United News of Bangladesh

Australian openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney safely negotiated a stop-and-start first session of the third cricket test against India at a rainy Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday. After India won the toss and sent Australia in to bat, rain first halted play for about 30 minutes in the sixth over. The showers returned about a half-hour later and until the scheduled lunch break. Khawaja was on 19 and McSweeney 4 and Australia was 28-0 after 13.2 overs. Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket India made two changes — Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep were back in the side, replacing Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin. Australia earlier said Josh Hazlewood would return to the starting X1 for the Brisbane test after missing Adelaide with a side strain. Fellow fast bowler Scott Boland was the man dropped in the only change for Australia. India won the first test by 295 runs at Perth, Western Australia while Australia came back to win the second day-night test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.  

Bangladesh National Women's Football team moved seven steps ahead in the latest FIFA /Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking published by World Football body FIFA after four months on Friday (December 14). Bangladesh, which clinched the SAFF Women's Football crown for the 2nd consecutive times beating hosts Nepal by 2-1 goals in the final in last October, advanced to the 132nd place securing 1097.55 rating points to better the previous ranking of 139th among 185 countries. Among the South Asian countries, India (69th) and Nepal (103rd) are ahead of Bangladesh (132nd) while Pakistan (157th), Sri Lanka (158th), Maldives (163rd) and Bhutan (172nd) behind the Bangladesh The USA Women's team maintained their top slot intact on the FIFA World Ranking securing 2087.55 rating points, followed by Spain, Germany, England. Sweden, Canada, Brazil, Japan, DPR (North) Korea and Netherlands.

Brothers Union Club took a solo lead in the ongoing 10- team Bashundhara Group Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football with unbeaten run beating Chittagong Abahani Ltd by 2-0 goals in the 3rd round match at the Bir Shreshtha FL Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj Friday afternoon. With the day's feat, the Gopibagh outfit Brothers Union took a solo lead in the league table securing seven points from three matches toppling three joints leaders --Dhaka Mohammedan SC, Dhaka Abahani Ltd and Rahmatganj MFS, which bagged full six points from straight two matches. Defending champions Bashundhara Kings went down in the race with three points from two matches losing to Federation Cup runners up Mohammedan SC by 0-1 goal in the 2nd round match. In the day's match, Senegalese midfielder Cheik Sene scored both goals for Brothers Union---first in the 18th minute and 2nd in the last minute. In the day's other match, Fortis FC outplayed Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool by 3-0 goals at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur on Friday. After barren first half, local striker Piash Ahmed Nova struck twice for Fortis FC in the 58th and 85th minutes while Gambian forward Omar Sarr opened the account in the 52nd minute Three more 3rd round matches will be held on Saturday at three separate venues across the country. The titans battle between two traditional rivals Dhaka Mohammedan SC and Dhaka Abahani Ltd will be held on Saturday at :2:30 pm at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla. Last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings will play joint league leader Rahmatganj MFS at 5:30 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena while Dhaka Wanderers Club will face Bangladesh Police FC at 2:30 pm at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur on Saturday.

UEFA punished Serbia’s soccer federation for racist acts by fans at two Nations League games, including trying to burn an Albania flag in Switzerland. The decision was announced Friday, hours before Serbia and Albania were drawn by FIFA into the same qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup — meaning they will play each other twice, home and away. On Monday, UEFA's executive committee is set to confirm Serbia and Albania as co-hosts of the Under-21 European Championship in 2027. Injured Mbappé to travel with Real Madrid to Qatar with hopes of playing Intercontinental Cup final At a Switzerland-Serbia game last month, visiting fans were filmed trying to set light to an Albania flag. The Swiss team, including captain Granit Xhaka, typically fields players with family ties to Albania or Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. UEFA said its disciplinary committee charged the Serbian federation for “racist and/or discriminatory behavior” in Switzerland on Nov. 15 and at home to Denmark three days later, plus other incidents including fans showing an “illicit banner.” Serbia’s federation was banned from selling tickets for the team’s next two away games in UEFA competitions, and must close parts of the stadium at two home games. Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury The first parts of the sanctions will apply in March when Serbia faces Austria in a two-leg Nations League promotion playoff. UEFA also imposed fines totaling 173,000 euros ($181,000) with 90,000 euros ($94,000) of that for the discrimination. Serbia’s soccer body has been charged by UEFA and FIFA for repeated fan misconduct including at Euro 2024 in Germany and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Serbia-Albania games in World Cup qualifying next year will be the first since they met in a Euro 2016 qualifying group. The game in Belgrade in October 2014 was abandoned in chaos after a fan outside the stadium flew a drone carrying an Albanian nationalist banner over the field.

Imad Wasim has announced his retirement from international cricket, six months after the Pakistan all-rounder made a comeback and played at the T20 World Cup. “After much thought and reflection, I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Wasim wrote on X on Friday. “Representing Pakistan on the world stage has been the greatest honour of my life, and every moment wearing the green jersey has been unforgettable.” West Indies sweep ODI series with record chase against Bangladesh The 35-year-old Wasim played 75 T20 internationals after making his debut against Zimbabwe in 2015. He scored 554 runs in T20s and also took 73 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling. Wasim also played 55 ODIs for Pakistan and took 44 wickets while scoring 986 runs. Wasim quit international cricket in November 2023 after selectors ignored the all-rounder because of his fitness issues. Wasim changed his mind and made himself available for June’s T20 World Cup where Pakistan made an early exit after losing to archrival India and United States in group matches. Wasim struggled to make a mark and finished the tournament with only three wickets in three games and could score only 19 runs. The all-rounder said he will continue to play in domestic cricket and franchise cricket around the world. FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host “While this chapter comes to an end, I look forward to continuing my journey in cricket through domestic and franchise cricket, and I hope to keep entertaining you all in new ways. Thank you for everything. Pakistan,” he said.

Kylian Mbappé will miss one Spanish league game with a leg injury but Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti hopes his striker will recover from in time to play the Intercontinental Cup final next week. Ancelotti said Friday that the left-thigh injury that Mbappé sustained this week will rule him out of Saturday’s La Liga match at Rayo Vallecano. But the Italian coach said that Mbappé will travel with the rest of his teammates to Qatar for the Intercontinental Cup final on Dec. 18, when Madrid will face either Pachuca or Al Ahly. “We will see if he can play without taking any (injury) risks,” Ancelotti told reporters. “He will travel because we think he can recover from the injury.” Mbappé hurt his leg and was substituted after scoring in Madrid’s 3-2 win at Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Harry Kane is set to make his return for Bayern Munich next week following a muscle injury, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday. The England captain hasn't played since he went off in Bayern's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 30 after receiving treatment on his right thigh. Kane's missed three games since then and Kompany said Kane wouldn't be available for Saturday's Bundesliga game at Mainz, either, but could return next week ahead of playing Leipzig on Dec. 20. “It’s actually gone really quickly and well for Harry. It was tight for this game, but it looks good for Leipzig," Kompany said. "I’m obviously only focused on Mainz now but regarding Harry, it’s great. It’s not the case that we’ve had a setback or something. It looks good.” Kane has scored 20 goals in 19 games for Bayern in all competitions this season. With Bayern's long injury list including goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, left back Alphonso Davies and midfielder Joao Palhinha, the winter break could allow Bayern to bring multiple players back for its first competitive game of the new year on Jan. 11. The break is especially welcome because the Club World Cup takes up so much of next year's offseason, Kompany indicated. “Right now I’m happy that we have a winter break (in Germany) because there isn’t even a summer break if you look at the schedule that we have," Kompany said. "It’s important that you have a certain number of days to recover, not just physically but mentally.” Bayern has been drawn against New Zealand's Auckland City, Argentina's Boca Juniors and Portugal's Benfica in the group stage of the expanded Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 through July 13 in the United States.

Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year. After securing victory, Dommaraju burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration. “I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realized the dream (and made it) into reality,” he told reporters after his win. Dommaraju is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. NFL to play its first regular-season game in 2025 “It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India... and for me, a very personal moment of pride,” Anand, who has been a mentor to Dommaraju, said in a post on X. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 18-year-old on his “remarkable accomplishment,” calling it “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.” “His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X. Thursday’s match was a 14-round long-time classical event with a prize fund of $2.5 million.  

West Indies recorded a commanding four-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third ODI in St. Kitts, completing a 3-0 series sweep on Thursday. Chasing a big target of 322, the hosts sealed the match with 25 balls to spare, riding on a dream debut century from Amir Jangoo and key contributions from Keacy Carty and Gudakesh Motie. “This series was a big step in the right direction for us,” said West Indies captain Shai Hope. “In the past, we have not been winning series clinically, and that is a great standpoint for us.” Bangladesh, batting first, posted a competitive 321 for 5, thanks to Mahmudullah Riyad’s unbeaten 84 off 63 balls and Jaker Ali’s 62 not out. The pair added an unbeaten 150 runs for the sixth wicket, a record for Bangladesh in ODIs. “It was a tough day for our bowlers,” said Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz. “Our batters did well—Soumya, Jaker, and Mahmudullah all contributed—but we could not get wickets in the middle overs, and that was the problem.” Bangladesh set 322 target for West Indies in final ODI Earlier, Soumya Sarkar (73) and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (77) steadied the innings after early setbacks, forging a 136-run partnership for the third wicket. Alzarri Joseph led the West Indies bowling with figures of 2 for 43, while debutant Jediah Blades endured a tough outing, conceding 73 runs in six overs. West Indies’ chase began shakily, losing Brandon King (15), Alick Athanaze (7), and skipper Shai Hope (3) within the first five overs. “We talked about making the West Indies a better cricket nation,” said Player of the Series Sherfane Rutherford. “Good to see we are taking one step at a time.” Taskin Ahmed and Nasum Ahmed struck early blows, reducing the hosts to 31 for 3. Rutherford (30) and Keacy Carty added a stabilising 55-run partnership before Carty and Jangoo turned the game around with a 132-run stand for the fifth wicket. Carty fell just short of a century, scoring 95 off 88 balls. “I just wanted to take in the adrenaline and see ball, hit ball,” said Player of the Match Amir Jangoo about his debut knock. “It is surreal.” West Indies to bowl first against Bangladesh in 3rd ODI Jangoo carried the innings forward with an unbeaten 104 off 83 balls, becoming the second West Indian batter to score a century on ODI debut, after Desmond Haynes. Motie’s quickfire 44 off 31 balls sealed the win, his innings capped with a towering six to finish the game. The loss marked Bangladesh’s first ODI series whitewash against West Indies in a decade. Miraz acknowledged the learning curve for his team, saying, “After this series, we have the Champions Trophy, and we know what we need to improve.”  

Bangladesh set a competitive target of 322 for West Indies in the third and final ODI of the three-match series in Basseterre on Thursday. Mahmudullah Riyad's unbeaten 84 off 63 balls and Jaker Ali's solid 62 off 57 anchored a 140-run unbroken stand for the sixth wicket, rescuing Bangladesh from a mid-innings wobble and lifting the total to 321 for 5 in 50 over. West Indies to bowl first against Bangladesh in 3rd ODI The innings began shakily for Bangladesh, with Alzarri Joseph removing Tanzid Hasan (0) and Litton Das (0) in quick succession, leaving the visitors reeling at 9 for 2. Soumya Sarkar (73 off 73) and skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz (77 off 73) steadied the innings with a 136-run partnership for the third wicket. Soumya’s composed knock, with six fours and four sixes, ended when he was trapped lbw by Gudakesh Motie. Soon after, Mehidy was run out in a moment of brilliance by Sherfane Rutherford, leaving Bangladesh at 171 for 4. Bangladesh announces squad for Women’s U19 Asia Cup Afif Hossain fell shortly after for 15, caught by Brandon King off Rutherford. Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali then took control, mixing boundaries with smart running between the wickets.Mahmudullah struck seven fours and four sixes, while Jaker added five boundaries and two sixes to lift the run rate in the final overs. Bangladesh added 104 runs in the last 10 overs, ensuring a strong finish. West Indies' bowlers struggled after their early breakthroughs, with Alzarri Joseph finishing as the pick with 2 for 43 from 10 overs. BPL Football: 3rd round of BPL Football begins Friday Gudakesh Motie and Rutherford claimed a wicket each, but the hosts now face a challenging chase to secure a clean sweep.