United News of Bangladesh

South Africa continued to dominate Bangladesh in the Chattogram Test as they bagged four quick wickets to reduce the hosts to 38 for four at the end of day two. Bangladesh are trailing by 537 runs with six wickets in hand. Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten for 6 and 4, respectively. Kagiso Rabada took two wickets, with one in the first over when Shadman Islam edged a ball going down the legside to the wicketkeeper. Dane Paterson and Keshav Maharaj took one wicket each. Keshav removed the nightwatchman Hasan Mahmud with a sharp turn to the stumps. Earlier, South Africa ended their first innings on 575 for six wickets, with three batters scoring their maiden tonnes in Tests. Bangladesh used all of their bowling weapons but yielded little on a surface known for its batting-friendly nature. Tony De Zorzi hit 177, the best by any South African batter in this match. Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder also reached the magical figures. For Bangladesh, Taijul Islam bagged five wickets. And Nahid Rana took the other one. With this, Taijul registered his second five-for in this Test. Bangladesh lost the first match of the series in Mirpur by seven wickets, meaning a win or draw will seal the series for the tourists. This series is part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC Test Championship. South Africa began this Test as the fifth team on the points table, while Bangladesh are on the eighth.

South Africa are commanding the Chattogram Test with two centuries from Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs against Bangladesh on Tuesday. South Africa were at 307 for two wickets at the end of day one, with de Zorzi remaining unbeaten for 141, with ten fours and three sixes to his name. Both de Zorzi and Stubbs hit a ton in a Test match for the first time. They put up a 201-run stand in the second wicket after Taijul Islam removed South Africa’s stand-in captain, Aiden Markram, for 33. Taijul scalped both the wickets South Africa lost in this match so far. South Africa opt to bat first in Chattogram Test vs Bangladesh He first removed Markram, then struck again, scalping Stubbs for 106. Markram went for a big shot but could not connect the ball well. Mominul Haque took a catch at the mid-on to remove him. And Stubbs tried to play to the leg area off a low delivery of Taijul, which eventually hit his stumps. South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first on the surface known for its friendly behaviour with the batters. Bangladesh are playing this match with two pacers and two spinners. The hosts omitted Nayeem Hasan to include pace-bowler Nahid Rana. Jaker Ali Anik and Litton Das were also sidelined for this. While Jaker has been suffering from a concussion, Litton caught a fever. To replace them, Bangladesh called up Zakir Hasan and debutant Mahidul Islam Ankan. South Africa won the first Test of this two-match series, and a win or draw in Chattogram will seal the series for them. This series is a part of the ICC Test Championship’s current cycle.

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first in the Chattogram Test against Bangladesh on Tuesday.  Bangladesh made three changes to their playing XI, keeping Litton Das, Jaker Ali Anik, and Nayeem Hasan out to pave the way for Zakir Hasan, debutant Mahidul Islam Ankon, and Nahid Rana.  Litton was out due to a fever, while Jaker has been suffering from a concussion.  Bangladesh played one pacer in the Dhaka Test, which they lost by seven wickets. But in Chattogram, Bangladesh opted for two pacers.  South Africa made two changes, including Senuran Muthusamy and Dane Paterson in the places of  Matthew Breetzke and Dane Piedt. Bangladesh aim win in 2nd Test against South Africa As South Africa won the first match, a win or draw in Chattogram will ensure the series for them.  This series is part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. South Africa are currently in fifth place in the points table, while Bangladesh are in eighth.  Bangladesh playing XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Zakir Hasan, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.  South Africa playing XI: Aiden Markram (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Paterson.

Rohit Sharma will lead an 18-man squad as India looks to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy across five tests against Australia starting November 22. India will look to bounce back from its first home test series loss in 12 years against New Zealand in order to confirm qualification for the 2025 World Test Championship final. It needs to win four of its remaining six tests this WTC cycle and will be aiming for a third straight test win in Australia following 2-1 victories in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Three uncapped players have been named to a squad missing pacer Mohammed Shami. Opening batter Abhimanyu Easwaran is included, along with all-rounder Nitish Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana. The remainder of the squad is along expected lines – young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill to lead the charge, along with Virat Kohli, who has averaged 54.08 in 13 tests in Australia. Lokesh Rahul has been included, despite inconsistent form, along with Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are the two keeper-batters. Pant was the architect of India’s last series’ win in Australia, playing a match-winning knock at the Gabba. Brisbane will host the third test. Three spinners were also named with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, both possibly facing their last Australian tour, joined by Washington Sundar, who picked 11 wickets in the second test against New Zealand. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been left out due to a chronic groin issue and will seek treatment at home. Shami is the biggest absentee as he is yet to recover from an Achilles’ injury sustained after the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He was expected to return for the home series against New Zealand, but suffered a setback with a knee issue. Although Shami has declared himself fit, and has been posting videos of himself bowling in the nets on social media, the national selectors ignored him from the initial squad. If he does play domestic cricket in November, Shami could be included in the Indian squad from the third test onwards. Adelaide will host the second test, a day-night encounter, and there is sufficient time until the third as India will also play a two-day day-night practice game ahead of the Adelaide test. India has also named three traveling pace reserves in Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini. For the first time since 1991-92, Australia will host India in a five-test series and it will become the norm for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the future. Melbourne and Sydney will host the Boxing Day and New Year’s tests as per Australian tradition. India has also named its T20 squad that will travel to South Africa for a four-match series starting November 8. Suryakumar Yadav leads the T20 side once again, with all-rounder Shivam Dube, batter Riyan Parag and pacer Mayank Yadav missing due to injuries. Durban, Gquberha, Centurion and Johannesburg will host the four games, with the series ending on November 15. India’s squad for Australia tests: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. India’s squad for South Africa T20s: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh are set to take on South Africa in the second Test on Tuesday in a bid to register a win after losing the series opener in Dhaka. This series is a part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC Test Championship. Bangladesh made two changes to their squad ahead of this match. Taskin Ahmed and Jaker Ali were axed to pave the way for Khaled Ahmed and uncapped Mahidul Islam Ankan. South Africa beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets Mahidul replaced Jaker on Monday afternoon. He has suffered a concussion in the neck. Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said Jaker was advised not to play for now due to clinical reasons. “He has a history of concussions and is still showing symptoms. Given his previous concussion record, recovery may take some time,” Bayjedul said. Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam said they are looking forward to winning this match. While the team is eyeing a win, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto informed the board that he will not continue as the captain following the upcoming Test. But the board is yet to decide his future. A board official said they think there is a scope of discussion with the captain. In the first match, Bangladesh lost by seven wickets. Batters failed to offer any strong challenge to South Africa. Taijul, the left-arm spinner, bagged eight wickets in the match with a five-for. Chattogram wickets are helpful for the batters. Taijul said this match is an opportunity for the batters to come back to form, which may help them get confidence back for the future. Kagiso Rabasa, left-arm pacer, was the star of the show for South Africa in Dhaka. He bagged nine wickets in the match. Bangladesh played 24 Tests in Chattogram, with two wins and seven draws. Bangladesh never won a Test against South Africa despite 15 meetings.

Australia has left out all of its first-choice test team for the upcoming Twenty20 series against Pakistan so they can prepare for a five-test series against India starting later this month. In a congested month of cricket, Australia will play Pakistan in three one-day internationals starting Nov. 4, which is immediately followed by the three-match T20 series starting in Brisbane on Nov. 14. The third and final T20 is in Hobart on Nov. 18, just four days before the first test against India at Perth. Only Josh Inglis from the T20 squad is considered an outside possibility of being named to fill the vacant opening batter slot for the first test, with Nathan McSweeney and teenager Sam Konstas seemingly higher in the selection pecking order, along with Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft. Pace bowlers Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson have been recalled to the white-ball squad after recovering from injuries. “This group of players have all represented Australia in T20 cricket, so we look forward to them continuing to enhance their international experience throughout this series,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said in a written statement Monday. “It is particularly encouraging to have Xavier, Spencer and Nathan back in the national set-up." A captain, to replace the incumbent Mitch Marsh, has not yet been named. Inglis, Adam Zampa, or Glenn Maxwell are seen as the most likely contenders to be skipper for the three games in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart. Pakistan named its T20 and ODI squads for its Australian tour on Sunday.

Mitchell Santner picked 13 wickets as New Zealand beat India by 113 runs in the second test Saturday, claiming its first test series win on Indian soil. Following his 7-53 in the first Indian innings, Santner was once again wrecker-in-chief, picking up 6-104 in the second innings as New Zealand took an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It had won the first test in Bengaluru by eight wickets. India hadn't lost a home test series since 2012, when it was beaten by England. It was a second five-plus wicket haul for Santner in tests, coming in consecutive innings at Pune, as India was bowled out for 245 runs in 60.2 overs while chasing 359 runs for an unlikely win. “Winning a series over here is very tough," said Santner, who was named player of the match. “I feel a little sore (with bowling unchanged from one end), but you have to keep going. Every time I got a wicket, it felt better. I just tried to land the ball in the same spot with little changes in pace.” Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top scorer for India with 77 runs off 65 balls. But there wasn’t much else from India’s famed batting lineup — Ravindra Jadeja’s 42 was the second-best score on the day. Ajaz Patel took 2-43, while Glenn Phillips picked 1-60. Tom Latham’s squad joins a select club. Since 2000, India had previously lost only three test series on home soil — to South Africa (2000), Australia (2004-05) and England 12 years ago. New Zealand has toured India since 1955 and had only managed to win two tests here prior to this series — in 1969 and 1988. “We are proud to be in this position. It is a really special feeling and a whole team effort," Latham said. “Putting runs on the board at the start was really important. Santner was fantastic. We have had to adapt to different surfaces and we did that very well. The last two wickets took an age, but we were really happy when it happened.” Earlier, in the morning session, New Zealand put up a tall ask for India and set 359 for victory. It was bowled out for 255 runs in 69.4 overs in its second innings. Starting from overnight 198-5, the Black Caps lost quick wickets in the first hour of play. Ravindra Jadeja got back into some form, picking up three wickets on day three, and he finished with 3-72 after going wicketless in the first innings. Jaiswal then stroked a breezy 46 not out off 36 balls as India reached 81-1 at lunch. The opener was in an aggressive mood and had put on 34 runs for the first wicket with Rohit Sharma, who was out caught at short leg for eight. Post lunch, Shubman Gill added 62 off 59 balls with Jaiswal for the second wicket. The duo played attacking cricket and India looked comfortable for a brief period. Santner provided the breakthrough in the 16th over — Gill was caught at slip for 23. There was another short partnership — 31 runs — between Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, before Santner dealt another crushing blow. Jaiswal was caught at slip in the 22nd over, after hitting nine fours and three sixes. The turning point came immediately — again via Santner whose throw ran out Rishabh Pant for a duck. The writing was on the wall for India when Santner trapped Kohli lbw for 17 off 40 deliveries. India slipped from 127-2 to 147-5 in 51 deliveries and then further to 167-7 as Santner ran through the batting card. It was his maiden 10-for in test cricket. Jadeja once again resisted with runs late down the order, but it was too little to prevent a defeat for India on home soil. “It is not what we expected," said Sharma, India’s skipper. “New Zealand played better than us. We failed to capitalize on certain moments and didn’t bat well enough to get runs on the board. You have to take 20 wickets to win a test, but batters have to put runs on the board.” The third test begins in Mumbai on Friday.

Bangladesh cricket team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is unwilling to continue in his role, an international cricket media reported on Saturday.  The news came as the Bangladesh team is gearing up for the second Test against South Africa in Chattogram, starts on October 29.  Cricbuzz, a cricket website, reported that he is not willing to continue in his role and has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of this. Shanto said that he is now waiting for a response from the board.  Shanto, a left-handed batter, was appointed as Bangladesh’s captain in all formats in February 2024. Chattogram Test: Khaled recalled, Bavuma remains unavailable Shanto informed the board that he wants to step down as captain after the upcoming second Test against South Africa.  It’s unclear what he showed the board behind his move. Recently, he was scrutinized for his dismal performance with the bat, and his captaincy also failed to show any innovative approaches that can characterized as good captaincy.  The board has yet to say anything about Shanto’s decision to quit captaincy. It’s not clear who will take over the captaincy if he eventually resigns from the post.  Shanto led Bangladesh in nine Tests, nine ODIs, and 24 T20Is. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh’s most famous success came when they beat Pakistan 2-0 in a two-match Test series

New Zealand dismissed India for 156 and led the second test by 301 runs by the end of day two Friday. After spinner Mitchell Santner took 7-53 — his maiden test five-for — to bundle out India after lunch, skipper Tom Latham led the batting effort with 86 for New Zealand to reach 198-5 at stumps. India hasn't lost a home test series since 2012 to England. But its incredible run of 18 successive home series wins was under threat from the Black Caps. Their win in Bengaluru last weekend was their first in India in 36 years. They have never won a series in India. “To put ourselves in a position to potentially win a test was cool,” Santner said. “The batters did well, wasn't easy, and building the partnerships was key.” India off-spinner Washington Sundar, who took a career-best 7-59 in the first innings, had 4-56 in the second and his first 10-wicket haul in tests. India, replying to New Zealand's first total of 259, started the day at 16-1. Santner collected 4-36 in 10 overs and off-spinner Glenn Phillips grabbed 2-26 in the morning as India collapsed to 107-7 by lunch. “Just watched Washy (Sundar) and that looked cool, so I thought, ‘Will do that,’” Santner said. India made good progress in the beginning. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were aggressive and shared 49 runs. But they were pushed back when Santner came on to bowl. With Ajaz Patel bowling at the other end, the momentum shifted in New Zealand's favor and the batters looked under pressure. Santner broke through when he got Gill lbw in the 22nd over for 30 runs off 72 balls. Virat Kohli then scored one run off nine balls and failed to pick a Santner full toss drifting in, and was bowled. Jaiswal gave Phillips an outside edge on 30, and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 in Bengaluru, chipped Santner over mid-off but was caught for 11. Santner also trapped Ravichandran Ashwin (4) before lunch with the ball again staying low. After lunch, Ravindra Jadeja came out swinging for 38 off 46 balls, including three fours and two sixes. Jadeja survived a close call when the umpire and Santner failed to detect an inside edge for a caught dismissal, but he was out lbw shortly and the spinner had his five-for. Santner then went on to bowl Akash Deep (6) and trap Jasprit Bumrah (0) lbw. His 7-53 was the second best bowling figures in India after Ajaz Patel's 10-119 in 2021 in Mumbai. India's third batting collapse in this series and fourth in four tests left it trailing by 103 runs on the first innings. Latham scored 86 off 133 balls, including 10 boundaries, anchoring New Zealand while it was reduced to 89-3. Sundar trapped Devon Conway for 17, bowled Rachin Ravindra for 9, and dismissed Daryl Mitchell on 18 for his 10-wicket match haul, while Ravichandran Ashwin got Will Young lbw on 23. Latham and Tom Blundell rebuilt the innings with a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket that put New Zealand back in a commanding position. Their stand was broken by Sundar when Latham swept and missed and was struck on the pad. Batting at stumps were Blundell, 30 not out, and Phillips, 9 not out.  

Bangladesh recalled right-arm pacer Khaled Ahmed to replace Taskin Ahmed for the Chattogram Test against South Africa starting on October 29. South Africa will have to wait longer for their regular captain, Temba Bavuma, who remains unavailable for the Chattogram Test. He also missed the first Test in Dhaka and was expected to return in the second Test. Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s head coach, confirmed in a virtuatl press conference that Bavuma will not play the second Test. “We just feel medically he is not going to be ready for the second Test,” he said. “We will tone down the program so that he could be ready for the Sri Lanka series. So, Temba is out for the second Test, unfortunately.” Bavuma sustained the blow earlier this month during an ODI against Ireland, which South Africa won by a big margin of 174 runs. South Africa lead the ongoing Test series 1-0, having won the first Test in Mirpur by seven wickets, thanks to a 9-wicket match haul from Kagiso Rabada. This series is a part of the ICC Test Championship’s ongoing cycle. Bangladesh played 15 Tests against South Africa but have yet to win any. Bangladesh squad for Chattogram Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (WK), Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad, Khaled Ahmed South Africa squad for Chattogram Test: Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, and Kyle Verreynne.