United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wants his side to break into the top five of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings, building on the progress made during the previous cycle. The team finished seventh in the last edition with four wins, an improvement from consecutive last-place finishes in the first two cycles. Bangladesh currently have one draw and one loss from two matches in the present cycle and are seeking their first victory as they prepare to face Pakistan. The two-match series against Pakistan begins Friday in Mirpur. "We have played good cricket over the last two years," Shanto said on the eve of the match. "Finishing seventh last time was a good achievement, and we are gradually improving. This year, the goal is to perform better. It would be great if we could finish in fourth or fifth place." The captain acknowledged that several difficult away tours, including trips to Australia and South Africa later this year, stand in the way of that goal. However, he believes the current squad is better equipped to handle varying conditions. "There are challenges ahead with tours that will be entirely new for us," Shanto said. "But our home series are very important. We will try to create conditions and wickets that suit our strengths against specific opponents." Shanto described the squad as balanced across pace, spin, and batting departments, which allows the team more flexibility. Bangladesh enter the series with the confidence of a 2-0 sweep in Pakistan in 2024, though Shanto was quick to dismiss past records as a guarantee of future success. "We played well in that series, but that is in the past," he said. "While it gives us extra confidence, we have to play well again. Every day must be better than the last for us to get the result. We aren't thinking too much about records; it’s about playing competitive cricket daily." Preparation for the series has been mixed, with several players recently focused on limited-overs cricket. Shanto, however, expressed satisfaction with the work done by those in the red-ball camp.  

Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins is reportedly set to receive a long-term contract worth around USD 12 million, aimed at securing his continued availability for national duties with Test cricket remaining the top priority. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the fast-bowling all-rounder, who is currently featuring for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026, has been offered a three-year deal that would earn him about USD 4 million annually. Earlier reports suggested that an IPL franchise had proposed a separate deal worth around AUD 10 million (approximately USD 6.6 million) for Cummins to quit international cricket for Australia and play exclusively in global T20 leagues. Cricket Australia’s head of cricket, James Allsopp, said top Australian players deserve stronger financial security and long-term arrangements given their value and contribution. “Absolutely. They've earned the right, they've been long-term performers for Australia across formats for a long period of time. There's only so far you can take them under the current constraints. That's definitely a priority at the moment,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. He added that managing player commitments amid rising franchise league demand is becoming increasingly difficult. “It is a really tricky balancing act. One thing we do know is that the market pressure is coming at the players who drive the most commercial value. Your multi-format players like Pat, Josh [Hazlewood] and Trav, there's a lot of demand for those players. So ensuring they remain committed to Australian cricket is a really big priority,” he said. The report also noted that Cummins’ proposed higher pay package would not be linked to the number of matches he plays. Meanwhile, Cummins said his team delivered a “clinical” performance after Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Punjab Kings by 33 runs in their IPL 2026 match on Wednesday. SRH moved to the top of the points table at the Indian Premier League 2026 after the win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, despite a strong unbeaten century from Punjab’s Cooper Connolly. Cummins, who was named Player of the Match for his bowling performance, praised both the batting effort and the team’s disciplined bowling. “I think Punjab are a really good side, they were number one coming into this. I thought the batters to get up to what we did was sensational. I think that and then to close it out, no matter what the score is, bowling second against a side like that is always tough, but I thought we were quite clinical,” he said at the post-match presentation. #From NDTV

Aaron Hardie starred with both bat and ball as Peshawar Zalmi secured their first Pakistan Super League (PSL) title since 2017, defeating debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the final on Sunday. Hardie took 4 for 27 to help bowl out Hyderabad for 129 in 18 overs, with Saim Ayub fighting hard for 54. He then remained unbeaten on 56 off 39 balls to guide Zalmi to 130 for 5 in 15.2 overs in front of a packed Gaddafi Stadium crowd. Peshawar captain Babar Azam described the triumph as a major achievement for the team and fans. "It's a very big achievement for me, for Peshawar Zalmi and all the fans," he said. "Throughout the tournament we've performed really well as a team … every player executed the plans they were given in batting, bowling, and fielding. Our plan was to go match by match." Chasing a small target, Peshawar suffered an early collapse, slipping to 40 for 4 inside five overs, with Babar Azam out for a golden duck, while Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis and Michael Bracewell also fell cheaply. However, Hardie turned the game around with a crucial 85-run partnership with Abdul Samad, who made 48 before falling just short of his half-century when victory was near. "It was just a great game of cricket," Hardie said. "Kingsmen came out of the blocks really hard. They've certainly had a lot of momentum from the last couple of games and they carried that in, but I'm really proud of the way the boys were able to fight back." Earlier, Hyderabad made a strong start, reaching 69 for 2 in the powerplay, but lost momentum after the break and collapsed to 73 for 6 in a dramatic batting slide. Their innings was derailed by disciplined bowling, including key breakthroughs from Sufyan Moqim and Nahid Rana, while sharp fielding also led to two run-outs. Hyderabad captain Marnus Labuschagne admitted his side fell short with the bat. "As a batting group, we probably left a few runs out there," he said. "We showed once again that belief in the side and what we can do… but just not enough runs on the board tonight." Despite the defeat, Hyderabad had a remarkable tournament run after losing their first four matches, later bouncing back to reach the final by defeating former champions Multan Sultans and Islamabad United in the playoffs.

Kolkata Knight Riders secured a comfortable seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad with 10 balls to spare in the Indian Premier League on Sunday. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy led the bowling attack with 3-36, while Sunil Narine (2-31) and Kartik Tyagi (2-30) provided strong support as Hyderabad were bowled out for 165 in 19 overs. Opener Travis Head struck a rapid 61 off 28 balls, but Hyderabad suffered a dramatic collapse, slipping from 135-4 to lose their last six wickets for just 30 runs. Chasing 166, Kolkata reached 169-3 in 18.2 overs. Impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scored with 59 off 47 balls, including five fours and two sixes, while captain Ajinkya Rahane contributed 43 off 36 balls. The victory marked Kolkata’s third consecutive win, though the team remained eighth in the standings after nine matches, following a difficult run that included five losses and one no-result. Hyderabad stayed third despite the defeat, which was their fourth in 10 games, missing an opportunity to move to the top of the table. In another match later in the day, Gujarat Titans hosted Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad. Hyderabad made a strong start, with Head hitting nine fours and three sixes in his innings. He added 44 runs with Abhishek Sharma (15) and then shared a 61-run stand with Ishan Kishan, who scored 42 off 29 balls. The hosts posted 71-1 in the powerplay. However, Chakravarthy removed Head in the ninth over, triggering a collapse. Hyderabad slipped to 122-4 after Heinrich Klaasen (11) was dismissed and Ravichandran Smaran (4) fell soon after. Narine further dented the innings in the 16th over by taking two wickets, including Kishan’s, leaving Hyderabad with little momentum in the final overs. From 105-1 in 8.5 overs, Hyderabad eventually lost nine wickets for 60 runs. Kolkata began their chase briskly, with Finn Allen scoring 29 off 13 balls before being dismissed by Pat Cummins. The team matched Hyderabad’s powerplay score of 71-1. Rahane and Raghuvanshi then put together an 84-run partnership for the second wicket, effectively taking the game away from the hosts. Raghuvanshi brought up his third half-century of the season off 39 balls. Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 22 off 11 deliveries sealed the win for Kolkata. The result also marked Kolkata’s 21st victory in 32 IPL matches against Hyderabad, their most successful record against any opponent.

Bevon Jacobs scored an unbeaten 53 in a stunning counter-attack to guide New Zealand to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-shortened Twenty20 International on Saturday, securing a 1-1 draw in the three-match series. Chasing 103 to win in 15 overs, New Zealand reached the target in 11.4 overs. The visitors initially struggled, falling to 33 for four inside five overs. Bangladesh fast bowler Shoriful Islam struck quickly to keep the hosts in the game, dismissing Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver, and opener Tim Robinson, who scored a rapid 23 off 14 deliveries. Shoriful finished with figures of three for 19.

The third and final T2oI between Bangladesh and New Zealand resumed around 4:30 pm on Saturday following a nearly two-hour rain delay. Umpires halted play at 2:37 p.m. due to heavy rain, with Bangladesh reaching 50 for three in 6.4 overs.  Before the interruption, New Zealand bowler Nathan Smith took two wickets in the fifth over to disrupt the Bangladesh top order. Smith dismissed Tanzid Hasan for six runs and removed Parvez Hossain Emon on his first delivery. Opener Saif Hassan contributed 16 runs off 10 balls, including two boundaries, before his dismissal. Bangladesh lose early wickets in last T20I vs New Zealand Bangladesh leads the three-match T20I series 1-0 following a victory in the first game in Chattogram. Heavy rain forced the abandonment of the second match at the same venue. Prior to the T20I fixtures, Bangladesh won a three-match one-day international series against the touring New Zealand squad.

Bangladesh lost the openers inside the powerplay of the third and final T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand on Saturday in Dhaka. In the fifth over, Nathan Smith struck twice to send Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon back. Tanzid scored six but Emon fell off the first ball he faced. Before them, Saif Hassan fell for 16 off 10 balls. He hit two fours. Bangladesh won the first T20I in Chattogram, and the second match was washed away due to heavy rain at the same venue. Before the T20I series, Bangladesh won the three-match ODI series against the visitors.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ad-hoc committee chief Tamim Iqbal announced an upcoming board election timeline, a new domestic cricket tournament, and addressed the status of former captains facing legal issues during his first formal press conference Thursday in Mirpur. The election process for the BCB's board of directors will begin at a board meeting on May 3, with the vote expected within 30 to 45 days. Tamim said the elections should conclude two to three weeks before the ad-hoc committee's tenure officially ends. Addressing the potential return of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim said that former captains Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Naimur Rahman are in the same situation. All three face legal cases filed after the fall of the Awami League government in 2024. He said the board is prepared to provide cricketing support and will welcome the players back if they resolve their legal problems, adding that the sports minister has indicated flexibility on the matter. To develop domestic cricket, the interim board will launch a three-day Second XI tournament to run parallel to the first-class National Cricket League this season. Tamim said the initiative aims to provide a platform for up to 200 players from lower divisions and eliminate the culture of abruptly drafting unregistered players for specific matches. Participating players will receive match fees and standard facilities, and the NCL will reinstate a home-and-away format. The committee also approved infrastructure upgrades for the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The plans include installing a 27,000-square-foot canopy over the currently roofless Eastern gallery and exploring preliminary options to transition the entire stadium to solar power.

The second T20I between Bangladesh and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Wednesday due to persistent rain. The third and final match of the series is on May 2 in Dhaka. The match was called off at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium after continuous downpours prevented the players from taking the field. Board officials confirmed that spectators who purchased tickets online for the fixture will receive refunds in accordance with the applicable ticketing policy. Bangladesh currently leads the three-match series 1-0 following a six-wicket victory in the opening game on Monday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has reversed an earlier decision and granted fast bowler Nahid Rana permission to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final on May 3. The board announced Wednesday that it reviewed Rana's No Objection Certificate after receiving clearance from the national team management and medical staff. The BCB said that playing in the franchise final will not negatively impact the bowler's fitness, workload management, or availability for upcoming international fixtures. Officials described the opportunity to compete in the final of a major global T20 tournament as an important step in Rana's continued development as a player. Following the PSL final, Rana is scheduled to return to the national squad. The board confirmed he remains on track and available for selection for Bangladesh's first Test match against Pakistan, which is set to begin May 8 in Dhaka.