United News of Bangladesh

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat in the first of the two-match one-day international series against Australia on Wednesday. The series will be a warmup for the Australians ahead of the Champions Trophy to be played later this month in Pakistan. Sri Lanka did not qualify for the tournament. Australia rested front-line players Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell. Sri Lanka made one change from its last ODI against New Zealand in Auckland in January — Dunith Wellalage replaced Chamindu Wickramasinghe. Breetzke becomes first South African batter to score 150 on ODI debut Australia won the recently-concluded test series 2-0. Lineups: Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando Australia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cooper Connolly, Steve Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson

The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Bangladesh woman cricketer Shohaly Akhter for years from any cricket-related activities for her involvement in match-fixing attempt. The ICC confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday. The ban stems from an incident where Shohaly attempted to fix matches during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. ICC said that Shohaly violated five articles of the anti-corruption code, which includes attempts to influence match outcomes, offering bribes to teammates to fix matches, luring other players to break codes, and failing to report corrupt approaches to the authorities. Shohaly was not part of the Bangladesh squad in the World Cup, in which she approached her teammates to fix matches. Her teammate reported the incident to the authorities which prompted an investigation. Women Footballers: International careers of Sabina, other seniors under threat Shohaly initially denied the allegations but later admitted her guilt, prompting the ICC to issue a five-year ban, effective February 10, 2025. During the five-year period from February 10, 2025, she won’t be allowed to participate in any cricket-related activities. Shohaly was among the first female cricketers contracted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in 2009. She played her first international match in 2013, but since then, she has been out of the Bangladesh squad for a long time. But she made a comeback in 2022 before being overlooked again.

Bangladesh national team coach Phil Simmons feels that the preparation for the Champions Trophy is not ideal. He spoke with the media on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. While teams like South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Pakistan are actively engaged in the ODI series to fine-tune their preparation, Bangladesh is heading into the tournament directly after a lengthy season of the BPL. Soumya suffers finger injury ahead of Champions Trophy “I admit that this is not the best preparation,” said Simmons. “But one thing I will say is that they have been playing, and it has been white-ball cricket. That means they are sharp from the skill aspect.” Bangladesh’s preparation for the Champions Trophy started on Saturday, but some players are still on leave after BPL. The team has less than two weeks of a gap between BPL and the Champions Trophy. Bangladesh played ODI matches more than two months ago, creating a lack of 50-over match practice for them. “I think that over the next six-seven days, we need to get them into the mindset of 50-over cricket,” Simmons added. “They have the skills. We have seen them perform. So, getting into that 50-over mindset is the key thing.” Sharma hits 32nd ODI hundred as India beats England by 4 wickets to win cricket series To address the deficiency in match practice, the coaching panel has planned double batting and bowling sessions for the cricketers during the preparation phase. The Bangladesh team will depart for the UAE on Thursday night and will have a few days of practice there. They will play their first match against India on February 20th.

Bangladesh’s left-arm top-order batter Soumya Sarkar suffered a blow on his finger during a practice session on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh started gearing up for the Champions Trophy that will take place in the UAE and Pakistan this month. Breetzke becomes first South African batter to score 150 on ODI debut Soumya, who has been working on his form ahead of the tournament, was batting fluently in the nets when a bouncer from young pacer Mrittunjoy Chowdhury struck his right index finger. After being struck, Soumya left the session, and his face was visibly in pain. It also raised concerns about his availability for the Champions Trophy. However, the sources from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) medical team say the injury is not severe, but he has to undergo some medical tests for further confirmation. Soumya had previously injured the same finger while attempting a catch during the second T20I against the West Indies last December. Sharma hits 32nd ODI hundred as India beats England by 4 wickets to win cricket series The Bangladesh team is scheduled to depart for the UAE on Thursday night to participate in the Champions Trophy. The team will hope to get the star player back on his feet ahead of their opening game in Dubai on February 20th against India.

South African opener Matthew Breetzke made history on Monday by becoming the first cricketer from his country to score 150 on his One-Day International (ODI) debut during the tri-nation series match against New Zealand. Breetzke, who is not part of South Africa’s squad for this month’s Champions Trophy, played a stellar knock of 150 off 148 balls, surpassing the long-standing record of 148 set by West Indies batter Desmond Haynes against Australia in 1978. He was one of four South African players making their ODI debuts in the match, while seven additional players are set to join the squad in Pakistan later this week for the Champions Trophy. South Africa, buoyed by Breetzke’s outstanding performance, posted a total of 304-6 after New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss for the second consecutive time and opted to field first. After losing captain Temba Bavuma (20) within the powerplay, the 26-year-old Breetzke built a crucial 93-run partnership with Jason Smith (41), another batter left out of the Champions Trophy squad. He then accelerated the scoring with aggressive strokes, particularly on the off side, and put on a further 131 runs alongside Wiaan Mulder, who contributed 64 off 60 balls. Breetzke reached his century in 128 balls with a square-cut boundary off fast bowler Will O’Rourke, then took just 20 more deliveries to break Haynes’ 47-year record. His innings also made him the fourth South African to score a century on ODI debut, joining Colin Ingram, Bavuma, and Reeza Hendricks. His remarkable innings ended when he misjudged a slower ball from Matt Henry and was caught at mid-off, having struck 11 boundaries and five sixes. Among New Zealand’s bowlers, O’Rourke (2-72) and Henry (2-59) claimed two wickets each. Ben Sears, however, struggled, conceding 20 runs in a single over to Breetzke and finishing with figures of 0-65. New Zealand made one enforced change, with Devon Conway replacing opening batter Rachin Ravindra. Ravindra suffered a forehead injury while fielding in New Zealand’s commanding 78-run victory against Pakistan on Saturday and was rested for this game. He was struck on the head after misjudging a catch from Khushdil Shah at deep mid-wicket, a chance that appeared routine but resulted in an unfortunate injury.

Rohit Sharma ended a poor run of form with his 32nd ODI hundred as India beat England by four wickets in the second one-day cricket international to win the series on Sunday. Sharma, who last scored a half-century in October and averaged less than 11 in his last 16 international innings across the formats, hit a 76-ball century. India, which won the first ODI in Nagpur by four wickets, took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts had also won the preceding Twenty20 series 4-1. Sharma scored 119 runs off 90 balls, hitting seven sixes and 12 fours, as India finished with 308-6 in 44.3 overs. Shubman Gill hit a second successive half-century in the series – 60 off 52 balls with nine fours and a six. Earlier, England won the toss and chose to bat first. It scored 304 all out in 49.5 overs. Joe Root top-scored with 69 off 72 balls, while Ben Duckett scored 65 off 56. Play was halted for 20 minutes because of floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. One of the seven floodlight towers powered off abruptly during the seventh over of the Indian innings. Ahmedabad will host the third ODI on Wednesday. Kohli returns as India wins toss and bats in 2nd ODI against England Sharma lights up stadium Sharma set a hectic pace as he raced to a half-century off 30 balls. He put on 136 runs for the first wicket with Gill, and the pair appeared unaffected by the floodlight delay. Gill was bowled by a pinpoint yorker from Jamie Overton in the 17th over. Kohli, back after a knock to his knee prior to the first ODI, was out for five shortly after. He was caught behind off Adil Rashid. The seven sixes show In hitting seven sixes, Sharma also became the second-highest six-hitter in ODIs – 344 in all, ahead of Chris Gayle’s 331 (West Indies) and behind Shahid Afridi’s 351 (Pakistan). India crossed 200 in the 27th over before Sharma was caught off a full toss from Liam Livingstone in the 30th. He added 70 off 61 balls with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 44. Iyer and Axar Patel added 38 after Sharma’s dismissal, but the former was run out after a mix-up. KL Rahul was caught behind off Overton and then Hardik Pandya off Gus Atkinson. But Patel finished unbeaten on 41 off 43 balls and helped India cross the finish line. Solid start for England In the afternoon, Duckett and Phil Salt (26) had put on 81 off 65 balls for England's first wicket. Varun Chakravarthy (1-54) snared his first ODI wicket when Salt was caught off a skier. Chakravarthy was making his ODI debut for the hosts. The 33-year-old is India’s oldest debutant since its inaugural ODI team in 1974 (against England). Duckett was out caught off Ravindra Jadeja, who took 3-35. Harry Brook scored 31 off 52 balls, and perished while trying to attack the bowling. Gill caught him running back from mid-off – a stupendous catch off Harshit Rana. Australia secures first test series win in Sri Lanka in 14 years Root and skipper Jos Buttler (34) then added 51 off 54 balls to anchor the English innings and helping the score past 200. Gill took another brilliant catch at mid-off to dismiss Buttler in the 39th over. The last six wickets fell for 85 runs as the visitors finished with another under-par score despite a good start. England made three changes, with Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Overton all included. Pacer Jofra Archer was rested, while all-rounder Jacob Bethell out with a hamstring issue.

Virat Kohli has returned from a knee injury as England won the toss and opted to bat against India in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday. India won the first ODI in Nagpur by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts had won the preceding T20 series 4-1. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI debut for the hosts. He took 14 wickets in the recent five-game T20 series. The 33-year-old is India’s oldest debutant since their inaugural ODI team in 1974 (against England at Leeds). Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was rested for Chakravarthy’s inclusion. Kohli returns to the playing eleven after recovering from a knock to his knee prior to the first ODI. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in Nagpur, was left out. Most wickets in men's test cricket history England made three changes, with Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton all included. Pacer Jofra Archer was rested, while all-rounder Jacob Bethell out with a hamstring issue. The pitch here is a black soil wicket, and could exhibit variable bounce as the game progresses. Spin will likely come into play on the abrasive surface as the sun beats down. Short square boundaries could aid the batters for a high scoring game. Line-ups: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami. England: Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood.

   800 Muthiah Muralidaran, Sri Lanka/ICC 708 Shane Warne, Australia 704 James Anderson, England 619 Anil Kumble, India 604 Stuart Broad, England 563 Glenn McGrath, Australia 553 x-Nathan Lyon, Australia 537 Ravichandran Ashwin, India 519 Courtney Walsh, West Indies 439 Dale Steyn, South Africa

Australia wrapped up a comprehensive 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, sealing the second test with a commanding nine-wicket win in Galle on Sunday. Top order batter Marnus Labuschagne flicked a delivery from retiring Sri Lankan player Dimuth Karunaratne to mid-wicket to complete the triumph, just 15 minutes before lunch on the fourth day. It's Australia’s first test series win on Sri Lankan soil since 2011. Their last success here came under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, a 1-0 victory in 2011. However, they suffered a 3-0 whitewash in 2016 under Steve Smith’s leadership, and the 2022 series ended in a 1-1 draw. This time, with Smith standing in as captain for Pat Cummins, the victory was a welcome redemption. Australia approached the series with meticulous planning — including a training camp in Dubai — and executed their strategies with precision. Their batters laid the foundation with big hundreds, allowing the bowlers to dictate terms with attacking fields. Meanwhile, the spinners displayed remarkable discipline and variety, putting relentless pressure on Sri Lanka and paved the way for a resounding 2-0 series win. The tourists had set the tone early, winning the first test by an innings and 242 runs – Sri Lanka’s heaviest ever test defeat. They remained clinical in the second match, ensuring there was no way back for the hosts. Sri Lanka resumed Sunday on 211-8, holding a slender lead of just 54 runs, with much riding on vice-captain Kusal Mendis, who had remained unbeaten overnight. Mendis brought up his second half-century in the game by guiding Nathan Lyon to deep cover but perished in the same over, caught at short square leg by Steve Smith. Kohli returns as India wins toss and bats in 2nd ODI against England The dismissal was a milestone moment – Smith’s 200th Test catch, a feat previously achieved by only four players: Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene, Rahul Dravid, and Joe Root. Beau Webster wrapped up the innings soon after, leaving Australia with a modest target of 75 runs. Sri Lanka briefly found hope when Prabath Jayasuriya removed Travis Head (20) early, caught behind. However, Usman Khawaja (27 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (26 not out) calmly guided the visitors home with an unbroken 37-run stand. Alex Carey was named Man of the Match for his outstanding 156 and four dismissals behind the stumps. His innings stands as the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia. Steve Smith, the backbone of Australia’s batting, was named Player of the Series, having scored back-to-back centuries . This victory marks Australia’s fourth consecutive test win, having also won the final two matches of its recent 3-1 home series against India. It plays South Africa in the final of the World Test Championship at Lords in June. Sri Lanka slumped to its fourth straight defeat, sliding to sixth place in the final WTC standings.

Glenn Phillips warmed up for the Champions Trophy with his first one-day international century as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 78 runs in the opening game of the tri-nation cricket series on Saturday. Phillips smashed an unbeaten 106 off 74 balls, including six boundaries and seven sixes, at a newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium. The No. 6 batter propelled New Zealand to 330-6 in its 50 overs on a flat wicket with Daryl Mitchell (81) and Kane Williamson (58) also getting the feel of the wickets for the upcoming Champions Trophy with half centuries. In reply, Fakhar Zaman, playing his first international in more than seven months because of illness, made a belligerent 84 off 69 but the rest of the top-order batters struggled against spin. Pakistan was bowled out for 252 in 47.5 overs. Perfect day Phillips capped a perfect day by trapping Zaman leg before wicket with his off-spin and also took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Babar Azam early in Pakistan’s run chase. Babar struggled in his new role as opener in ODIs for the first time since 2015 and scored a painstaking 10 runs off 23 balls. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner (3-41) clipped the top-order with his left-arm spin while Bracewell took 2-41. New Zealand, which is already sweating on the fitness of fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, had another injury scare when the ball hit Rachin Ravindra in the face as he misjudged a catch of Khushdil Shah in the outfield and had to leave the field. Fast bowler Matt Henry chipped in with 3-55. Steve Smith hits his 36th test century as Australia dominates Sri Lanka in 2nd test No. 10 batter Abrar Ahmed hit an unbeaten 25 that included three successive boundaries off Henry. Phillips power Phillips unleashed his power-hitting against Pakistan’s two premier fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah -- in the last five overs that cost the home team 84 runs. Pakistan, which lost the toss, had kept New Zealand in check at 246-5 before Phillips cut loose against the two pacers. Williamson, playing his first ODI since November 2023, took his time to settle down. He reached the slowest ODI half century of his career in 82 balls before he edged Afridi after sharing a 95-run stand with Mitchell. Mitchell survived a close run-out at the non-striker’s end before he had scored when Babar couldn’t hit the stumps from close range, but settled in well to score nearly a run-a-ball before chipping a catch to mid-wicket against a low full toss from Ahmed (2-41). Pakistan suffered a major blow in the latter half of the innings when Haris Rauf (1-23) had to leave the field due to side strain after he fell in his follow-through during his seventh over. He took no further part in the match. Phillips switched gears when he smashed three sixes against Agha, who filled in for Rauf, and then hit an audacious reverse scoop against Afridi which went for a flat six over third man. BPL final: Fortune Barishal need 195 to win 2nd title Phillips reached his hundred in an expensive 25-run last over of Afridi, who ended up with 3-88 in 10 overs. Michael Bracewell hit 31 in 23 balls. Coming up Gaddafi Stadium is one of the three venues to be upgraded for the Champions Trophy. Karachi and Rawalpindi will also host Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. Lahore hosts the second game of the tri-nation series between South Africa and New Zealand on Monday. Karachi then hosts the remaining two games, including the final on Feb. 14.