United News of Bangladesh

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.

Renowned Pakistani Sufi musician Rahat Fateh Ali Khan captivated the audience on a chilly December evening in Mirpur as the BPL Music Fest began Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to commence on December 30. Ahead of the tournament, organizers are hosting the BPL Music Fest, featuring three musical events in Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chattogram. Thousands of music and cricket lovers gathered in Dhaka for Monday's event. Before Rahat Fateh Ali Khan took the stage, local performers entertained the crowd with energetic performances. The event began at 3:50 p.m. with a performance by Rafa. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan offers his services to cultural development of Bangladesh The program included a moment of silence to honor Hasan Ariff, an adviser to the interim government, who recently passed away. Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud and BCB President Faruque Ahmed attended the event, joined by student protesters who were injured during the July-August uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government. The fest also featured a special display commemorating the protests and the movement that led to the ousting of the Hasina regime, which had faced criticism for becoming increasingly autocratic. The BPL Music Fest will continue in Sylhet on December 25 and in Chattogram on December 27, blending music and cricket to build excitement for the league.

Bangladesh national women’s cricket team stars, Nigar Sultana and Farzana Haque, created history as they became the first women batters to score centuries in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL). They scored their centuries during the North Zone vs Central Zone match at the Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi. Nigar, captain of Central Zone, achieved the fate of being Bangladesh’s first centurion in women’s first-class cricket. Resuming her innings on 85 overnight, Nigar reached her century with a single off Jannatul Ferdous. She remained unbeaten on 153 runs off 253 balls, hitting 20 boundaries and two sixes. Her innings propelled Central Zone to declare their first innings at 387 for 8, with a 147-run lead.  Not to be outdone, Farzana Haque responded in style during North Zone’s second innings. After missing out on a century in the first innings with 86 runs, Farzana scored an unbeaten 102 off 226 balls, partnering with Isma Tanzim for a 196-run opening stand. Isma narrowly missed her century, falling short by 10 runs. North Zone ended their innings at 204 for 1, resulting in a draw.  In the other match, Southern Zone claimed the first win of the women’s first-class cricket season, beating Eastern Zone by 10 wickets at the Bangla Track Cricket Academy Ground in Rajshahi.  Eastern Zone, resuming their second innings at 26 for 3 on the final day, were bowled out for 162. Southern captain Rabeya Khan led the charge with a five-wicket haul, conceding just 18 runs. Chasing a target of mere 9 runs, Southern Zone secured the win without losing a wicket. Rabeya, who took 7 wickets across two innings and scored 70 runs in her only batting innings, was named Player of the Match for her all-around performance.

Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday to finish the year on a positive note after hitting what he called "rock bottom” in early December. Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner 10 minutes into the match for his fourth goal in as many games with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé’s sixth goal in his last eight matches with Madrid. He struggled early on with his new club, and Mbappé said his lowest point came when he missed a penalty kick in the team's 2-1 league loss at Athletic Bilbao on Dec. 4. “I know I have a lot more to give,” Mbappé said Sunday. “The last few games I’ve played better, I took a lot of positives from the Bilbao game, when I hit rock bottom.” The France star said that made him realize "I have to give my all for this jersey and play with personality.” Mbappé said he feels his period of adjustment with the club is finally over. “I think we now know each other better," he said. "I’ve joined the team and that changed a lot of things. The settling-in period is over, as the coach says. I feel very comfortable in the team and I play better with the others on the field. The team is playing much better.” Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory that allowed Madrid to finish the year one point behind Spanish league leader Atletico Madrid. Atletico rallied to shock Barcelona 2-1 Saturday with a stoppage-time goal by Alexander Sorloth. Third-place Barcelona is two points behind Madrid, having played an extra game. Valverde scored in the 20th and Rodrygo in the 34th before Sevilla got on the board with Isaac Romero in the 35th. Díaz extended Madrid's lead in the 53rd and Dodi Lukebakio got the visitors' other goal in the 85th at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. “It was a well-played game, with many scoring situations, a good end to the year,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "That was what we wanted, to be near the top and get some good rest for 2025.” Read: Kylian Mbappé is enduring a tough Euro 2024. It might not stop France winning the title Madrid next faces Valencia on Jan. 3 in a match postponed because of the deadly floods that hit Valencia in October. Sevilla, sitting in 14th place, had won two of its last two games in all competitions. Navas' farewell It was the last game for Sevilla and Spain great Jesús Navas, who is officially retiring at the end of the year. The defender was honored by Sevilla and Madrid players and fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Players from both teams made a guard of honor for Navas before the match, lining up as he entered the field, and Madrid’s veteran midfielder Luka Modric handed him a jersey of the club signed by players. Fans gave Navas a standing ovation during the ceremony. Substitute Navas came on midway through the second half. “What happened today was spectacular,” the 39-year-old Navas said after the match, unable to hold back tears. “I had never seen anything like it in my life on a rival field. It was crazy. In those last few minutes I couldn’t see anything. I was looking at the ground recalling all the moments I’ve went through and the joy I’ve been able to give to Sevilla and the national team.” Navas helped Sevilla win four Europa League titles and Spain clinch the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 and 2024 European Championships. He was with Manchester City when it won the 2014 Premier League. Read more: Ligue 1 Crowns Kylian Mbappe as Player of the Season for the Fourth Time in a Row “Navas really deserves it,” Ancelotti said. “Navas is an example for everyone.” Valencia draws late Second-to-last Valencia salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Alaves, thanks to a goal by Dani Gómez eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after the visitors had taken the lead with Joan Jordán in the 88th. The setback drew more protests from Valencia fans who have been unhappy with the administration of team owner Peter Lim. Other results Thierno Barry scored a hat trick and Gerard Moreno and Pau Cabanes added one goal each as fifth-place Villarreal won 5-2 at Leganes, while Las Palmas won 1-0 against 18th-place Espanyol. Ninth-place Real Betis was held by 12th-place Rayo Vallecano to a 1-1 draw at home.

Liverpool heads into Christmas with a four-point lead, a game in hand and as the overwhelming title favorite in the Premier League on the back of a wild 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday. As for Manchester United and its new manager Ruben Amorim, they stumble into the festive period in 13th place — as low as they’ve been at Christmas since the 1989-90 season — and with a familiar sinking feeling. United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth for the second straight season, the latest statistic to show just how far this English giant has fallen and the job Amorim has to turn around its fortunes. Worse for United, it seems like great rival Liverpool cannot be stopped. Make that 21 games in all competitions without defeat after the Reds' biggest league win of the season, with Mohamed Salah netting two of the goals to move above Manchester City's Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts. Liverpool has 39 points from 16 games and stretched its lead over second-place Chelsea, which could only draw 0-0 at Everton, to end a five-match winning streak in the league. Goal fest Salah now has 15 goals in the Premier League to break a tie with Haaland — and will leave London thinking he should have had more. In an end-to-end contest resembling a basketball match, Liverpool scored more than five goals for the first time this season, with Luis Diaz (two), Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also netting. “You can see quality players with top discipline,” Tottenham captain Son Heung-min said. “There’s a reason they are top. If you give them a mistake, they punish you.” Tottenham's injury-hit defense was open at the back but its attack caused Liverpool's problems throughout, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all finding the net. Spurs are another big team in the bottom half, having slipped to 11th place. Back to square one The optimism that might have been generated by a last-gasp 2-1 derby win at Manchester City last weekend has disappeared for United, which lost 4-3 at Tottenham in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Thursday before being handed a defeat to Bournemouth by the same score as 12 months ago. “We were a bit nervous, I felt it in the stadium,” said Amorim, who has won four and lost four in all competitions since starting his United tenure with a draw at Ipswich on Nov. 24. Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert — from the penalty spot — and Antoine Semenyo scored for Bournemouth, which climbed to fifth place in the standings and has now beaten Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and United this season. Indeed, City has dropped to seventh place, an unthinkable unravelling for the winner of the last four Premier League titles. United left out Marcus Rashford for the third straight match. At one point during Amorim's post-match press conference, water appeared to drip slowly from a ceiling light fitting on reporters sat in the front row of the Old Trafford media room. Chelsea's run over After all the money spent on players — $1.3 billion and counting — and the huge turnover of managers, Chelsea's American ownership could have seen the club atop the Premier League with a win at Everton — for a couple of hours at least. Read: Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool However, a 0-0 draw ended Chelsea's eight-match winning run in all competitions and gave Liverpool the opportunity to push four points clear. Nicolas Jackson headed against the post in the first half for Chelsea, while Everton had the clearer chances in the second half. Everton also held Arsenal 0-0 last weekend. “Sometimes you have to play a different game and we are learning to play a different game,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “They (Everton) are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets.” Winning start for Pereira Vitor Pereira got off to a great start as Wolverhampton manager, with his new team beating Leicester 3-0 in his first match in charge. Pereira took charge on Thursday as the replacement for Gary O'Neil and immediately ended Wolves' four-game losing run as Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored first-half goals at King Power Stadium. Wolves stayed in the relegation zone but moved two points behind Leicester, which is a place above the bottom three, and Pereira said: “I believe that we will stay in the Premier League and we will play at a better level than we saw today." Read more: Liverpool goes top of Premier League as Man City's 32-game unbeaten streak ends at Bournemouth It handed Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy a second straight big loss early in his reign, after a 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend. Another recently hired Premier League manager, Ivan Juric, began life at Southampton with a 0-0 draw at Fulham. Juric wasn't in charge of the team because he doesn't have a work permit. He was sitting in the stands for the match instead.

Bangladesh Lawyers' Cricket, in collaboration with T Sports and ACE, is organizing an International Cricket Tournament with 6 teams at Bashundhara sports city cricket ground here. The tournament will feature two teams from Pakistan (Lahore & Karachi) and four teams from Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi , Sylhet). Chief Justice of Bangladesh inaugurated the event on December 19. The competition will begin on Monday at Bashundhara Sports City Cricket ground. Two matches will be held on Monday and the final match will be held on December 26.

Dhaka Metropolis reached the final of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 by defeating Khulna Division by 38 runs at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. They will face Rangpur Division in the final on Tuesday, December 24, at the same venue. In the day's Qualifier-2 match, Dhaka Metropolis won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring 119 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Opener and team captain Mohammad Naim top-scored with 57 runs off 53 balls, hitting six fours and one six. NCL T20 Final: Rangpur to face Dhaka Metro on Tuesday Masum Khan and Sheikh Parvez Jibon were the standout bowlers for Khulna Division, each taking two wickets. Khan conceded 16 runs, while Jibon gave away 17 runs. In response, Khulna Division was bowled out for 81 runs in 17.4 overs. Captain Nurul Hasan was the top scorer for Khulna, making 22 runs off 18 balls, including two fours and one six. Mosaddek Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for Dhaka Metropolis, claiming three wickets for just 13 runs. Victory Day Hockey Tournament begins Monday Rakibul Hasan and Maruf Mridha also impressed, each taking two wickets. Rakibul conceded 16 runs, while Mridha gave away 20 runs.  

The Victory Day Hockey Tournament, organised by Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF), begins on Monday at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here.                   Bangladesh Navy will play BKSP in the opening match on Monday. Six teams, split into two groups, will compete in the tournament on league basis matches. NCL T20 Final: Rangpur to face Dhaka Metro on Tuesday General Secretary of the newly formed Hockey Committee Lt Coln Riazul Hasan (retd) disclosed this at a press conference here on Sunday. Participating team are: Group A – Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Police and BKSP. Group B – Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force and Hockey Players Welfare Okkiya Parishad. India beat Bangladesh to win U-19 Women’s Asia Cup final Later, the group champions and runners –up teams will play in the semifinals. The final match will be held on December 30.

England cricket star Ben Stokes has been left out of the squad for the Champions Trophy in February and March next year because of injury. Stokes, England's test captain, has not played a one-day international since the 2023 World Cup but said he was open to returning to the white-ball set-up following Brendon McCullum’s appointment as head coach across all formats in September. However, the 33-year-old Stokes suffered a recurrence of a hamstring problem during the recent test series in New Zealand and was not included in a 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Sunday. Stokes previously missed the summer series against Sri Lanka at home and the first test of the three-match test series in Pakistan in the autumn because of hamstring issues. Joe Root returned to the squad having been away from the international white-ball scene for more than a year and Jos Buttler was back as captain after missing the ODI team’s most recent series in the West Indies. Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Reece Topley all missed out after failing to further their claims in the Caribbean. Jofra Archer did enough to prove his fitness and was included, as was fellow seamer Saqib Mahmood despite limited opportunities. The squad will play five T20 internationals and three ODIs in India from January before travelling to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Spinner Rehan Ahmed will feature in the initial T20 leg of the tour before dropping out, while Root will only link up with the squad when the ODI program begins in India. ___ England squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

Rangpur Division and Dhaka Metro are set to clash in the final of the inaugural National Cricket League (NCL) T20 on Tuesday in Sylhet.   Dhaka Metro entered the final as the favorites, having won all eight of their matches in the tournament. In contrast, Rangpur secured five wins out of seven games to reach the final.   Dhaka Metro’s best batter has been Mohammad Naim, who scored over 300 runs, including three half-centuries. India beat Bangladesh to win U-19 Women’s Asia Cup final Their bowling attack, led by Rakibul Hasan, Arafat Al Islam, and Abu Hider Roney, has been formidable. Rakibul scalped 14 wickets, while Al Islam and Abu Hider have taken 12 wickets each.   For Rangpur, Akbar Ali has been a key player, amassing over 200 runs with two half-centuries. He received strong support from Tanbir Hayder, who scored 191 runs.  On the bowling department, Alauddin Babu has been exceptional, claiming 16 wickets—making him the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, behind Ahmed Sharif of Chattogram with 17 wickets.   BCB announces much-needed pay rise for women cricketers with central contracts The tournament featured all teams from the NCL competing in its first-ever T20 edition, adding a new competition to the domestic cricket calendar of Bangladesh. The main aim of this event is to give some match practice to the players ahead of BPL— the country’s premium T20 event.