United News of Bangladesh

Chittagong Kings almost assured their place in the four-team play-off in the seven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket beating formidable Rangpur Riders by five wickets with 14 balls remaining at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday. After the day’s match, Chittagong Kings remained at the 3rd slot in the league table securing 12 points from 10 matches with six wins and four defeats while Rangpur Riders, which confirmed the play-off berth earlier also securing 16 points from 11 encounters, featuring eight successive wins.     Tamim Iqbal-led Fortune Barishal dominated the league by virtue of better net run rate despite securing the same 16 points from 10 matches, as the Rangpur Riders. Sent in to bat first in the day’s vital match, Rangpur Riders scored 143 for 5 in stipulated 20 over with two down Iftikhar Ahmed contributing an unbeaten 65 runs off 47 balls, hitting seven four and three sixes Besides, opener Soumya Sarkar (23), lower order Mahedi Hasan (22)  were the other major contributors for Rangpur Riders reaching the double digit runs. Khaled Ahmed took two wickets for 44 runs while Shamim Ahmed and Shoriful Islam grabbed one wicket each. Chasing a target of 144 runs, Chittagong Kings reached their ultimate goal scoring 148 runs for the loss of five wickets in 17.4 overs. Middle order Haider Ali quick-firing an unbeaten 48 runs off just 18 balls hitting one four and six sixes and was adjudged player of the match. Besides, operner Parvez Hoissain Emon (41), captain Mohammad Mithun (20) and Graham Clark (15) were other notable batsmen reaching the double figures. Saif Hassan and Akif Javed captured two wickets each conceding 25 and 37 runs respectively.

India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr have been crowned the ICC Cricketers of the Year 2024, clinching the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy respectively. Bumrah, India’s Test vice-captain, became the first Indian to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Men’s Cricketer of the Year award since Virat Kohli in 2018. The 31-year-old fast bowler made a remarkable comeback to Test cricket in late 2023 after recovering from a back injury. In 2024, he dominated the format, claiming 71 wickets at an average of 14.92 and a strike rate of 30.1. In the women’s category, Amelia Kerr’s all-round brilliance earned her the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. West Indies lead Pakistan after 20 wickets fall India’s Smriti Mandhana also made headlines, winning the Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second time since 2018. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai was named the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for his 417 runs and 17 wickets during the year. India’s Arshdeep Singh, instrumental in the country’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, was named Men’s T20 Cricketer of the Year and featured in the T20 Team of the Year alongside Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah. Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis earned the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year title for his stellar 1,451 runs across all formats, while South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen was honoured as the Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year. Source: ICC

Tamim Iqbal-led Fortune Barishal advanced to the qualifiers stage  of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)  with two matches to spare beating Khulna Tigers by five wickets with five balls remaining at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Monday. After the day’s victory, Fortune Barishal have secured 16 points from ten matches (net run rate 1.033) to reach the qualifiers of the play-off stage as the best two teams of the league alongside Rangpur Riders, who dominated the league with better run rate (1.070) also collecting 16 points from ten matches. In their remaining league matches, Fortune Barishal will play Dhaka Capital on January 29 and Chittagong Kings on February 1 while Rangpur Riders will face Chittagong Kings on January 29 and Khulna Tigers on January 30. With the day’s defeat, Khulna Tigers are now struggling for the play-off stage with eight points from 10 matches.    Bangladesh eliminated from Women’s U-19 World Cup after losing to India Sent in to bat first in the day’s match, Khulna Tigers scored a moderate 187 for 5 in quota 20 overs with opener Mohammad Naim contributing a half century scoring the team highest 51 runs off 27 deliveries, hitting five fours and three sixes. Besides, two down Afif Hossain (32), opening batsman cum captain Mehidy Hasan Miraj (29), Mahidul Islam Ankon 27), Alex Ross (20) and William Bosisto (20)  were the notable batsmen for Khulna reaching the double figures. Pakistani right arm medium pacer Faheem Ashraf, who grabbed five wickets for seven runs to eliminate Sylhet Strikers from league  last Sunday, today (Monday) grabbed two wickets for 49 runs. Chasing a target of 188 runs, Fortune Barisal reached their ultimate goal scoring the match-winner 188 runs for the loss of five wickets in 19.1 overs. English cricketer Dawid Malan was the main architect for Fortune Barishal victory quick-firing 63 runs off just 37 balls with the help of eight boundaries and three over boundaries. BPL Cricket: Fortune Barisal almost assures play-off berth outplaying Sylhet Strikers Besides, captain Tamim Iqbal (27), Mahmudullah Riyad (24),  Mushfiqur Rahim (24), Faheem Ashraf (not out 18), Mohammad Nabi (not out 15) and opener Towhid Hridoy (11) were other main scorers for Fortune Barisal scoring double digit runs. Abu Hider Rony took two wickets conceding 35 runs.

Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team was eliminated from the ongoing !CC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup after losing to neighboring India by eight wickets in a super six match held Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. With day’s feat, India moved into the semifinal of the Women’s T20 World Cup alongside Australia securing six points each. Bangladesh which bagged two points after first super six match, will play their remaining match with West Indies, results of which will not change their fate. Earlier, Bangladesh team advanced to the Super Six stage of the ICC Women's U-19 T20 World Cup as Group D runners-up beating Scotland by 17 runs in their last Group D match held in Bangi, Malaysia last Wednesday. Bangladesh stayed in the race as group runners-up securing four points from three matches, beating Nepal by five wickets and losing to Group D champions Australia by two wickets. Sent in to bat first in the day's match, Bangladesh women's team scored only 64 runs for the loss of eight wickets in stipulated 20 overs with captain Sumaiya Akter (21) and number six batter Jannatul Maoua (14) were notable batters reaching double digit runs. Vaishnavi Sharma was the most successful among the Indian bowlers grabbing three wickets for 15 runs in her four overs spell. Later she was adjudged player of the match. In reply, Indian team easily reached their target scoring 66 runs for 2 in just 7.1 overs. Opener Gongadi Trisha contributed the match highest 40 runs off 31 balls featuring eight hits to the fence while two down Sanika Chalke made five-ball 11 runs with two fours, were main contributors for India. Habiba Islam and Anisa Akter Soba took one wicket each conceding 15 and 29 runs respectively.  

Defending champions Fortune Barishal, led by Tamim Iqbal Khan, almost ascertained their play-off berth from 7-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket outplaying lowly Barishal Strikers by eight wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday. After the day’s match, Fortune Barishal remained at the 2nd slot in the league table securing 14 points from nine matches while Rangpur Riders confirmed the in the four-team ploy-off berth  securing 16 points from nine encounters. Winning the toss, Sylhet Strikers batted first and were all out cheaply for 116 runs in 18.1 overs with two down left handed Pakistani batsman Ahsan Bhatti contributing the team highest 28 runs off 29 balls, hitting one boundary and two over boundaries. BPL 2025 T20 Cricket Tournament: Top Performers Leading the Charge So Far Wicket keeper Jaker Ali (24), Tanzim Hasan Sakib (13), captain Ariful Haque (12) were the other main scorers for the Strikers. Fortune Barshal’s Pakistani right arm medium pacer Faheem Ashraf made the major damage in Strikers innings grabbing five wickets for seven runs in just 3.1 overs and was adjudged player of the match. James Fuller of England and Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan claimed two wickets each conceding 23 and 26 runs respectively. Chasing a target of 117 runs, Fortune Barishal faced no trouble to achieve their goal scoring 120 for 2 in 16 overs featuring 81 runs in the 3rd wicket stand by captain Tamim Iqbal and former national captain Mushfiqur Rahim BPL Football: League leaders Mohammedan SC taste first defeat losing to Youngmen's Club After the departure of opener Towhid Hridoy (6) and one down David Malan (9) for 39 runs in six overs, captain Tamim Iqbal pairing with Mushfiqur Rahim guided the tea, towards victory scoring 81 runs in the 3rd wicket stand. Another opener Tamim Iqbal scored the captain knock of unbeaten 52 runs off 51 runs, featuring six boundaries while former national captain cum wicket keeper Mushfiqur Rahim hammered an unbeaten 30-ball 42 runs with four hits to the fence and one over the fence. Sumon Khan and Nahidul Islam took one wicket each giving 17 and 24 runs respectively.  

Six-time champions, Dhaka Abahani Limited dropped points with Brothers Union Club as the ninth round match of the Bashundhara Kings Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football ended in a goalless draw at the Bir Shreshtho Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Saturday. Despite the day’s draw in a keenly contested match, the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Ltd, without any foreign players, maintained their second slot in the league table, securing 20 points from all nine first-phase matches, while the Gopibagh outfit Brothers Union remained at the 5th slot with 15 points from nine encounters. Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed backs spin pitches for home test matches Meanwhile, Dhaka Mohammedan SC comfortably dominated the 10-team league, securing 24 points from nine outings despite conceding the first defeat against lowly Youngsmen’s Club Fakirerpool by a 0-1 goal in their ninth match on Friday. Last season’s treble winners, Bashundhara Kings, completed the nine-match first phase league in the third slot, collecting 17 points, while the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS is in the fourth place by virtue of better goal differences, securing equal 15 points like the Brothers Union. Abahani’s national-coloured custodian, Mitul Marma, who did not concede any goals in the last six matches, also displayed his brilliance in the day’s match, saving some good opponent’s attempts and being adjudged player of the match. Ashraful Islam Rana of Brothers Union also played entertaining football in the match. In the day’s other match, Fortis FC advanced to the 6th slot in the league table, beating bottom-ranked Chittagong Abahani Limited by a 1-0 goal at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Saturday afternoon. 10th Shah Cement AKS Cup Golf Tournament begins Gambian defender Essa Jallow scored the match-winning goal for Fortis FC in the 34th minute. Fortis FC bagged 11 points from nine outings to move up to 6th place while Chittagong Abahani Limited remained at the bottom with three points from nine encounters.

Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican’s outstanding all-round contributions earned the West Indies a narrow nine-run first-innings lead against Pakistan, as 20 wickets tumbled on the opening day of the second test on Saturday, reports AP. Motie’s crucial 55, his first test half-century, rescued the visitors from a dire 54-8 to a total of 163. The left-arm spinner then claimed 3-49 to dismiss the hosts for 154 on another challenging spinning track at Multan Cricket Stadium. Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed backs spin pitches for home test matches Motie’s stellar performance overshadowed Noman Ali’s hat trick and his impressive figures of 6-41, as Pakistan’s batters faltered on their own spin-friendly surface. Warrican, who earlier scored an unbeaten 36 at No. 11, also made an impact with the ball, taking 4-43. Mohammad Rizwan (49) and Saud Shakeel (32) briefly revived Pakistan with a 68-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, both fell to Warrican while attempting risky shots in the final session, and the tail collapsed quickly before stumps. Bangladesh miss out direct qualification for Women's ODI World Cup' 2025 losing to West Indies Motie had earlier dismissed Babar Azam (1), bowled while attempting a back-foot cut, and Kamran Ghulam (16), leaving Pakistan struggling at 51-4. Kemar Roach made early inroads with the new ball, trapping Muhammad Hurraira lbw and clean-bowling captain Shan Masood. Earlier in the day, No. 9 Motie added 109 runs with the last two batters before the West Indies were dismissed in an extended three-hour first session. This followed Noman Ali’s demolition of the top order with his left-arm spin. Ali, who had been pivotal in Pakistan’s 127-run victory in the first test alongside Sajid Khan, achieved a hat trick by dismissing Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, and Kevin Sinclair in the 12th over, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to claim a hat trick in test cricket. The West Indies’ top-order batters once again struggled against spin on a crumbling pitch, as they had in the first test, where they were bowled out for 137 and 123, losing within three days. Motie, playing his 11th test, fought back with resilience. He shared a 41-run partnership with Roach (25) and followed it up with a 68-run stand alongside Warrican. BPL 2025 T20 Cricket Tournament: Top Performers Leading the Charge So Far Debutant pacer Kashif Ali removed Mikyle Louis, finding the outside edge after Kraigg Brathwaite elected to bat first. Off-spinner Sajid Khan trapped Amir Jangoo lbw for a four-ball duck, while Ali dismissed Brathwaite in similar fashion. Noman Ali’s hat trick was a memorable triple-wicket maiden over. Greaves was caught close to the wicket by Babar Azam, Imlach failed to review an lbw decision off a full-pitched delivery, and Sinclair edged to the gully, where Babar completed a stunning low catch. Four Pakistan pacers — Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, and Naseem Shah — have previously achieved test hat tricks, with Akram doing so twice against Sri Lanka in 1999. Naseem was the last to achieve the feat, against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in 2020. The West Indies made two changes for this match, bringing in Roach for the injured Jayden Seals, and debuting Amir Jangoo at No. 3 in place of the out-of-form Keacy Carty. This is the final series for both teams in the World Test Championship, with Pakistan ranked eighth and West Indies ninth. Australia and South Africa have already secured their places in the WTC final at Lord’s in June.

Bangladesh women's team narrowly missed the direct qualification for the ICC Women's 0DI World Cup 2025 losing to hosts West Indies by eight wickets in a series deciding day-night 3rd and last ODI match at the Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts Friday night  After the Friday' s  match, Bangladesh women' s team not only failed to qualify for World Cup directly, but also lost the three- match ODI series 1-2 against the Caribbeans. Bangladesh women's needed just an outright victory or no result in Friday's 3rd and last match for their direct qualification in ODI World Cup, but suffered a frustrating eight wicket defeat destroying their long charished dream. New Zealand qualified to play in the World Cup directly toppling Bangladesh by virtue of better run rate despite of securing 21 points in the Women's Championship  like Bangladesh. Women's ODI Series: Bangladesh taste maiden victory against West Indies in any format Earlier, Bangladesh Women's came close to fulfill their dream to play in the World Cup as they tasted the maiden win against West Indies in any format of cricket beating them by 60 runs in the 2nd ODI to level the three-match 1-1 last Tuesday after conceding a nine-wicket defeat in the first ODI. However, Bangladesh has an outside chance to qualify for  the eight-nation final round of the Women's ODI World Cup after playing in the six- team qualifying round with Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland and Thailand. Top two teams of the qualifying round will earn the rights to play in the eight- team final round with Australia England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and hosts India. In the 3rd and last ODI on Friday night  Bangladesh women's team batted first after winning toss and were bundled out cheaply for just 118 runs in 43.5 overs with Sharmin Akter (37l  Sobhana Mostary (25) and Fargana Hoque  (22) were the main contributors  In reply, West Indian women's easily reached their target scoring 122 runs the loss of eight wickets in 27.3 overs.

Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed says there’s no harm in preparing wickets for spinners at home to get favorable results as Pakistan eyes a clean sweep against the West Indies in their two-match test series. Spin trio Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed claimed all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s 127-run victory in the first test at Multan, which also hosts the second test starting Saturday. “If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the World Test Championship final,” Javed told reporters Friday. “The rule of test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win 2-3 tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final.” Javed said “of course” they were right "to prepare a spin pitch against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling.” Pakistan is No. 8 just ahead of last-place West Indies in the WTC standings with Australia and South Africa already into this June’s final at Lord’s. Pakistan lost 2-0 to Bangladesh at home and then trailed 1-0 against England before Javed took over the pitch preparations, drying out the 22-yard pitches in Multan and Rawalpindi with the help of industrial-sized fans and patio heaters. Australia's women win Ashes series with another T20 victory over England The engineered pitches favoured the home spinners as Pakistan recorded a 2-1 series win against England and followed it with another convincing win against the West Indies. “We think we can prepare these pitches in every center of Pakistan, and it should be as difficult to beat Pakistan here as it is to beat Australia or South Africa away,” Javed said. “People should know if they’re going to Pakistan, they will have to do something extraordinary to beat Pakistan.” The spin domination has seen Pakistan going with just one fast bowler, Khurram Shahzad, in the first test. Without naming any present day Pakistan fast bowler, Javed said Pakistan pacers have got a dip in their art of reverse swing with the old red-ball once used efficiently by the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the past. “We used to be strong on reverse swing, but now that skill level has gone down,” Javed said. “We have told our fast bowlers if you want to take wickets here, their reverse swing skill will have to go up.” The spin pitches in Pakistan have seen the home team batters struggle against quality spinners such as West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who took a match haul of 10 wickets in the first test. “If foreign players are struggling on these pitches, so are our players because they have never played on these pitches,” Javed said. "We have told them their training and practice routines will be geared towards this, and we will change domestic pitches, too.” Pakistan starts the next WTC cycle in October when it hosts South Africa for two test matches.

Since December 30, 2024, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 T20 Cricket Tournament has been spellbinding cricket fans with exciting performances. As the competition progresses towards Phase 4, standout players and teams have begun to shape the narrative. Let’s dive into the brilliance of the standout bowlers, batsmen, and teams leading the race. Bangladesh Premier League 2025 Tournaments Top 5 Batsmen To Date . Table: Top Run-scorers in the 11th Edition of BPL So Far No Batsman Team Most Run Match Highest Score Century Half Century 1 Tanzid Hasan Tamim Dhaka Capitals 420 10 108 1 3 2 Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy Durbar Rajshahi 379 10 100 1 2 3 Litton Das Dhaka Capitals 348 9 125 1 2 4 Zakir Hasan Sylhet Strikers 342 9 75 - 3 5 Graham Clark Chittagong Kings 335 8 101 1 1 The T20 cricket action has been a stage for outstanding batting displays, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim from Dhaka Capitals taking the lead. His collection is 420 runs in 10 matches, including a highest score of 108. He has one century and three half-centuries to his name. Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy from Durbar Rajshahi follows closely with 379 runs in 10 matches. His highest score of 100 and ability to deliver one century and two half-centuries underline his value. Litton Das, also from Dhaka Capitals, has 348 runs in 9 matches, with a remarkable performance of 125 runs. Apart from the century inning, he has 2 half-centuries in the remaining matches. Zakir Hasan from Sylhet Strikers has scored 342 runs in 9 matches, though without a century. He maintains a steady performance with 3 half-centuries including a top score of 75 runs. Finally, Graham Clark, an English player who played for Chittagong Kings, completes the list with 335 runs in 8 matches. His achievement also includes a half-century and the best batting delivery with a Centurion inning of 101 runs. Read more: BPL Football: 9th round begins Friday with leaders Mohammedan taking on Youngmen’s Club Top 5 Bowlers in the Ongoing BPL 2025 Tournament . Table: Leading Wicket-takers in the 11th edition of BPL Before Phase 4 No Bowler Team Wickets Match Overs Best Bowling in Innings 1 Taskin Ahmed Durbar Rajshahi 22 10 38.2 7/19 2 Akif Javed Rangpur Riders 15 7 26.5 4/32 3 Abu Hider Rony Khulna Tigers 15 8 30.5 4/44 4 Khushdil Shah Rangpur Riders 14 9 24 3/18 5 Aliss Al Islam Chittagong Kings 12 8 31 3/17 The bowlers have been equally influential in the tournament, with Taskin Ahmed of Durbar Rajshahi dominating the charts. He bowled 38 overs and 2 balls in 10 matches, securing 22 wickets with a personal best of 7 wickets against 19 runs. Akif Javed, Pakistani cricketer on behalf of Rangpur Riders is second with 15 wickets in 7 matches from 26 overs and 5 balls. He boasts a best figure of 4 wickets in 32 runs. Abu Hider Rony from Khulna Tigers also claimed 15 wickets in 30 overs 5 balls of 8 matches. His top spell was 44 runs off 4 wickets. Rangpur Riders' Khushdil Shah, a Pakistani player by origin, takes the fourth spot with 14 wickets in 24 overs across 9 matches. In an innings, he reached a maximum of 18 runs from 3 wickets. Aliss Al Islam of Chittagong Kings rounds off the top five with 12 wickets in 8 matches, bowling 31 overs. His personal best for an innings was 17 runs for 3 wickets. Read more: BPL Football: League leaders Mohammedan SC taste first defeat losing to Youngmen's Club Top 4 Teams in the 11th Edition of Bangladesh Premier League So Far . Table: Points Table Standings - Top 4 Teams Before Phase 4 of BPL 2025 No Team Match Won Lost Points Net Run Rate (NRR) 1 Rangpur Riders 9 8 1 16 1.223 2 Fortune Barishal 8 6 2 12 0.993 3 Chittagong Kings 9 5 4 10 1.045 4 Khulna Tigers 9 4 5 8 -0.148 The tournament is led by Rangpur Riders, who have won all but one of 9 matches, earning 16 points and the season's highest NRR of 1.223. Fortune Barishal holds second place with 6 wins from 8 matches, accumulating 12 points and an NRR of 0.993. Chittagong Kings sit third, with 5 wins and 4 losses from 9 matches, earning 10 points and maintaining an NRR of 1.045. Khulna Tigers round out the top 4, securing 4 wins and 8 points from 9 matches. However, their 5 losses have left them with a negative NRR of -0.148. Read more: 10th Shah Cement AKS Cup Golf Tournament begins Summary The BPL 2025’s best performers to date include batsmen Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy, Litton Das, Zakir Hasan, and Graham Clark. Sitting atop the bowling charts with the highest wickets are Taskin Ahmed, Akif Javed, Abu Hider Rony, Khushdil Shah, and Aliss Al Islam. The teams dominating the competition are the Rangpur Riders, Fortune Barishal, Chittagong Kings, and Khulna Tigers. The 2025 Bangladesh Premier League will end on February 7. It is expected that the T20 Tournament will keep the cricket fans entertained with magical performances and exciting records. Read more: BPL Cricket: Durbar Rajshahi inflict first defeat of the season on leaders Rangpur Riders