent in some categories. Under the new structure, first-class match fees will rise to Tk 1.5 lakh from Tk 70,000, List A fees will double to Tk 1 lakh from Tk 50,000, and T20 fees will go up to Tk 80,000 from Tk 40,000. Women's cricketers will also benefit, with three-day match fees doubling to Tk 40,000, fees for one-dayers rising to Tk 30,000 from Tk 15,000, and T20 fees doubling to Tk 20,000. Tamim said the proposal had come from the players themselves and was meant as a long-term solution rather than a seasonal fix. "The proposal came from the players. We are all one — the players, the board and the directors," he said. "I never wanted a solution for just one year. I wanted something that would benefit the players for years." He said a domestic cricketer could now earn Tk 35-40 lakh, or more than Tk 3 lakh a month, from domestic cricket alone, in addition to any earnings from the Dhaka Premier League or the BPL. Tamim also revealed that a new domestic tournament is in the pipeline, with about 85 percent of the preparatory work already done, and further details expected by the end of the month. He said national team players could feature in the tournament's first edition depending on their international commitments. The BCB chief added that players would be expected to maintain professionalism in return, saying there would be no exceptions for those who fail fitness tests. He said the board is also reviewing the salary structure for umpires, scorers, physiotherapists and trainers, and plans to upgrade academy facilities, including a new 110-metre athletics track.

Brazilian football star Neymar has suffered another injury setback after being substituted at halftime during Santos’ goalless draw with Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals. The 34-year-old did not return for the second half of Wednesday’s match as Santos crashed out of the competition after losing 3-0 on aggregate. After the match, Neymar criticised the condition of the pitch at Santos’ Vila Belmiro stadium, saying preparations were carried out too close to the game. “I’d like to congratulate the person in charge of the pitch at Vila Belmiro,” Neymar wrote in a social media post. “Yesterday’s was the worst grass, full of holes because they did aeration a day before the match. Unbelievable!” The latest setback adds to Neymar’s injury troubles this year. He has made just 24 appearances for Santos, having struggled with recurring leg muscle and knee injuries.

Brazil will play Japan and Singapore in a double header of Asian friendlies later this year, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Thursday. The five-time World Cup champion will face Japan on November 14 and Singapore three days later, with both games to be played at the Singapore National Stadium. Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said the games formed part of a rebuilding phase after the team's round-of-16 exit at this year's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. "Facing Japan and Singapore will allow us to observe the team's performance in different contexts, which is fundamental at the start of this cycle," Ancelotti said in a CBF statement. The CBF previously announced that Brazil would face Australia on September 25 and 29 in Townsville and Brisbane, before confronting India in Kolkata on October 3.  

Harry Kane scored twice as defending champion Bayern Munich comfortably advanced to the second round of the German Cup with a 4-1 victory over second-division Osnabrück on Wednesday. Germany star Jamal Musiala was not included in Bayern's squad as he remained sidelined after collapsing during two preseason matches because of a neurological issue. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said Musiala “might” be available for Saturday's Bundesliga match against promoted Schalke. “But I don't want to put any more pressure on the guy,” Kompany said. Kompany opted against making major changes for the match against the lower-division side, starting star forwards Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise. New signing Ismael Saibari also made his first start since joining Bayern from PSV Eindhoven. Osnabrück took an early lead through a spectacular strike by Robin Meissner, who fired the ball into the top right corner from about 30 meters. Kane and even Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig congratulated Meissner for the goal. Kane equalized shortly afterward before Tom Bischof put Bayern ahead 2-1 in the 24th minute. Bayern had to wait until the 73rd minute for Olise to extend its lead and effectively settle the contest. Kane then completed the scoring from the penalty spot as Bayern began its defense of the German Cup with a comfortable victory.

Towhid Hridoy finished unbeaten on 350 for Bangladesh A against South Africa A in Potchefstroom on Wednesday, passing Tamim Iqbal's long-standing record for the highest first-class score by a Bangladeshi. With this, Hridoy has also become the first Bangladeshi to make a first-class triple century outside the country. He went past Tamim's 334 on the final day of the four-day affair. Tamim set that mark for East Zone against Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League at Mirpur in 2019. Bangladesh A declared on 676 for eight, with Hridoy having faced 481 balls. Rejaur Rahman, who held up an end late in the innings, was 31 not out from 110 deliveries. Wickets fell around Hridoy through the day. The eighth went down with him on 225, leaving him to push the score along with the tail. He and Rejaur then batted through to the declaration. South Africa A, 164 behind on first innings, began their second innings with less than a session left, giving Bangladesh A no realistic chance of bowling them out.

Bangladesh fast bowler Khaled Ahmed has signed for Kent for the last four matches of their County Championship season.  In his first County assignment, he will bowl alongside compatriot Hasan Mahmud. Kent announced the deal on Tuesday, subject to regulatory approval, as the club chase promotion from Division Two. The 32-year-old right-arm seamer joins Hasan, who is back at Canterbury after an earlier spell this season. Hasan took 12 wickets in two matches in June, including 9-101 against Lancashire at Stanley Park, before leaving for international duty. "It's an honour for me to play county cricket and join a club with a big history such as Kent," Khaled said. "This is an important part of our season and I am determined to help the team achieve promotion." He added that Hasan and his agent had spoken well of the club, which made the decision an easy one. Khaled made his first-class debut for Sylhet in 2015 and has 190 wickets from 70 matches. He has taken 34 wickets in 18 Tests since making his debut for Bangladesh in 2018. Kent are second in Division Two, level on points with Northamptonshire and 40 points behind leaders Durham. Director of cricket Simon Cook said the club had been looking for another bowler to add depth for the closing weeks. "With three of our final four games at home, we can stick with a formula that worked well in the first half of the year, while also having the flexibility to rest and rotate our frontline bowlers," Cook said.

A proposed move by United States international Folarin Balogun from Monaco to Everton appears to have fallen through after a problem reportedly emerged during his medical examination. The Athletic reported that the transfer was called off on Tuesday, the final day of the Premier League transfer window. Balogun was reportedly at Everton's training ground but did not sign a contract. Everton did not immediately comment on the situation. Earlier reports, including from Britain's Press Association, said Everton had offered around 40 million pounds ($54 million) for the 25-year-old striker. Balogun has two years remaining on his contract with Monaco. He attracted significant attention this summer after scoring three goals for the United States at the World Cup, making him the team's leading scorer in the tournament. He also made headlines after receiving a red card and a one-match suspension during the United States' 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. FIFA later deferred the suspension following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, allowing Balogun to play in the round of 16. He featured in the United States' 4-1 defeat to Belgium, which ended the team's World Cup campaign on home soil. Trump's intervention led to a formal complaint being filed with FIFA's ethics investigators. Born in New York, Balogun grew up in Britain and came through Arsenal's youth academy. He later played for Middlesbrough before moving to France, where he joined Reims and eventually Monaco. Balogun scored 13 goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances last season.