United News of Bangladesh

Tickets for the UAE phase of the ICC Champions Trophy go on sale from Monday. This year’s ICC Champions Trophy is taking place in the UAE and Pakistan. According to the original plan, the tournament was supposed to take place in Pakistan only, but due to the unwillingness of the Indian cricket team to travel to Pakistan, the authorities were forced to go for a hybrid model to host the mega cricket event. Andre Russell joins Rangpur Riders for BPL playoffs Tickets will be sold online from 4pm (Gulf Standard Time). A general stand ticket will cost 125 Dirhams. Tickets for the Pakistan phase of the event went on sale last week. Tickets for the Champions Trophy Final, scheduled for March 9, will be released after the first semi-final in Dubai. A total of eight teams are participating in the champions trophy. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will begin their event with the match against India on February 20 in Dubai. On February 24, Bangladesh will take on New Zealand in their second match in Rawalpindi. At the same venue, Bangladesh will play their last match of the group stage against the hosts Pakistan on February 27. Concussion sub Harshit Rana takes 3-33 as India seals T20 series win against England All of these matches will be kicked off at 3pm Bangladesh time.

West Indian T20 superstar Andre Russell joined the former champions of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Rangpur Riders, for the playoff phase of the ongoing season of the BPL.  Russel has been a regular face in the BPL. But this year, he did not participate from the beginning.  The inclusion of the West Indian all-rounder, who boasts over 50 BPL appearances, is certain to raise the Riders' spirits as they face the challenges of the playoffs. BPL Cricket: Fortune Barishal will play Chittagong Kings in Qualifier 1 The Riders advanced to the playoff as the third-best team on the points table. They recorded eight straight matches in the league phase before enduring four consecutive defeats.  Now, in the first eliminator of this year’s BPL, the Riders to face Khulna Tigers on Monday afternoon.  The winner of the eliminator will qualify for the second qualifier match, and the loser will end their BPL campaign as the fourth team.  While Rangpur are taking on Khulna in the eliminator, Fortune Barishal and Chittagong Kings will lock horns in the first qualifier on the same day. BPL Cricket: Khulna Tigers reach play-off stage eliminating Durbar Rajshahi The winner will march to the final, and the loser will take on the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier on Wednesday.  The BPL final will take place on Friday, February 7, at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The four-team play-off (knockout) stage of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket begins on Monday (Feb 3) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. League leader Fortune Barishal will take on 2nd ranked Chittagong Kings in the qualifiers- 1 at 6:30 pm while 3rd ranked Rangpur Riders will face 4th placed Khulna Tigers in the eliminator at 1:30 pm on Monday at the same venue.  The winners of the Qualifier- 1 will make a direct entry to the February 7 final while the losers will have another chance to make a final berth. They will face the winners of the Eliminator on February 5 for the remaining final berth. BPL Cricket: Chittagong Kings advance to qualifier beating league leader Barisal Fortune by 24 runs On completion of 12 league basis matches, Fortune Barisal finished top securing 18 points with net run rate of 1.302 while Chittagong Kings became 2nd collecting 16 points with net run rate of 1.395 to play in the Qualifier-1. Rangpur Riders was placed 3rd also with 16 points with net run rate of 0.596 while Khulna Tigers finished 4th securing 12 points having a run rate of 0.184 to play in the eliminators After the league matches, both the Chittagong Kings and Rangpur Riders have secured 16 points each, but, Chittagong Kings finished 2nd to reach qualifiers-1 by virtue of better net run rate and  Rangpur Riders went down to the 3rd slot to play in the eliminator. Three other teams of the seven-team BPL —Durbar Rajshahi (12 Pts), Dhaka Capitals (6 Pts) and and Sylher Strikers (4 Pts) –were eliminated from the league. BPL Cricket: Khulna Tigers reach play-off stage eliminating Durbar Rajshahi After the 42-match first phase league, national opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim of Dhaka Capitals named as the highest scorer making 485 runs with one century and four half centuries while national pacer Taskin Ahmed of Durbar Rajshahi named as  the highest wicket taker grabbing 25 wickets, featuring seven wickets in a match against Dhaka Capitals.    

Chittagong Kings advanced to the “qualifier” of the seven–team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket beating league leader fortune Barisal by 24 runs at the floodlit Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur Saturday evening. After the day’s last league match, both Chittagong Kings and Rangpur Riders have secured 16 points each from 12 matches, but Chittagong Kings (1.395) finished 2nd to reach qualifiers by virtue of better net run rate while Rangpur Riders (0.596) became 3rd to play in the eliminator. Despite the day’s 3rd defeat, Fortune Barisal (1.302) maintained their top slot intact securing 18 points from all 12 matches and will play 2nd ranked Chittagong Kings again in the qualifier- 1 at 6:30 pm on Monday (February 3)  Rangpur Riders will play in the eliminators with Khulna Tigers (0.184) also on Monday (February 3) at 1:30 pm. Sent into bat first, Chittagong Kings piled up a huge total of 206 runs for 4 in stipulated 20 overs with opener Parvez Hossain Emon quick-firing 41-ball 75 runs hitting one boundary and eight over boundaries. Later, he was adjudged player of the match. Besides, two down Haider Ali made not out 42 off 23 balls with three four and three sixes, number six Shamim Hossain hammered an unbeaten 30 runs playing 12 balls, one down Graham Clark  scored 26 off 21 balls featuring one four and two sixes and opener Khawaja Nafay scored 22 off 19 balls with two fours and two sixes. National colored spinner Taijul Islam grabbed two wickets for 46 runs while Ebadot Hossain and Mohammad Nabi took one wicket apiece. Chasing a huge target, Fortune Barisal scored 182 for 7 in 20 overs overs. After the dismissal top two batsmen ---captain Tamim Iqbal (0) and reliable Towhid  Hridoy (9) –-for just 13 runs in 4.3 overs, one down top order English batsman Dawid Malan fought bravely for Fortune Barisal existence quick-firing 67 runs off just 34 deliveries, featuring five fours and six sixes, before was caught by Clark off a Al Islam delivery Former national captain Mahmudullah Riyad scored 41 runs off 26 balls with two  fours and two sixes while former national skipper  Mushfiqur Rahim made 22-ball 24 runs hitting two fours and one six, James Fuller scored 18 runs off 11 balls featuring two fours and one six while Rishad Hossain made 10-ball 11 runs hitting one six . Al Islam claimed two wickets for 32 runs, Binura Fernando also took two wickets for 18 runs, while Khaled Ahmed and Arafat Sunny took one wicket each        

Khulna Tigers reached the four-team play-off stage of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket at the coffin of Durbar Rajshahi, beating lowly Dhaka Capitals by six wickets with 19 balls remaining in their last match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur Saturday afternoon With the day’s feat, Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led Khulna Tigers (0.184) assured the play-off stage toppling Durbar Rajshahi (-1.030)  by virtue of better net run rate despite collecting 12 points each from all the 12 league matches. League leader Fortune Barisal already assured the top-two team “qualifiers” securing 18 points from eleven matches, now playing the 3rd ranked Chittagong Kings (14 points) in last league match Saturday evening. Chittagong Kings needed just a victory against Fortune Barisal to assure top two team’s qualifiers, otherwise they will play in the eliminator of the four-team play off stage giving an easy passage for Rangpur Riders (16 points) to play in qualifiers Favored by coin in the day’s first match, lowly Dhaka Capitals opened the innings first after winning the toss and folded the innings at 129 for 9 in quota 20 overs with opener Tanzid Hasan contributing the team highest 58 runs off 37 balls hitting one four and seven sixes. Besides, Sabbir Rahman (20), Mehedi Hasan Rana (13) and national coloured opener Litton Das (10) were main scorers for Dhaka Capitals reaching the double digit. National medium pacer Hasan Mahmu and Austraila right arm offbreak bowler William Bosisto took two wickets each conceding 5 and 10 runs respectively. Chasing an easy target, Khulna Tigers scored the 128 runs for the loss of four wickets in 16.5 overs to assure the comfortable victory. National all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz came to open the innings and contributed an unbeaten 74 runs off 55 balls featuring five fours and four sixes and was adjudged the players of the match. Beside, Alex Ross (22), William Bosisto (18) were other main scorers for Khulna Tigers scoring the double figure runs. National coloured Mustafizur Rahman grabbed three wickets for 26 runs while Rahmat Ali took one for 24 runs.

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.