United News of Bangladesh

Concussion substitute Harshit Rana took 3-33 on debut and India beat England by 15 runs to win the Twenty20 series with a match to spare on Friday. Rana bowled England's last hope, Jamie Overton, at the end of the 19th over, leaving No. 10 batter Adil Rashid with No. 11 Saqib Mahmood to score 19 runs off the last over. They scored three until Mahmood holed out. England was dismissed for 166 with two balls left after India made 181-9. India was 12-3 in the second over and 79-5 in the 11th but an 87-run partnership off 45 balls between Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya rescued the hosts. Dube, playing his first T20 for India since July, scored 53 off 34 balls and Pandya 53 off 30. In India's last over, Dube took a hit on his helmet from Overton and walked off owing to concussion. In a debatable decision, the batting allrounder was replaced later by medium-pace bowler Rana when the rules say like-for-like substitutions. India clinched the series 3-1 before the fifth and last match on Sunday in Mumbai. England won its first toss of the series and opted to bowl. Both sides made changes, with Dube, Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh coming in for India. England brought in Jacob Bethell and Mahmood. Pakistan recalls Fakhar and Ashraf for Champions Trophy India lost its top order to Mahmood in the second over. Sanju Samson was out caught at square leg for 1, and Tilak Varma slashed straight to third man first ball. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav then chipped the over’s last ball to midwicket for a four-ball duck. Abhishek Sharma hit 29 runs with four fours and a six and put on 45 off 32 balls with Rinku Singh, who scored 30 off 26. Adil Rashid separated them when Sharma was caught in the eighth over, then Brydon Carse dismissed Singh. But from there, Dube and Pandya charged at the England bowlers and turned momentum. Dube smacked seven boundaries and two sixes. Pandya hit four sixes and as many fours. Chasing 182 to level the series, England made a swift start through openers Phil Salt (23) and Ben Duckett (39). They shared 62 off 36 balls. Duckett hit seven boundaries and a six off 19 balls and fell against the run of play to wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi at the end of the powerplay. Five balls later, Axar Patel bowled Salt and Bishnoi got the prize wicket of Jos Buttler. England lost three wickets in nine deliveries and was down to 67-3. US striker Ricardo Pepi is set to miss 'a long time' with knee injury Harry Brook, overcoming a poor run in the series, gave England hope with 51 off 26 balls. Brook smacked five fours and two sixes but he fell immediately after his half-century – out for a third time against Varun Chakravarthy in the series. The mystery spinner also got Carse for a two-ball duck. The game turned when Rana was brought on as Dube's concussion substitute. Rana didn't waste his opportunity — he had dismissed Liam Livingstone and Bethell and returned to bowl Overton to kill off England hopes.

Host Pakistan has recalled opening batter Fakhar Zaman and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for next month’s Champions Trophy while Saim Ayub was ruled out due to fractured ankle. “We recognise how devastating it must be for him (Ayub) to miss a global event, especially when he is in such exceptional batting form,” national selector Asad Shafiq said on Friday. “As a valuable asset to our team, we are committed to prioritising his long-term health over making any rushed decisions.” Left-handed opening batter Ayub had been in prolific white-ball form, scoring two centuries in the three-match ODI series against South Africa. However, he sustained injury during a test match against South Africa at Cape Town earlier this month and is undergoing rehabilitation in London. The selection committee has made four changes from the squad that went on to beat South Africa 3-0 in Pakistan’s last ODI series. Abdullah Shafique, Irfan Khan, Ayub and left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem were replaced by Ashraf, Fakhar, Khushdil Shah and Saud Shakeel. Fakhar had been sidelined from international cricket due to injury and illness since last June before scoring 303 runs in a domestic T20 tournament in his comeback to competitive cricket in December. Fakhar is one of the three survivors along with Ashraf and Babar Azam, who were part of the Pakistan squad which won the last Champions Trophy, hosted by England and Wales in 2017. Pakistan’s test vice-captain Shakeel also returned to white-ball cricket after having last played at the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023, but the left-hander was ignored for Pakistan's last three ODI series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. “Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive approach and match-winning capabilities are vital to our plans,” Shafiq said. “Likewise, Saud Shakeel is an experienced, intelligent and calculated batter who constructs his innings thoughtfully and excels at building partnerships.” Shafiq said that Babar or Saud could be Fakhar’s opening partner, depending on opposition and conditions. All-rounders Ashraf and Khushdil will provide Pakistan cushion in the middle-order. Ashraf played his last ODI in Sept. 2023 while Khushdil, who last played an ODI in Aug. 2022, got the selectors’ nod after his good performances in the domestic season. “The selectors have continued to adopt ‘horses for courses’ approach,” Shafiq said. “Our focus has been on selecting players who have consistently excelled in domestic competitions under similar conditions, demonstrating their readiness to perform in a global event.” Pakistan is scheduled to host a tri-nation series with South Africa and New Zealand as a build-up for the Champions Trophy, starting at Lahore from Feb. 8. The same 15-man Pakistan squad will compete in this series. Pakistan is placed in group A of the Champions Trophy along with arch-rival India, New Zealand and Bangladesh. It will start its campaign against New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament on Feb. 19 at Karachi. The ICC will organize the Champions Trophy on a hybrid model after Board of Control for Cricket in India didn’t get its government’s permission to travel to Pakistan. India will play all its group matches in Dubai. The first semifinal will also be played in Dubai which also hosts the final, in case India qualifies for it.  

Chittagong Kings advanced to the four-team playoff stage of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket with one match to spare, beating lowly Sylhet Strikers by 96 runs at the floodlit Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur Thursday evening. After the day’s match, Chittagong Kings remained in the third slot in the seven-team league to assure the playoff stage, securing 14 points from eleven matches, and will play their remaining match with league leader Fortune Barisal on February 1. BPL Cricket: Brilliant century by Mohammad Naim guides Khulna Tigers to stay in play-off race  Fortune Barishal and Rangpur Riders already reached the “Qualifiers” as the two best teams of the playoff stage, securing 18 and 16 points, respectively, playing 11 and 12 matches. Durbar Rajshahi and Khulna Tigers are battling for the 4th and last spot of the playoff stage, securing 12 and 10 points, respectively, playing 12 and 11 matches. Sent into bat first in the day’s 2nd match, Chittagong Kings scored a moderate 196 runs for 8 in quota 20 overs, featuring two half centuries by opener Khawja Nafay and captain Mohammad Mithun. BPL Cricket: Fortune Barishal take solo lead to reach qualifiers crushing Dhaka Capitals by 5 wickets After the departure of two top-order batsmen—Parvez Hossain Emon (1) and Graham Clark (1)—cheaply for 17 runs in 2.3 overs, Pakistani opener Khawja Nafay paired with two-down captain Mohammad Mithun, contributing 94 runs in the 3rd wicket stand. Opener Khawja Nafay quick-fired 52 runs off 30 balls hitting one four and five sixes while two dwon Mohammad Mithun scored also 52 runs off 38 balls with the help of two four and three sixes. Besides, Shamim Hossain hits 23 balls for 38 runs with four boundaries and two over boundaries, while Khaled Ahmed made 13 balls for 25 runs with two fours and two sixes. Tazim Hasan Sakib grabbed three wickets for 37 runs, while Samiullah Shinwari and Ruyel Miah took two wickets each, conceding 36 and 42 runs, respectively. Chasing a huge target of 197 runs, Sylhet Strikers were bundled out cheaply for just 100 runs in 15.2 overs. Zaker Hasan (19), Jaker Ali (17), wicketkeeper Rony Talukder (17), Nahidul Islam (14), and captain Ariful Haque (11) were major scorers for Sylhet Strikers. BPL Cricket: Chittagong Kings almost assures play-off berth beating Rangpur Riders Nationally coloured Shoriful Islam made the major damage in the Sylhet innings, snatching four wickets for just five runs in 3.2 overs, and was adjudged player of the match. Khaled Ahmed also grabbed four wickets for 31 runs in three overs.

Khulna Tigers, riding on Mohammad Naim’s century, keep their hope alive to reach the play-off stage of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket with one match to spare beating Rangpur Riders by 46 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday. Despite of the day’s 4th consecutive defeat, Rangpur Riders reached the best two team’s “qualifiers” from the seven-team league alongwith league leader Fortune Barishal securing 16 and 18 points respectively, playing 12 and 11 matches. Khulna Tigers have secured 10 points from 11 matches to stay in the race and will play their remaining match with lowly Dhaka Capitals on February 1. BPL Cricket: Fortune Barishal take solo lead to reach qualifiers crushing Dhaka Capitals by 5 wickets Chittagong Kings and Durbar Rajshahi are ahead of Khulna Tigers collecting 12 points each playing 10 and 12 matches respectively.  However, Chittagonmg Kings playing lowly Sylhet Strikers Thursday evening and will face league leader Fortune Barisal on February 1. In the day’s do or die match, Khulna Tigers batted first after winning the toss and piled up a huge total of 220 runs for 4 in stipulated 20 overs featuring a brilliant century by opener Mohammad Naim. Mohammad Naim hammered 111 runs off just 62 balls featuring seven four and eight sixes and was adjudged the player of the match. Besides, William Bosisto (36), Mahidul Islam Ankon (29), captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (21), and Alex Ross (12) were the other notable scorers for Khulna Tigers. BPL Cricket: Chittagong Kings almost assures play-off berth beating Rangpur Riders Akif Javed, Iftikar Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan took one wicket each  In reply, Rangpur Riders were forced to fold their innings at 174 for 9 in quota 20 overs with national colored opener Soumya Sarkar contributing the team highest 74 runs off 48 balls hitting six four and five sixes. Besides, Mahedi Hasan (27),. Iftikar Ahmed (19) , Mohammad Saiffun (18), Rakibul Hasan 14) were main scorers for Rangpur Riders reaching double digit runs. Musfik Hasan grabbed three wicket for 24 runs while Mohammad Newas took two for 8 runs.   

Tamim Iqbal-led Fortune Barishal took a solo lead to reach qualifiers of the seven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket with one match to spare, crushing Dhaka Capitals by five wickets with 81 balls remaining at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday. After the day’s well merited victory, Fortune Barishal have secured the highest 18 points from 11 matches to reach the qualifiers as one of the two best teams in the league. Rangpur Riders are in the second slot to confirm the four-team play-off berth collecting 16 points from 11 matches. In the remaining league match, Fortune Barishal will play Chittagong Kings on February 1 while Rangpur Riders will face Khulna Tigers on January 30. Chittagong Kings are in the third slot in the league, securing 12 points from 10 matches with six wins and four defeats, and will now play lowly Sylhet Strikers on Thursday and league leader Fortune Barisal on February 1. BPL Cricket: Chittagong Kings almost assures play-off berth beating Rangpur Riders Sent into bat first in the day’s match, Dhaka Capitals were bundled out cheaply for just 73 runs in 15.3 balls with captain Thisara Perera (15), opener Litton Das (10) and West Indian Ronsford Beaton (10) being the notable scorers reaching double digit. Slow left arm orthodox bowler Tanvir Islam grabbed three wickets for just two runs in two overs with a maiden and was adjudged the player of the match. Afghan cricketer Mohammad Nabi and Pakistani bowler Faheem Ashraf also took three each giving away 9 and 15 runs respectively. In reply, Fortune Barishal faced no trouble to reach their small target making 77 runs for the loss of one wicket in just 6.3 overs. One down English cricketer Dawid Malan scored an unbeaten 37 runs off 16 balls featuring five fours and two sixes, captain and opening batsman Tamim Iqbal remained not out on 14-ball 21 runs with four fours while Towhid Hridoy made nine-ball 15 runs hitting two six before he was victim of Mustafizur Rahman, who took the lone wicket conceding 16 runs.

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.