United News of Bangladesh

Coming from behind, Usha KC made a big upset in the 11-team Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League outplaying  defending champions Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club by 5-1 goals in league opener at the Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Thursday. With the day's well merited victory, the old Dhaka outfit Usha KC not only made a flying start in the league with the frustration of Club Cup champions Mariner Youngs, but also took a sweet revenage of their 4-8 goals defeat against them in the Club Cup Hockey recently. In the league opener, Mahbub Hossain struck twice, Tayab Ali, Irshad Iktidar and Mohammad Shariq scored one each for Usha KC while Sohanur Rahman Sabuj scored the consolation goal for Mariner Youngs Club. Defender Sohanur Rahman Sabuj put Mariner Youngs Club ahead in the very first minute of the match from a penalty corner (1-0). Mohammad Shariq leveled the margin for Usha KC in the 5th minute also converting a penalty corner (1-1). Tayab Ali put Usha KC ahead from behind three minutes later by a field goal to dominate the first quarter by 2-1 goals. After goalless in the 2nd and 3rd quarters,  Irshad Iktidar widen the Usha margin in the 47th minute by a field goal (3-1). Mahbub Hossain sealed the fate of the match scoring two quick field goals in the last moments (57th and 58th minute) with the frustration of the champions (5-1). Four foreign players studded Usha KC missed  another half dozens of chances in the match against two foreign players based Mariner Youngs, which spoiled ten penalty corners. Two matches will be held on Friday,  Bangladesh Sporting Club will face Victoria SC at 4 pm while Dhaka Mohammedan SC will encounter Azad SC at 6 pm at the same venue.

India smartly qualified for the final of the four-nation SAFF U-16 Women's Championship'2024 eliminating hosts Nepal by a huge margin of 10-0 goal in their 3rd and last league match at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday afternoon. The final match between two arch-rivals India and Bangladesh will kick-off on Sunday (March 10) at 3:15 pm Bangladesh time at the same venue. Bangladesh U-16 Women's team is in upper hand to reach the final with one match to spare having all- win record outplaying giant neighbor India by 3-1 goal in the 2nd league match at the same venue last Tuesday, featuring three goals by Alpi Akter, Sauravi Akhand Prity and captan Arpita Biswas. In the remaining league match, Bangladesh will meet all-losers Bhutan on Friday ( March 8) at the same time and same venue, result of which will not hamper their final berth. Ahead of the Friday's match, Bangladesh team made their practices at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur Thursday morning from 9 am to 11:30 am Earlier, Bangladesh made a good start beating hosts Nepal by 2-0 goal and confirmed the final berth outplaying India by 3-1 goal in the 2nd match. On the other hand, India made a flying start crushing Bhutan by 7-0 goal in tournament opener and assured the final outplaying host Nepal by 10-0 goal in the 3nd match on Thursday, after conceding 1-3 goal defeat in the 2nd match. Nepal and Bhutan were eliminated from the four- nation regional meet.

The Cool-Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) Media Cup Football Tournament' 2024 advanced to the quarterfinal stage on the 3rd day of the meet at the BFF Astroturf in Motijheel on Thursday. On the 3rd day (Thursday), Boishakhi TV outplayed Ekhon TV by 3-0 goals, Ekattor TV beat Dainik Samakal by 2-0 goals, Dhaka Tribune beat Deepta TV by 2-1 goals, The Business Standard defeated Daily Star also by 2-1 goals, Channel i outplayed ATN News by 3-0 goals, Dainik Kalbela beat Bangla News 24 by 1-0 goal, Dainik Jugantor defeated RTV by 1-0 goal, and Jamuna TV beat BTV by 1-0 goal to qualify for the quarterfinals. All four quarterfinals will be held on Friday. Friday's quarterfinal matches are: Jugantor vs Kalbela (10: am); Business Standard vs Channel i (10:00 am); Jamuna TV vs Ekattor TV (11:00 am) and Boishakhi TV vs Dhaka Tribune (11:00 am). Former national footballer and coach Hasanuzzaman Bablu attended the day's matches as invitee guest, and later he distributed the man of the match awards. Tournament committee chairman Raihan Al Mugni and the tournament's chief coordinator, Ariful Rahman Babu, were also present on the occasion.

Joma Akter of Bangladesh clinched the bronze medal in the compound women's singles of the Paris 2024 Para Olympics final quota tournament, beating Wallace Teresa of the USA by 138-134 in the bronze medal deciding match held in Dubai, UAE, on Wednesday. Joma reached the event's quarterfinal, beating Venter Katelynn of Namibia by a score of 133–112, and moved into the semifinal, defeating LeeYun Hsien of Chinese Taipei by a score of 134–130, but lost to Virgilio Maria Andrea of Italy by a score of 136–137 in the semifinal to settle for the bronze medal race.

Bangladesh secured an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second match of the three-match T20I series on Wednesday in Sylhet. With this triumph, Bangladesh evened the series after Sri Lanka clinched the first match by a narrow margin of three runs. The decisive third match of the series is scheduled for March 9. Second T20I: Bangladesh elect to bowl first vs Sri Lanka Chasing a target of 166 runs set by Sri Lanka, the hosts comfortably achieved victory with 11 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar laid a solid foundation with a brisk 68-run partnership in seven overs, ensuring that the Sri Lankan bowlers struggled to gain momentum. Bangladesh aim to bounce back in the second T20I against Sri Lanka Despite being out of form for an extended period, Soumya contributed 26 runs off 22 balls, while Litton made a promising start with 36 runs off 25 balls, including five fours. However, both batsmen failed to capitalise on their starts. Following their dismissals, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy maintained the pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers, guiding Bangladesh to a comfortable victory. Matheesha Pathirana accounted for both wickets lost by Bangladesh in this encounter. Bangladesh set 203-run target for Ireland in second T20I Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first. Sri Lanka's innings got off to a shaky start, with opener Avishka Fernando departing for a seven-ball duck. However, Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis stabilised the innings with a 66-run partnership for the second wicket, laying a platform for a competitive total. Despite disciplined bowling from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka managed to post 165 runs. Angelo Mathews contributed a valuable 32 runs off 21 balls, while Dasun Shanaka chipped in with a quickfire 20 off 18 balls in the latter stages of the inning. Bangladesh captain Najmul lauded his team's performance, emphasising their resilience and character. “I'm really pleased with the way we bowled,” Najmul remarked. “I'm not singling out any particular bowler; they all performed admirably. Shoriful bowled impressively during the BPL as well, and it's great to see him in form.”

The 11-team Green Delta Insurance Metropolis Premier Division Hockey League' 2023–24 season will begin on Thursday at the Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium here. The Club Cup Champions Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club will play old Dhaka hockey giant Usha KC in the opening match on Thursday at 4:00 pm while former champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd will face Dilkusha SC in the other opening day's fixture at 6:00 pm. On the following day (Friday), Bangladesh Sporting Club will face Victoria SC at 4:00 pm while Dhaka Mohammedan SC will encounter Azad SC at 6:00 pm at the same venue. Earlier, the premier division hockey league was due to begin on Friday, but in the dying moment, the league rescheduled for Thursday, a day ahead of the previous fixture, following the appeal of the three big clubs—Usha KC, Mohammedan SC, and Abahani Ltd. After a long break of two and a half years, the domestic hockey competition began here with the Club Cup Hockey Tournament on February 22. Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club retained the Club Cup title for the second consecutive time, beating the national star studded Dhaka Abahani Limited by 2-0 in the final on Saturday (March 2) night.

Bangladesh Ansar and VDP team emerged champions in the Exim Bank 34th National Men's Handball Championship' 2023, dethroning Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) by 33-25 goals in the final at the Shaheed (Capt) M Monsur Ali National Handball Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. This was the third national men's crown for the Ansar and VDP team. National Men's Handball: BDR and Ansar to face each other in final Wednesday Rabiul Islam of the champion Ansar and VDP was adjudged the best player of the tournament. Bangladesh Police finished third in the meet, beating Bandarban DSA by 33-17 goals in a place deciding match held Wednesday afternoon. National Men's Handball: Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) emerge champions  Managing Director and CEO of the meet's sponsor, Exim Bank PLC, Mohammad Firoz Hossain, was the chief guest in the day's final, and later distributed the trophes. Shakib pitches for Unicef against national menace of drowning Earlier in the semifinals, BDR beat Bandarban DSA by 46-29 goals, while the Ansar and VDP teams defeated Police Handball Club by 40-30 goals.

The Cool-Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) Media Cup Football Tournament' 2024 advanced to the round of 16 on the 2nd day of the meet at the BFF Astro-turf in Motijheel on Wednesday. On the 2nd day (Wednesday), Boishakhi TV outplayed Bangla Vision by 5-0 goal, Ekattor TV beat Jagonews 24.com by 2-1 goal, Ekhon TV defeated Ajker Patrika by 3-0 goal, Dhaka Tribune managed 1-0 victory over ATN Bangla, Business Standard beat Kaler Kantho by 1-0 goal, Daily Star outplayed Channel 24 by 3-1 goal, ATN News beat defeated Daily Sun by 3-0 goal while Dainik Samakal beat Rising BD by 3-0 goal to reach the round of 16. Former national defender cum national football coach Abu Yousuf, former national winger Abdul Gaffar, former national forward Mohammad Hasan were present in the day's matches as invitee guests and later they distributed the prizes. BSJA president ATM Sayeeduzaman, general secretary Anisur Rahman, tournament committee chairman Raihan Al Mugni, tournament's chief co-ordinator Ariful Rahman Babu were also present on the occasion. SAFF U-16 Women's Champs: Bangladesh reach final with one match to spare outplaying India Earlier on the opening day (Tuesday), Channel i beat GTV by 3-1 goal, Deepta TV managed 1-0 win over Maasranga TV, Bangladesh Television beat Bangla Tribune by 4-1 goal in tie breaker, Dainik Kalbela outplayed News 24 by 3-0 goal, Bangla News 24 beat SA TV by 1-0 goal while Dainik Jugantor beat Dainik Janakantho by 1-0 goal whileRtv got walkover against Bangladesh Pratidin to qualify for the round of 16. The round of 16 matches will be held on Thursday. Thirty two media houses, split into eight groups, are taking part in the meet initially on knock out basis. Later, eight group champions will play in the quarterfinals.  

In a bid to turn the tide in their favor, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first in the second T20I against Sri Lanka on Wednesday in Sylhet. Following a narrow three-run defeat in the first match while chasing a formidable target of 207 runs, Bangladesh finds themselves in a must-win situation to keep their hopes alive in the series. Mahmudullah Riyad and Jaker Ali both displayed commendable performances with half-centuries in the initial match, yet it was insufficient to secure victory. Opting for continuity and stability, Bangladesh has maintained an unchanged playing XI for the second match. Fans are eagerly anticipating a spirited performance from the home team as they strive to even the series. The third and final clash of the T20I series is scheduled to take place on March 9 at the same venue. If Bangladesh can win on Wednesday, the third match will literally be the final. Bangladesh XI: Litton Das (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain Sri Lanka XI: Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (captain), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana

Bangladesh is determined to rebound in the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday in Sylhet. The hosts fought fiercely until the last over in the first match but narrowly lost by a mere margin of 3 runs. They now require a victory to stay in contention for clinching the series, with the final match scheduled for March 9. Bangladesh has managed to win only one T20I while chasing a target of 200 or more, and that solitary win came against Sri Lanka back in 2018. In the opening match of the ongoing series, the Tigers needed to chase down 207 runs for victory, but faltered despite important half-centuries from Mahmudullah Riyad and Jaker Ali. While Mahmudullah returned to the T20I squad after an absence of more than one and a half years, it marked Jaker's first appearance with the senior side. However, Bangladesh found themselves in dire straits after Mahmudullah's dismissal. Jaker, alongside Mahedi Hasan, attempted to lead the hosts with a resilient partnership, but ultimately fell short in guiding the team to victory. Despite the setback, Jaker demonstrated the mettle that Bangladesh required in the shorter format of the game. Meanwhile, Mahmudullah showcased that he still has ample cricketing prowess. “(We will think about) how we can win the next match,” Jaker said after the first encounter. “I believe we can draw several positives from this match. If we jot down our gains on paper, there will be many takeaways.” In the second match of the series, Bangladesh must address their bowling shortcomings. The Bangladeshi pacers struggled to contain Sri Lanka's scoring rate, conceding at least 10 runs per over, thereby posing a daunting challenge for the batters