United News of Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, is uncertain for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), said the coach of his team, Sylhet Strikers, who have already started their preparation for the event. Mashrafe is out of public view after the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, of whom he is a member, facing a popular uprising for their increasingly autocratic rule. Sylhet Striker coach Mahmud Emon said that the team would consider Mashrafe's inclusion if he declares himself fit. For now, it’s clear that the former captain is not fit enough to play competitive cricket. “Mashrafe is still in the squad. He's an integral part of this team,” Mahmud said. “His participation depends on how he's feeling and his fitness level. If he's ready to play and the situation is favourable, he will definitely play.” BPL’s 11th season set to kick off December 30 Mashrafe appeared in a competitive cricket match for the last time in April this year. After the change in the political landscape, he not only did not play cricket but was also not seen in public. Despite this, Sylhet Strikers drafted him in October, retaining him for a third consecutive BPL season. Along with fitness concerns, Mashrafe’s BPL participation is also shadowed due to his affiliation with Awami League. After he was drafted by Sylhet Strikers, there were protests in Sylhet. After the protests in July- August that dethroned Awami League, Mashrafe said he “completely failed to meet the expectation of the masses”.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl Saturday in the first Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Bay Oval. New Zealand named wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay, opener Tim Robinson and allrounder Zakary Foukes to play their first international matches at home. Hay debuted against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka last month and Foulkes made his T20 debut in Pakistan in April. Reddy the hero for India with maiden century against Australia in only his 4th test New Zealand is without Kane Williamson and Devon Conway who no longer are contracted to New Zealand Cricket, bowlers Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson who are injured and Finn Allen and Adam Milne who are playing in Australia's Big Bash League. Sri Lanka named an experienced lineup as it attempts to win a white-ball international in New Zealand for the first time. New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Hay, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy. Australia maintains the advantage over India on the 3rd day of the 4th cricket test Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (captain), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara.

India has a new batting hero after 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy showed the poise of a veteran to score his maiden century, leading his team’s comeback against Australia on day three of the fourth test. At stumps on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India (358-9) still trailed Australia (474) by 116 runs on the first innings, but it could have been much worse. Reddy, playing in just his fourth test and batting at No. 8, rescued India from a shaky 221-7, sharing a 127-run partnership with Washington Sundar (50). The pair fell two runs shy of equaling the record for an eighth-wicket partnership for India versus Australia of 129 which was set by Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2008. Spin-bowling allrounder Sundar offered a difficult chance off the back of his bat to second slip on 18, which was dropped by a diving Steve Smith as Mitchell Starc bowled the first over with the second new ball. But chances were few for Australia’s bowlers. Reddy was unbeaten on 85 at tea, with the score on 326-7. With Reddy on 97, Sundar’s 162-ball knock finally ended when he was caught at slip off the bowling of spinner Nathan Lyon (2-88) at 348-8. The patient Sundar struck just one boundary. Reddy played a lofted drive to cover to move to 99 but lost Jasprit Bumrah for a duck, caught at first slip off the bowling for Pat Cummins (3-86), in the following over at 350-9. Australia maintains the advantage over India on the 3rd day of the 4th cricket test The tension was building as Mohammed Siraj survived three deliveries from Cummins, allowing Reddy to seize the moment and make the century in the following over with an on-drive to the boundary, leading to deafening roars from the thousands of India fans in the stands, including his father. Reddy’s hundred came off 171 deliveries and included 10 fours and one six. Only nine more deliveries were bowled before play was delayed and then called off due to bad light and rain, with Reddy unbeaten on 105. Resuming Saturday on 164-5, India had wobbled to 244-7 at lunch, losing the wickets of Rishabh Pant (28) and Ravindra Jadeja (17). Australia’s hopes of quickly skittling India’s tail faded, however, as 82 runs were added without loss in the post-lunch session. Cummins and Scott Boland (3-57) took three wickets each for Australia. Australia’s first-innings total of 474 was highlighted by Steve Smith’s 34th century. Smith’s 140 lifted the 35-year-old to equal-seventh most hundreds in test cricket. 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 January 3 at Sydney.

Australia picked up two wickets in the opening session Saturday to remain in control and leave India wobbling at 244-7 on day three of the fourth test of the five-match series. At lunch Saturday, India trailed Australia by 230 runs on the first innings. Resuming on 164-5, India looked to Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant to show some aggression against Australia’s bowlers. Pant scored an entertaining 28 but took one too many risks. The left-hander was caught on the boundary at 191-6 after top-edging an attempted scoop shot off the bowling of Scott Boland (3-37). Jadeja (17) was lbw to spinner Nathan Lyon at 221-7 with 30 minutes remaining before lunch. Nitish Kumar Reddy scored an unbeaten 40, including three fours and one six, while Washington Sundar was five not out. Australia was dismissed for 474 after lunch on Friday’s second day of play. The formidable total included Steve Smith’s 34th century. Smith’s 140 lifted the 35-year-old to equal-seventh most hundreds in test cricket. Markram leads South Africa to 180-5 in 1st test against Pakistan Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (4-99) claimed four victims to increase his tally for the series to 25 wickets at an average of 13.12. India reached 153-2 Friday but lost three wickets for six runs in a dramatic collapse. Opener Yashavi Jaiswal (82) and ex-skipper Virat Kohli (36) steadied India’s innings with a 102-run partnership. Jaiswal charged off for a risky single, realizing too late that Kohli had turned his back, leaving Jaiswal stranded alongside Kohli at the non-striker’s end. Boland struck in successive overs to remove Kohli caught behind and Akash Deep (0) caught at leg gully as Australia completely dominated the closing 25 minutes of day two. Kohli has endured a challenging time in the fourth test so far, including the mix-up with Jaiswal and a physical clash with Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas. Match referee Andy Pycroft fined Kohli 20% of his match fee for making “inappropriate physical contact” after he bumped shoulders with Konstas at the end of the 10th over of the match. Kohli was booed as he left the field of play Friday, stopping at one stage to walk back and stare down a fan. 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.

Opening batter Aiden Markram closed in on his eighth test century and led South Africa to 180-5 at lunch on the second day of the first test against Pakistan on Friday. South Africa, which needs to win one of the two test matches against Pakistan to seal a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s next year, trails the visitors by 31 on a pitch tailor-made for fast bowlers. Markram was batting on an attractive 81 off 123 balls before Pakistan hit back with two wickets in the latter half of the first session with captain Temba Bavuma (31) and David Bedingham (30) both edging behind the wickets. Wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne was yet to score but Markram stood tall in the first session and helped South Africa score 98 runs before lunch for the loss of two wickets. Resuming on 82-3, Markram completed his half century with an exquisite cover driven boundary off Naseem Shah and stretched the fourth-wicket stand to 70 runs with Bavuma before Pakistan got its first breakthrough. Aamer Jamal was rewarded for his persistent length balls to Bavuma as the South African skipper finally got a thick outside edge while going for a loose drive. Bedingham counterattacked from the onset, smashing five boundaries in his 33-ball knock and also survived when Pakistan unsuccessfully went for an lbw television review against Naseem Shah’s full pitched delivery, which television replays suggested would have missed the leg stump. Steve Smith's 34th test century puts Australia in control over India on 2nd day of 4th test However, Naseem didn’t have to wait long as Bedingham was beaten by some extra bounce and nicked it in the first slip in the penultimate over before lunch. Pakistan was dismissed for 211 on Day 1 after Dane Paterson (5-61) grabbed his second successive five-wicket haul and debutant Corbin Bosch claimed 4-63, which included a wicket with his first ball in test cricket.

Both semifinals of the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament will be held at the Maulana Bhashani Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday (Dec 28). Bangladesh Navy will play the first semifinal against Hockey Players Welfare Unity at 12:30 PM, while Bangladesh Air Force will face BKSP in the second semifinal at 2:30 PM. Earlier, a brilliant hat-trick by Rakibul Hasan helped Bangladesh Air Force reach the semifinals of the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament as Group B champions, defeating Bangladesh Army 6-3 on Thursday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity also secured a place in the last four, advancing from the group stage after edging past Bangladesh Army on goal difference. All three teams in the group finished with three points each, but goal difference—Air Force (+2), Hockey Players Welfare Unity (0), and Bangladesh Army (-2)—decided the group standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Navy stormed into the semifinals as the champions of Group A, with a 9-1 victory over Bangladesh Police, while BKSP finished as runners-up in the group to also reach the semifinals.

Dhaka Mohammedan SC Ltd maintained solo lead with all-win record in the 10-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, beating Fortis Football Club by 1-0 goal at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Friday afternoon. Nigerian forward Emmanuel Sunday scored the match winning goal for the traditional black and whites Mohammedans in the 17th minute by a placing shot, off an Ernest Boateng cross (1-0). Despite the absence of their captain, Mali striker Souleymane Diabate, Mohammedan maintained their winning run in the league after beating Bashundhara Kings and Dhaka Abahani. With the day's 5th consecutive win, Mohammedan SC comfortably dominated the league table securing full 15 points from straight five matches while Fortis SC remained at the 7th slot with five points from five matches. After the fourth-round matches, Rahmatganj MFS and six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited were in distant 2nd securing nine points each, Brothers Union Club in the 4th place with seven points, while defending champions Bashundhara Kings struggling at the 5th place with six points. In the day's other match, Dhaka Wanderers Club defeated Chittagong Abahani Limited by a solitary goal at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur Friday afternoon. Midfielder Shakil Ali netted the match decider for the old horse Dhaka Wanderers Club in the 42nd minute (1-0). With the day's maiden victory, Dhaka Wanderers Club advanced to the 8th slot in the 10-team fray securing four points from five matches while Chittagong Abahani struggling at the bottom without any point playing five matches.

Steve Smith’s stylish century, his 34th, powered Australia to a strong position against India at lunch Friday on the second day of the fourth test of the five-match series. Australia resumed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 311-6 and reached 454-7 at lunch, thanks to a 112-run stand between Smith (139 not out) and tailender Pat Cummins (49). Debutant teenager Sam Konstas (60), Usman Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Smith all made half-centuries in front of a crowd of over 87,242 on Thursday’s first day’s play. Smith, who was 68 overnight, moved into the 90s in spectacular fashion with a six over fine leg off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah in the 11th over of the day. The 35-year-old Smith climbed to equal-seventh in test cricket with 34 centuries, reaching his hundred off 167 deliveries with a glorious cover drive to the boundary. Smith, who began the series with scores of 0, 17 and 2 in the first two tests, also hit 101 in the third in Brisbane. Cummins and Smith crushed India’s hopes of an early breakthrough Friday with a century stand for the seventh wicket. Cummins was caught at deep cover off the bowling of spinner Ravindra Jadeja at 411-7. Read: Kohli and Australia teen Konstas provide a fiery start to the 4th cricket test Smith’s unbeaten knock has included 13 fours and three sixes. Mitchell Starc is 15 not out as India’s bowlers struggle to contain Australia’s batters. In an explosive start to the fourth test Thursday, the audacious batting of 19-year-old Konstas, including reverse-scooping India’s pace spearhead Bumrah over slips to the boundary, infuriated India batting great Virat Kohli. At the completion of the 10th over of the match, ex-skipper Kohli collided shoulder to shoulder with Konstas, who had his head down adjusting his batting gloves. Kohli pleaded guilty after play to making “inappropriate physical contact” with Konstas. Match referee Andy Pycroft fined 36-year-old Kohli 20% of his match fee. Kohli also received one demerit point. 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.

Erling Haaland's penalty miss cost Manchester City as the four-time defending Premier League champion dropped more points in a 1-1 draw with Everton on Thursday. Haaland had the chance to fire City on course for only its second win in 13 games when stepping up for a 53rd minute spot kick at the Etihad Stadium. But his tame effort was saved by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to extend City’s woeful run. Pep Guardiola’s team has lost nine of its last 13 games in all competitions. The draw means City picked up only its fifth point in the league since the end of October. Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot gave City the lead in the 14th, but Iliman Ndiaye leveled the score in the 36th. City is sixth in the standings and 11 points behind leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Liverpool has the chance to extend its lead over the champion when playing Leicester in the later kick off. Haaland's missed penalty means the Norway international has only scored once in his last seven games. He headed in from the rebound, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Haaland, who last week admitted his form had not been good enough during a run that has seen City's season unravel, held his head in his hands after his failure to score from the spot. He still has 18 goals in 25 appearances this season, but has not scored in a win for his club since the 1-0 victory against last placed Southampton on Oct. 26. Kohli and Australia teen Konstas provide a fiery start to the 4th cricket test “We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately we could not get the results that we wanted,” Guardiola said afterward. City's damaging run has seen it slip down the standings in the league and crash out of the English League Cup. It is also in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the round of 16 in the Champions League - sitting just one point above the cut off point with two games to play.  

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday announced the squad for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025. Prior to the event, the Bangladesh Under-19 side will play four U19 T20 matches in Sri Lanka against the hosts from January 3–9. BCB announces much-needed pay rise for women cricketers with central contracts The Bangladesh team will depart for Colombo on January 2. Sumaiya Akter will lead the team in this event, while Afia Ashima Era will play the role of her deputy. Women’s U-19 Asia Cup Final: Can the Young Tigresses emulate their male counterparts? Team for T20 World Cup 2025: Sumaiya Akter (Captain), Afia Ashima Era (Vice-Captain), Mst Eva, Fahomida Choya, Habiba Islam Pinky, Juairiya Ferdous, Fariya Akter, Farjana Easmin, Anisa Akter Soba, Sumaiya Akter Suborna, Nishita Akter Nishi, Lucky Khatun, Jannatul Maoua, Sadia Akter, Sadia Islam. Standby: Ashrafi Yeasmin Arthy, Leky Chakma, Arvin Tani, Maharun Nesa.