United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 55 runs in the series-deciding third ODI on Thursday, driven by a five-wicket haul from returning fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and a century by Najmul Hossain Shanto. Chasing a target of 266, New Zealand was bowled out for 210 in 44.5 overs. Mustafizur anchored the bowling attack with figures of five for 43, dismantling the middle order after the visitors made a steady start. Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz praised his bowlers and fielders, noting the team anticipated a pitch offering spin and uneven bounce for the fast bowlers. "We knew early wickets would bring us momentum," Miraz said after the match. "They know how to bowl in these conditions." Fast bowler Nahid Rana, who was named Player of the Series after securing eight wickets across the three matches, claimed two wickets in the decider. "I was only thinking today that my captain has asked me to take wickets," Rana said. "I only assess the conditions and then bowl accordingly." Dean Foxcroft provided late resistance for the visitors, scoring 75 off 72 deliveries, including seven sixes. Foxcroft attempted to narrow the deficit but was the final wicket to fall, caught off the bowling of Miraz. Nick Kelly added 59 before falling to Rahman. Earlier, Bangladesh posted 265 for eight after New Zealand won the toss and elected to field. Following a top-order collapse orchestrated by New Zealand fast bowler Will O'Rourke, Shanto and Litton Das stabilized the innings. Entering the match with the score at 9 for two, Shanto scored 105 from 119 balls to earn Player of the Match honors. Litton contributed 76 from 91 deliveries to push the hosts to a defensible total. Shanto commended the New Zealand bowlers for their early precision but emphasized the importance of his 160-run partnership with Litton. "The way Litton played today, really outstanding," Shanto said. "He held one side and I tried to score some runs. It wasn't an easy wicket to bat on. We just tried to make a big partnership."

Najmul Hossain Shanto scored his fourth ODI century to rescue Bangladesh from an early collapse, guiding the hosts to 265 for eight against New Zealand in the series-deciding third match on Thursday. New Zealand require 266 runs to secure the series victory. Shanto hit 105 from 119 deliveries and shared a critical 160-run partnership with wicketkeeper Litton Das, who scored 76, after the home side stumbled to 32 for three inside the first nine overs.Fast bowler Will O'Rourke caused the initial damage for New Zealand. O'Rourke dismissed openers Saif Hassan and Tanzid Hasan for zero and one, respectively, before removing Soumya Sarkar for 18, finishing his seven-over spell with figures of three for 32. Following the sharp opening burst, Shanto and Das absorbed the pressure and initiated a controlled recovery. The pair relied heavily on strike rotation and gap placement during their 178-ball stand rather than regular boundaries. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox eventually broke the partnership by dismissing Litton Das in the 39th over, and later claimed Shanto to finish with two for 50. In the lower-middle order, Towhid Hridoy provided late acceleration, remaining unbeaten on 33 from 29 balls. Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz added a brisk 22 from 18 deliveries before falling to off-spinner Dean Foxcroft. The New Zealand bowling attack maintained discipline during the death overs, restricting Bangladesh to 34 runs in the final five overs while taking three late wickets. Fast bowler Ben Lister secured two of those dismissals in the 49th over, removing Shoriful Islam and Tanvir Islam in quick succession, finishing with two for 62.

Bangladesh suffered a top-order collapse, falling to 71 for three in the first 18 overs against New Zealand in the deciding third ODI in Chattogram.  New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first. The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1, with the visitors winning the opener and Bangladesh securing a six-wicket victory in the second match in Dhaka. Fast bowler Will O'Rourke dominated the opening powerplay, claiming all three wickets to dismantle the host nation's top order. He struck on his second delivery of the match, finding the outside edge of opener Saif Hassan for a scoreless duck, with wicketkeeper Tom Latham completing the catch. O'Rourke then dismissed Tanzid Hasan for one run. Hasan attempted to fend away a back-of-a-length delivery but dragged an inside edge onto his own stumps.  Soumya Sarkar, who provided early resistance with 18 runs from 26 deliveries, suffered a similar fate in the ninth over. Attempting a late cut against O'Rourke, Sarkar chopped the ball onto his stumps to leave Bangladesh in deep trouble at 32 for three.  At the end of the 18-over mark, Najmul Hossain Shanto was unbeaten on 28, and Litton Das was batting on 19.

Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana jumped 32 spots in the latest International Cricket Council One-Day International bowling rankings, reaching 64th place following his match-winning five-wicket haul against New Zealand. Rana, who has played 10 ODIs, secured five wickets for 32 runs and earned Player of the Match honors in the second game of the ongoing series in Mirpur on Monday. Fellow left-arm fast bowler Shoriful Islam, playing his first ODI series since December 2024, climbed to 39th after claiming two wickets in each of the first two matches. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain advanced 10 places to 58th after taking three wickets across the two games. Bangladesh rest key pacers, call up uncapped Saqlain for NZ T20 series In the batting rankings, opener Tanzid Hasan moved up 14 spots to 40th after anchoring the run chase with a 76-run innings in the second ODI. Towhid Hridoy advanced five spots to a joint 26th position following an unbeaten 30, while Najmul Hossain Shanto climbed one spot to 43rd after scoring a half-century in the same match. New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell retained the top position in the batting rankings despite not participating in the current series. In contrast, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz dropped two places to eighth in the bowling rankings after managing only one wicket in the first two matches. Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who missed the games due to injury, fell seven spots to 55th.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday announced a revamped pace bowling attack for the first two T20Is against New Zealand, resting key fast bowlers and handing a maiden call-up to all-rounder Abdul Gaffar Saqlain. Fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Nahid Rana have been rested for the upcoming fixtures. To fill the void, selectors included 28-year-old Saqlain, recognised for his format-suited bowling and lower-order hitting capabilities. The board also recalled 23-year-old right-arm quick Ripon Mondol, rewarding him for his consistency as a death-overs bowler. Mondol previously represented Bangladesh in three T20 matches during the 2023 Asian Games.Litton Das will captain the 15-member squad, with Saif Hassan serving as vice-captain.  The three-match series begins on April 27 at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Chattogram, which will also host the second match on April 29. The series concludes at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 2. Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (captain), Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan (vice-captain), Shamim Hossain, Tawhid Hridoy, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Ripon Mondol, Shaif Uddin, and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.

Cashing in on a five-wicket haul from fast bowler Nahid Rana and a rapid half-century by Tanzid Hasan, Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the second match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday, levelling the three-match ODI series. Chasing a target of 199, the hosts reached the mark in the 36th over. Tanzid anchored the run chase, scoring 76 off 58 balls with 10 boundaries and four sixes. Najmul Hossain Shanto also contributed a half-century to ensure the victory.  The result ties the series at 1-1, establishing the third match on April 23 in Chattogram as a series decider. Earlier, Rana’s high-pace spell dismantled the New Zealand batting lineup, restricting the visitors to 198 all out. Rebounding from a difficult series opener in which he conceded 65 runs, the right-arm pacer claimed his second career ODI five-wicket haul, with every wicket-taking delivery exceeding 140 kmph. After senior bowlers Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed built early pressure, Rana provided the initial breakthrough on his first delivery in the eighth over, trapping Henry Nicholls leg before wicket at 144.7 kmph. In his next over, Rana bowled a 150 km/h bouncer that rushed Will Young into a mistimed defensive shot, resulting in a catch at point. As New Zealand attempted to stabilise through a 66-run partnership between Nick Kelly and Muhammad Abbas, Rana returned in the 28th over to dismiss Abbas with a 146.1 kmph bouncer. He later cleaned up the tail, claiming his final two wickets with deliveries clocked at 144.1 kmph and 141.6 kmph. Rana previously recorded a five-wicket haul against Pakistan at the same venue in March last.

Right-arm pacer Nahid Rana scalped five wickets using pure pace to dismiss New Zealand for 198, setting Bangladesh a 199-run target to level the three-match ODI series in Mirpur on Monday.   Rana’s clinical performance came just 48 hours after a difficult series opener in which he conceded 65 runs. Rebounding as a primary strike bowler, he delivered a barrage of high-velocity deliveries, with all five of his wicket-taking balls exceeding 140 kmph.  After senior bowlers Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed built early pressure, Rana provided the breakthrough with his very first delivery in the eighth over, trapping Henry Nicholls leg before wicket with a 144.7 kmph strike. Mustafizur’s return creates selection dilemma for Tigers In his next over, Rana unleashed a 150 kmph bouncer that rushed Will Young into a mistimed defensive shot, resulting in an easy catch at point. The young pacer returned in the 28th over to serve as a crucial partnership breaker.  As New Zealand sought stability through a 66-run stand between Nick Kelly and Muhammad Abbas, Rana dismissed Abbas with another sharp bouncer peaking at 146.1 kmph. He later returned to clean up the tail, claiming his final two wickets with deliveries clocking 144.1 kmph and 141.6 kmph to ensure the visitors did not cross the 200-run mark.  The performance marks Rana's second five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. He previously dismantled the Pakistan batting lineup in a similar fashion at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in March last.

Kolkata Knight Riders won for the first time this season in the Indian Premier League as Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy led their team to a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Singh scored 53 not out off 34 balls and Roy hit an undefeated 29 off 16 deliveries. They came together with host Kolkata in deep trouble at 85-6 in 13.3 overs and put on 76 runs in 37 balls. The pair hit four sixes between them as Kolkata finished with 161-6 in 19.4 overs, its first win after five defeats and a no-result. Earlier, Rajasthan chose to bat first at Eden Gardens and had overcome its own batting challenges to post 155-9 in 20 overs, buoyed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 28-ball 46. Varun Chakravarthy took 3-14 in four overs, while pacer Kartik Tyagi claimed 3-22. Kolkata is ninth in the 10-team league with three points. Rajasthan is third with eight points from six games. In the evening game, IPL leader Punjab Kings notched up its second-highest IPL score, beating Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs at New Chandigarh. Priyansh Arya scored 93 off 37 balls, while Cooper Connolly hit 87 off 46, as Punjab scored 254-7 after losing the toss. Lucknow was restricted to 200-5 in reply. Sooryavanshi impresses again Rajasthan openers Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 81 off 52 balls. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi once again took center stage, hitting six fours and two sixes, while Jaiswal struck two sixes and four fours in his 39 off 29 balls. Kolkata’s spinners struck back as Chakravarthy had Sooryavanshi caught at deep midwicket, while Sunil Narine (2-26) dismissed Jaiswal at the other end, the duo falling within three overs. Chakravarthy then had Dhruv Jurel stumped for five and bowled skipper Riyan Parag for 12. Narine dismissed Donovan Ferreira (7), with Rajasthan down to 124-5 in 16 overs. Tyagi struck three times in the penultimate over, removing Ravindra Jadeja (9), Shimron Hetmyer (15) and Ravi Bishnoi in the space of five balls. Two ducks Kolkata started very badly. Jofra Archer bowled Tim Seifert for a golden duck, while Nandre Burger dismissed skipper Ajinkya Rahane, whose two-ball duck left his team at 5-2. Bishnoi had in-form Cameron Green stumped for 27, and Ravindra Jadeja made it 52-4 in seven overs when impact player Angkrish Raghuvanshi was out lbw for 10. Rovman Powell scored 23 and Ramandeep Singh got 10 with Kolkata struggling until Singh and Roy came together. Their aim initially appeared to be avoiding an embarrassing score but Rajasthan relaxed and Kolkata took its chance. Singh and Roy added 50 off 27 balls, with 21 runs needed off the last two overs. That became nine runs required in the last over and Singh smacked consecutive fours off the first two balls and then finished off with a six on the penultimate ball. Punjab's fifth win in six games Punjab's innings was powered by near-centuries from Arya and Connolly after Mohammed Shami had dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for a golden duck. The pair put on 182 runs off 80 balls – the third highest stand (for any wicket) for Punjab in IPL history. Arya smashed nine sixes overall – scoring 50 off only 19 balls in his second half-century of the season. At the other end, Connolly hit seven sixes and eight fours overall – he got to 50 off 35 balls. The duo went after every bowler including Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan, hitting five sixes between them off the 13th over bowled by Aiden Markram. Punjab reached 200 in 16.3 overs, but lost both set batters as well as in-form skipper Shreyas Iyer in the process. Arya was caught at long-off, while Connolly was caught at short third man. Iyer fell for just five runs but Marcus Stoinis (29) and Shashank Singh (17) pushed Punjab past 250 for only the second time. It had previously scored 262-2 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. In reply, Lucknow’s Mitchell Marsh scored 40 off 28 balls, while Ayush Badoni – promoted to opener – got a 21-ball 35. They scored 61 off 36 balls. Marsh and skipper Rishabh Pant (43 off 23) added 48 runs off 31 deliveries for the second wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh dismissed Marsh and Pant, respectively, as Lucknow reached 128-3 in 12.4 overs. Nicholas Pooran was out for nine, caught off Marco Jansen (2-37), Lucknow lost momentum. Markram was held back to the middle order, and scored a rapid 42 off 22 balls, with Mukul Choudhary 21 not out off 17. Despite Punjab’s poor fielding efforts, Lucknow couldn’t keep up with the asking rate. It was a fourth loss in six matches for eighth-placed Lucknow.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has named four uncapped players in its 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series in Bangladesh next month. The selection, announced this week, features left-handed openers Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais, pace-bowling all-rounder Amad Butt, and wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Ghazi Ghouri. While Ghouri recently made his One-Day International debut against Bangladesh in March, the other three players have no prior international experience. The selectors rewarded domestic form, particularly from the recent President’s Trophy and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournaments. The 30-year-old Butt earned his maiden call-up following a standout season for PTV in the President's Trophy, where he claimed a tournament-high 32 wickets in seven matches at an average of 19.21. The pace bowler brings significant domestic experience to the squad, having secured more than 200 first-class wickets since his debut in 2015. Fazal, 23, secured his spot after finishing as the leading run-scorer in the President's Trophy. Playing for the State Bank of Pakistan, he compiled 622 runs at an average of 51.83, including two centuries. He is joined by fellow left-handed opener Awais, who transitioned directly from the 2024 Under-19 World Cup to dominate the domestic circuit. Awais led the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy scoring charts in his debut season, amassing 844 runs for Sialkot at an average of 76.72. Across two years of first-class cricket, Awais has accumulated 2,673 runs with 10 centuries. Ghouri, also 23, bolsters the squad's wicketkeeping options following a highly productive domestic season. He earned his Test selection after finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the President's Trophy with 531 runs at an aggressive strike rate of nearly 86. The Pakistan Test squad is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka in early May for the two-match series.  

The return to fitness of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has presented Bangladesh's team management with a difficult selection dilemma ahead of their must-win second ODI against New Zealand. Mustafizur missed the series opener due to knee discomfort, paving the way for left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam to make his first ODI appearance in 16 months. Islam capitalized on the last-minute opportunity, emerging as the team's most effective bowler. However, with Mustafizur now reportedly fit to play, Shoriful’s spot in the starting lineup remains uncertain despite his standout performance. Addressing the intense competition within the pace bowling unit, Islam welcomed the situation as a positive indicator for the national team's depth. "There is no frustration here," Shoriful said. "Those who are playing are doing well, and those outside the squad are also good cricketers. It is a healthy competition." Shoriful added that he is prepared to step aside if the management opts to rotate the squad, noting that fielding the best possible team to secure ranking points for direct World Cup qualification remains the ultimate priority. While the bowling unit's recent successes have frequently been undermined by top-order batting failures, Shoriful refused to criticize his teammates for the team's struggles. "If we lose, the batters feel as bad as we do," Shoriful said, adding that the bowlers could always strive to make things easier for the batting lineup. "Hopefully, in the next match, the batters will do very well, we will support them, and we will win the match collectively."