United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has expressed his determination to give his best for the national team if he gets the chance to play again. In a Facebook post on Monday night, he wrote: “Recently, a statement I made in the media has created quite a stir. I want to make this very clear to everyone: my full focus right now is on cricket. At this stage of my career, I want to perform at my best for the Bangladesh national team and give the country some memorable performances if I get the opportunity.” Shakib added that politics is important for the development of the country, and he hopes to contribute to national progress after retiring from cricket. “But that does not have to be done only through politics. It is possible to work for the country outside of politics, though it may be easier through it,” he noted. Shakib concluded by saying: “I hope to end my cricket career with a smile on my face, wearing the red-green jersey. For this, I seek the prayers and love of all the people of Bangladesh.”

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam is under intense pressure from the country’s Sports Ministry after a group of cricket organisers accused the board of interfering in its last election which secured Aminul a four-year term as president. In a recent interview with a private TV station, Jamuna TV, Aminul refuted his involvement in any malpractice in the election. He, however, acknowledged he just wrote to the district sports bodies to include the names of the councillors in the voter list from the ad-hoc committees as the constitution of the board dictates.  Aminul became the BCB president for the first time during the interim government when the then-president, Faruque Ahmed, was ousted, and he was appointed by the National Sports Council as an independent director on the board. After that, the other directors elected him as the president.  After becoming the president, Aminul declared he came to play a T20 innings, referring to his wish to stay as the president for a short time. But before the election, he opted to contest, aiming to cement the changes his board initiated during his first tenure.  To investigate the allegations in the election, the sports ministry under the current BNP government decided to form a probe committee, which submitted its report to the ministry on Monday.  “We have the report,” Aminul Haque, the sports minister, confirmed. “We will now discuss with the ICC and take further actions.” During the investigation, Aminul, the BCB president, did not meet with the investigators. He missed it due to a scheduling conflict, he claimed. But he said he responded to the committee with a written response.  Asif Mahmud, who was the sports advisor under the interim government, alleged that some members of the current board have resigned because they were enticed by the sports minister Aminul. But he denied the allegation.  Like the board president Aminul, Asif also did not face the probe committee. He alleged that “A prominent cricketer is actively lobbying to prevent the ICC from intervening in the illegal process to dissolve the board.” Asif alluded to the former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who was one of the leaders, who raised concerns about the malpractice in the election. Before raising it, he was also trying to contest in the election against Aminul, but at the last moment, he withdrew his name.  Now, as the future of the current board of the BCB is uncertain, the president was asked what he will do if all the directors of his current board resigned— he vowed, he will be the last person to go.

Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hinted that Bernardo Silva’s nine-year tenure at the club could conclude this summer, saying, "every good story comes to an end." The 31-year-old midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he has yet to sign an extension. Silva has been linked with moves to Barcelona, Juventus, and clubs in the United States. Speaking to the media after City’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool, while manager Pep Guardiola served a touchline ban, Lijnders praised Silva’s impact on the team. "You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don't exist," he said. "Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions… all these things. But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months—there are only six weeks—and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well." Silva, who joined City from Monaco in 2017, marked his 450th appearance for the club in Saturday’s win. The midfielder recently won his 18th piece of silverware with the club following City’s Carabao Cup triumph. Guardiola, a long-time admirer, has often relied on Silva, making him captain after Kevin De Bruyne’s departure at the end of last season. Lijnders also addressed City’s plans for the future, highlighting the importance of the club’s academy and youth development. "You never search for a replacement of one type of player," he said. "You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first 11. With our academy and the young players we already bought, they can make that step in midfield positions. The most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time remain, and around that, you can move." City have been linked with a summer move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson as they plan for the post-Silva era.  #From BBC

Barcelona came from behind to defeat 10-man Atletico Madrid 2-1 away and strengthen their grip at the top of La Liga after Real Madrid suffered a late defeat to Mallorca on Saturday. Atletico took the lead at Metropolitano Stadium through Giuliano Simeone in the 39th minute, but Marcus Rashford equalized just three minutes later. The hosts were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when Nico González was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Barcelona capitalised on the advantage late in the match, with Robert Lewandowski scoring the winner in the 87th minute, converting a rebound off a save by goalkeeper Juan Musso. The Catalan club has now won eight of its last nine matches in all competitions and moved seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid in the league standings. Atletico remain fourth, 19 points off the lead. Earlier, Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Mallorca after conceding in stoppage time. Manu Morlanes gave Mallorca the lead in the 42nd minute before Éder Militão equalized in the 88th minute on his return from injury. Vedat Muriqi netted the winner one minute into added time. Elsewhere, Real Sociedad beat Levante 2-0, while Real Betis were held to a goalless draw by Espanyol.

Real Madrid could drop further behind La Liga leader Barcelona after a 2-1 loss at Mallorca on Saturday. Madrid conceded in stoppage time and stayed four points behind ahead of the Catalan club's match at fourth-placed Atletico Madrid later Saturday. Mallorca has risen out of the relegation zone after its second win in three league matches. The host opened the scoring thanks to Manu Morlanes in the 42nd minute. Madrid equalized in the 88th through Éder Militão, who was back in the squad after an injury layoff of nearly four months. The winner came from Vedat Muriqi one minute into added time. Mallorca moved to 17th place, two points clear of the bottom three. Madrid suffered its third defeat in its last six league matches. The club has five league losses all season. Also, Real Sociedad beat Levante 2-0 at home.

During a Pakistan Super League match on Friday night, Bangladesh’s left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman became the highest wicket-taking left-arm pacer in the history of recognised T20s. Playing for Lahore Qaladars, Mustafizur claimed two wickets against the Multan Sultans to surpass Pakistan's Mohammad Amir, who previously held the record with 414 wickets. The cutter master reached the milestone in 325 matches, significantly fewer than Amir’s 356 appearances. Mustafizur entered the PSL season third on the all-time list for left-arm pacers. He overtook retired Pakistani bowler Wahab Riaz, who finished his career with 413 wickets, during his second match of the tournament against the Karachi Kings. The contest for the top position remains active, as 33-year-old Amir is also competing in the current PSL season for Rawalpindi. Of his 416 overall T20 wickets, 158 were taken in international matches, making Mustafizur the leading T20I wicket-taker for Bangladesh. He secured that national record last September by surpassing left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan. Across all bowling disciplines, Mustafizur currently ranks seventh on the all-time T20 wicket-taking list. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan leads the global rankings with 703 dismissals.

Bangladesh lifted the SAFF Under-20 Championship title for the second time after beating India 4-3 on penalties in the final of the 2026 edition on Friday at the National Stadium in Male, Maldives. Ronan Sullivan scored the winning penalty with a cheeky 'panenka' to send the Bangladesh dugout into a frenzy. While it was Bangladesh's second such success, this is the first time they beat India in the final, having lost three previous finals against their bigger neighbours before. This second regional age group championship in three years solidifies Bangladesh's emerging edge in South Asian youth football under head coach Mark Cox. Neither side managed to break the deadlock during 90 minutes of regulation and four minutes of stoppage time, forcing the decisive shootout. Both teams missed crucial opportunities during a tightly contested first half. India threatened early when an Abrash header narrowly missed the post in the fourth minute. Bangladesh responded in the 13th minute when captain Mithu Chowdhury headed wide off a free-kick from Ronan Sullivan. Just before halftime, Sullivan launched an acrobatic half-volley from outside the box that sailed over the crossbar. Bangladesh adopted a more defensive posture in the second half. Goalkeeper Ismail Hossain Mahin survived two misjudged clearances, as Indian forwards failed to capitalize on the exposed net. Seeking an offensive spark, Cox substituted Philadelphia Union prospect Declan Sullivan into the match in the 66th minute, but the Indian defense held firm. India had the best chance to secure a victory in the dying minutes of regulation. In the 83rd minute, Rishi Singh delivered a cross into the box, but an unmarked Vishal sent a powerful shot soaring over the crossbar, ensuring the match would be decided by penalties.

Barcelona scored six goals again to outclass Real Madrid 6-0 and reach a record-extending eighth straight semifinal in the Women’s Champions League on Thursday. Caroline Graham Hansen scored twice and Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, Ewa Pajor and Esmee Brugts all scored a goal apiece for the three-time champion in the second leg of their quarterfinal to advance on a 12-2 aggregate score. Barcelona will face Bayern Munich for a spot in the May 23 final in Oslo. It was Barcelona’s sixth win over Madrid in the women’s clásico in all competitions this season and it was watched by 60,067 spectators in the women’s first game at the newly revamped Camp Nou. Later Thursday, OL Lyonnes needed extra time to beat Wolfsburg 4-0 and will take on defending champion Arsenal in the last four. Barcelona didn’t waste time in proving its superiority, giving Madrid no chance for an unprecedented quarterfinal turnaround after last week's 6-2 result in the Spanish capital. In the eighth minute, Pajor's attempt from the left side of the box was saved by goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez. But Putellas scored off the rebound to mark the two-time Ballon d'Or winner's 500th Barcelona appearance. With the goal, Putellas became the first Spanish player to have 30 goals in women’s club competitions, according to UEFA. Seven minutes later, Graham Hansen headed in the second from close range. Paredes made it 3-0 with another header off a corner from Graham Hansen in the 27th. The home team went into halftime with a 4-0 lead after Pajor's seventh goal in the Champions League this season and career 40th in European club competitions. Graham Hansen chipped the ball over Rodríguez 10 minutes into the second half for a 5-0 lead. Clara Serrajordi set up Brugts to tap in the sixth. Barcelona seeks to reclaim the title it lost to Arsenal last season. The Catalan club topped the league phase with an unbeaten campaign that included 20 goals scored and three against. Substitutes save Lyon Substitutes Melchie Dumornay and Damaris Egurrola scored off corner kicks five minutes apart at the end of the first half of extra time, and another substitute — Tabitha Chawinga — sealed the win, 4-1 on aggregate, to send the record eight-time champions to the next round. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Wolfsburg relied on defense and some great saves by goalkeeper Stina Johannes. Lily Yohannes, an 18-year-old United States international, erased the one-goal deficit with a deflected low shot in the first half. It was the 13th meeting between Lyon and Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League, a new record for the most played fixture. Wolfsburg won the first meeting — the 2013 final — but Lyon has had the best of the rivalry since then. It won three finals against the German club: in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

Bangladeshi leg-spinner Rishad Hossain has been named the player of the season for the Hobart Hurricanes following his debut campaign in Australia's Big Bash League. Cricket Tasmania announced the award during its annual awards night, more than two months after the domestic T20 tournament concluded on Jan. 25. Rishad secured the recognition after taking a team-high 15 wickets for the Hurricanes. He finished as the joint-highest wicket-taking spinner across all franchises in the tournament, sharing the mark with Perth Scorchers left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly and Adelaide Strikers leg-spinner Lloyd Pope. Rishad maintained a consistent performance throughout the season, recording an economy rate of 7.82. He claimed the top men's honor ahead of three other nominees: batsman Nikhil Chaudhary, who scored 307 runs; team captain and fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who took 14 wickets; and fast bowler Chris Jordan, who claimed seven wickets. In the women's division, batsman Danni Wyatt-Hodge won the top award for Hobart. She scored 432 runs during the latest BBL season, playing a significant role in helping the team secure its first championship title.

Bangladesh secured a place in the final of the SAFF U-20 Championship 2026 after edging past Nepal 1-0 in the semi-final on Wednesday. Md Manik scored the decisive goal in the 11th minute at the National Football Stadium in Malé, Maldives, and was named Player of the Match. The match kicked off at 4:45 pm (BST). In the second semi-final, India will face Bhutan later on the same day at the same venue at 9:30 pm (BST). Bangladesh will learn their final opponents after that match. Earlier, Bangladesh reached the semi-finals finishing as runners-up in Group B. The boys in red and green began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Pakistan and later played out a 1-1 draw against India in their final group match.