United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the launch of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 edition on Saturday, aiming to provide a platform for local cricketers to prove their talent and prepare for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).   The tournament, officially named the Al-Arafah Islami Bank NCL T20 Powered by Walton, will take place from December 11 to 24.    The tournament's logo was unveiled at a ceremony held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka. The BCB President Faruk Ahmed, BCB Director Fahim Sinha, and representatives from the sponsors were present at the program.    A total of eight teams, including seven divisional teams and Dhaka Metro, will participate in the NCL T20.    The league matches will be played at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium and Sylhet Divisional Stadium Outer Ground, while the playoffs and the final will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.   BCB President Faruk Ahmed emphasised the tournament's importance in providing local cricketers with a platform to prove themselves ahead of the BPL.   He expressed his hope that the players would seize this opportunity to showcase their skills and contribute to the development of T20 cricket in Bangladesh.   The sponsors expressed their enthusiasm for being part of the tournament and their commitment to supporting cricket in Bangladesh.   The matches will be broadcast live on T Sports, the country's first and only sports channel, with at least 18 matches televised. All matches will also be available on the T Sports app. In addition, the matches will be streamed on the OTT platform FanCode in India and on the T Sports YouTube channel for the rest of the world.

India’s Tilak Varma has etched his name in T20 cricket history, becoming the first player—male or female—to score centuries in three consecutive innings. He achieved this rare feat with a sensational 151 off 67 balls during Hyderabad’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 opener against Meghalaya in Rajkot. The 22-year-old entered the domestic T20 tournament following back-to-back centuries in South Africa, where he scored an unbeaten 107 in Centurion and followed it with 120 not out in Johannesburg. Antigua Test: Louis falls short of century as West Indies reach 250 on day one His intense knock against Meghalaya also made him the first Indian male cricketer to score over 150 in a T20 match. Previously, Kiran Navgire, representing Nagaland, had smashed an unbeaten 162 against Arunachal Pradesh in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 2022. Tilak batted at No. 3, coming in during the first over, and displayed a stunning strike rate of 225.37. He hammered 14 fours and 10 sixes before being dismissed on the final ball of the innings. Particularly ruthless against medium pacer Dippu Sangma, Tilak scored 50 off just 18 balls, including six fours and three sixes. His 122-run partnership for the second wicket in just 48 balls laid the foundation for Hyderabad’s highest-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy total of 248 for 4, which is also the fifth-highest score in the tournament’s history. Tilak’s exceptional form comes as he remains one of the five players retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. He previously represented the franchise in 2023 and 2024.  Source: ESPNcrickinfo

Mikyle Louis misses on a ton for three runs on day one of the Antigua Test against Bangladesh on Friday. Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. At the end of day one, they posted 250 for five, with Justin Greaves and Joshua Da Silva remaining not out for 11 and 14 respectively. West Indies lost their first wicket for 25 runs when Taskin trapped Kraigg Brathwaite for lbw. It was an outside off delivery but sharply turned to the stumps. Kraigg missed it while driving and the ball hit his pads. Antigua Test: Louis hits fifty as West Indies build slowly vs Bangladesh In his next over, Taskin dismissed Keacy Carty for a duck. It was a soft dismissal. Taijul Islam took an easy catch at the mid-on. West Indies were reduced to 84 for three wickets. In the fourth wicket, Mikyle Louis  and Alick Athanaze added 140 runs. Louis fell for 97 when he was edged by Mehidy Hasan Miraz at the slip. Athanaze continued and fell for 90 runs. Athanaze fell victim to left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. The batter went for a sweep but missed it to edge to wicketkeeper. Antigua Test: Bangladesh opt to bowl first Bangladesh opted for a three-pacer attack in this match, taking Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam in the XI. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam is also on the team. Hasan Murad, who is yet to make debut for Bangladesh, is overlooked despite registering a hat-trick in the practice match ahead of the main series. Bangladesh hasn't had the best track record against the West Indies in Tests, having won just four out of twenty encounters. This time around, they'll be fielding a rather youthful side with several seasoned players missing. The second and final Test of the series will be played from November 30 in Kingston.  

Mikyle Louis hits a fifty for West Indies in the Antigua Test after Taskin Ahmed takes two wickets. Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. At the end of 53 overs, the hosts were batting at 113 for three, with Louis was unbeaten on 68. West Indies lost their first wicket for 25 runs when Taskin trapped Kraigg Brathwaite for lbw. It was an outside off delivery but sharply turned to the stumps. Kraigg missed it while driving and the ball hit his pads. In his next over, Taskin dismissed Keacy Carty for a duck. It was a soft dismissal. Taijul Islam took an easy catch at the mid-on. Bangladesh opted for a three-pacer attack in this match, taking Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam in the XI. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam is also on the team. Hasan Murad, who is yet to make debut for Bangladesh, is overlooked despite registering a hat-trick in the practice match ahead of the main series. Bangladesh hasn't had the best track record against the West Indies in Tests, having won just four out of twenty encounters. This time around, they'll be fielding a rather youthful side with several seasoned players missing. The second and final Test of the series will be played from November 30 in Kingston.  

Bangladesh have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Antigua Test against West Indies on Friday. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is leading the Bangladesh team in this series, making his debut as Bangladesh's captain in Tests. The tourists will play a two-match Test series against the hosts before locking horns in an ODI and T20I series. Bangladesh opted for a three-pacer attack in this match, taking Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam in the XI. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam is also on the team. Hasan Murad, who is yet to make debut for Bangladesh, is overlooked despite registering a hat-trick in the practice match ahead of the main series. Bangladesh haven’t had the best track record against the West Indies in Tests, having won just four out of twenty encounters. This time around, they'll be fielding a rather youthful side with several seasoned players missing. With Najmul Hossain Shanto out, the selectors have turned to Shahadat Hossain Dipu, a batsman with a decent first-class record. Dipu played 33 matches in first-class cricket and scored over 1700 runs with three centuries. In the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh only have one all-rounder in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who will also lead the team in this series. Relatively inexperienced Bangladesh team will be hoping to young guns to fire under new captain. The second and final Test of the series will be played from November 30 in Kingston. Bangladesh XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam West Indies XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.  

The Ireland national women’s cricket team arrived in Dhaka on Friday morning to play a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series against the hosts. Nigar Sultana will lead the Bangladesh team in this series, while Gaby Lewis will lead the tourists. The ODI series kicks off on Wednesday, November 27, followed by the second and third ODIs on Saturday and Monday, December 2, respectively. The T20I series begins on Thursday, December 5, with the second and third T20Is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, and Monday, December 9. Before this series, Bangladesh faced Ireland in six ODIs and won three of those. Two matches ended without a result, and Bangladesh lost one. Bangladesh ODI squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Fargana Hoque, Sharmin Akhter, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Sultana Khatun, Taj Nehar, Sanjida Akther Ireland ODI squad: Gaby Lewis (c), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Sarah Forbes, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Aimee Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Una Raymond-Hoey, Freya Sargent, and Alice Tector.

Rangpur Division captain Akbar Ali has been handed a two-match suspension for displaying on-field misconduct during the National Cricket League. The incident also resulted in a 95% fine on his match fee, confirmed match referee Akhtar Ahmed following Rangpur’s game against Barishal in Rajshahi. Rangpur, currently second in the league standings with two wins and two draws in five matches, was aiming to challenge table-toppers Sylhet for the title. During the third day of the match at Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium, Akbar engaged in a prolonged argument with the umpire over a fielding decision and faced allegations of excessive appealing, leading to a 25% fine on his match fee and a demerit point. The situation escalated on the fourth day when a caught-behind appeal was denied. Akbar, visibly frustrated, once again confronted the umpire aggressively. During the lunch break, he kicked a chair in anger, breaking it in the dressing room. For this second incident, which breached Level-2 of the code of conduct, Akbar was fined 75% of his match fee, received four demerit points, and was banned for one match. Combined with his earlier demerit, he accumulated five points in total, triggering an automatic two-match suspension as per league regulations.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 14-member final squad of Bangladesh Under-19 team on Thursday (November 21) to participate in the 11th version of the U-19 Asia Cup Cricket beginning on November 29 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Defending champions Bangladesh U-19 Cricket team, led by Azizul Hakim Tamim, will leave Dhaka for the Emirates on Sunday (Nov 24). Bangladesh clinched the only U-19 Asia Cup crown beating UAE by a huge 195 runs in the final last year. Eight Asian teams--five full-member countries –India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan-- alongside three qualified teams—Nepal, Japan and UAE –split into two groups, will compete in the first phase. Bangladesh, which was placed in four-team Group B with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, will play Afghanistan in one of the two opening day’s match on November 29 at Dubai International Stadium. Bangladesh will play Nepal on December 1 and Sri Lanka on December 3 in the remaining group matches. Ahead of the main draw, Bangladesh team will play a warm-match against India on November 26 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh U-19 team: Azizul Hakim Tamim (captain), Jawad Arbar (vice-captain), Rifat Beg, Samiun Bashir Ratul, Devashis Sarkar, Rizan Hossain, Al Fahad, Iqbal Hasan Emon, Rafiuzzaman Rafi, Farid Hasan Foysal, Maruf Mrida, Shihab James, Ashrafuzzaman and Saad Islam Razi. Stand by: Kalam Siddiqui Alin Shahrial Azmir, Yesir Arafat, and Sanjit Majumber.

After a disappointing clean sweep at home against South Africa in their last Test series, Bangladesh are gearing up to take on the West Indies in a two-match Test series, with the first match starting Friday in Antigua. Ahead of the series, Bangladesh played a two-day practice match against a West Indies Board XI, which ended in a draw. The highlight of the match was left-arm spinner Hasan Murad, who claimed a hat-trick, boosting his confidence ahead of the main series. Bangladesh will be without key players Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Mushfiqur Rahim for this series. Bangladesh finish preparation in West Indies as Hasan Murad registers hat-trick Shakib is unavailable due to personal reasons and public backlash over his political affiliations with the former ruling Awami League, which was ousted in a recent popular uprising. Najmul and Mushfiqur, meanwhile, are sidelined with injuries. In Shakib's absence, Hasan Murad is expected to play a pivotal role as the team’s lead left-arm spinner. His hat-trick in the practice match has raised hopes of a standout performance in the upcoming games. Hasan Murad played 31 First-class matches and bagged 139 wickets with 12 five-fors. Bangladesh enter the series with a mixed Test record. After suffering a clean sweep against India and South Africa in their last two Test series, they previously registered a historic win against Pakistan in Pakistan. BCB announces Bangladesh U-17 Cricket team's schedule for Sri Lanka tour Before this series, Tigers have played 20 Tests against the West Indies, winning four. However, this time the team will rely heavily on its younger players due to the absence of key senior members. To compensate for Najmul’s absence, the selectors have called up Shahadat Hossain Dipu, who played 33 First-class matches and scored 1752 runs with three centuries. The team will lean on allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who will also captain the side in this series. With a relatively inexperienced squad, Bangladesh face a tough challenge but hopes to capitalize on the promise of its young players and the leadership of Mehdiy who has the experience of leading Bangladesh in the U-19 level.    

Ahead of the Test series Bangladesh have completed their preparation well in West Indies.  Bangladesh’s bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Hasan Murad, delivered a good performance in a two-day warm-up match against the West Indies Select XI in Antigua. Murad, who has played two T20Is for the national team, grabbed the spotlight with a stunning hat-trick to draw the game. Bangladesh declared their innings at 253 for 7 after winning the toss. Several batters, including Mominul Haque, Litton Das, Zakir Ali Anik, and Mahidul Islam Ankon, spent valuable time in the middle. England wins T20 series 3-1 after final match against West Indies is abandoned after only 5 overs Mominul scored 31 off 58 balls, while Litton made 31 off 53 balls before retiring to allow others to bat. Zakir contributed 48 from 110 balls, and Ankon chipped in with 41 off 87 balls. Rain and Bangladesh’s sharp bowling limited the West Indies Select XI’s opportunities with the bat. The hosts could manage only 87 runs in 27.4 overs, losing nine wickets in the process.  Hasan Murad was the best bowler for Bangladesh, completing his hat-trick in the 28th over by dismissing Daniel Beckford, Navian Bidaisee, and Chaim Holder in consecutive deliveries. Murad finished with figures of 1.4 overs, 1 run, and 3 wickets. The pacers also contributed well. Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud each picked up two wickets, with Taskin conceding 21 runs in 5 overs and Hasan Mahmud giving away just 15 runs in his 6 overs. BCB announces Bangladesh U-17 Cricket team's schedule for Sri Lanka tour The first Test of the two-match series will begin on November 22 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, while the second Test will be played at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, from November 30. After the Test series, both the teams will lock horns in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series.