United News of Bangladesh

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has signed with Legends of Rupganj for the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPDCL) amidst uncertainly about whether he will be able to play given the current political atmosphere. After the India series last year, Shakib was supposed to return home to play his last Test against South Africa at home, but due to the political shift last year, he was unable to come. Nahid brings pace and promise as Bangladesh ready for Champions Trophy Test After that, he was supposed to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the Chittagong Kings but was ultimately unable to play. Along with all these, he faces restrictions on his bowling due to action testing. Despite all these challenges, Legends of Rupganj have signed the ace all-rounder. National Athletics: 3 more national records created on day-2 The Rupganj management confirmed his signing. Now, it remains to be seen whether Shakib will be able to play in this year's Dhaka League.  

Australia won the toss and elected to field against England in its opening Group B game on Saturday at the Champions Trophy. Australia is being led by Steven Smith after its World Cup-winning pace trio of captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were ruled out of tournament due to injuries and personal reasons. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has announced a surprise retirement from ODIs. Fast bowlers Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson were drafted into the playing XI to fill in the big shoes of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc with Adam Zampa the only frontline spinner. Australia didn’t have an ideal preparation for the tournament after losing the home series 2-1 to Pakistan and was also whitewashed 2-0 in Sri Lanka earlier this month. England, coming into the Champions Trophy after a 3-0 loss in India, has promoted wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith to No. 3 which means Joe Root will be batting down at No. 4. Smith will take over the wicketkeeping gloves from Phil Salt after recovering from a calf injury. ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rickelton, Markram lift South Africa to 315 against Afghanistan England go into the opening game with four specialist bowlers and will be heavily relying on the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer upfront with Brydon Carse as the other pace option. Liam Livingstone and Root will make up for the fifth bowler with leg-spinner Adil Rashid as the sole specialist spin option in the playing XI. Pakistan is hosting its first major ICC tournament in 29 years since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. New Zealand and India won their opening group A games against Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively while South Africa began its campaign in Group B with 107-run victory against Afghanistan at Karachi on Friday. Lineups: England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood. Australia: Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson.

Ryan Rickelton hit a composed century, and a late flourish from Aiden Markram powered South Africa to 315 for 6 against Afghanistan in their ICC Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday. Winning the toss and opting to bat, South Africa lost Tony de Zorzi early, but Rickelton and captain Temba Bavuma steadied the innings with a 129-run stand for the second wicket. Rickelton, anchoring the innings, brought up his century off 101 balls before being run out for 103. Bavuma contributed a steady 58 before falling to Mohammad Nabi. Rassie van der Dussen provided momentum in the middle overs with a brisk 52 off 46 balls, but it was Markram’s unbeaten 52 off just 36 deliveries that gave South Africa the strong finish they needed. David Miller chipped in with 14, while Wiaan Mulder smashed 12 off six balls in the final moments. Afghanistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring in the latter half of the innings. Mohammad Nabi (2 for 51) was the most effective, while Noor Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up a wicket each. Rashid Khan went wicketless, conceding 59 runs in his 10 overs.

The Afghanistan cricket team is playing their maiden ICC Champions Trophy this year, and on the first attempt, they set their sights on the title of this big cricketing event. Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan, recently expressed this desire. Speaking ahead of their opening match against South Africa in Karachi on Friday, Shahidi dismissed the idea that Afghanistan would settle for a modest campaign. “We came here to compete, and our goal is to win the final,” he said. “We are not here just to participate. We have played high-quality cricket over the last couple of years. This event is a great opportunity for us.” Pakistan fined for slow over rate against New Zealand in Champions Trophy To back his claim, Hashmatullah said the conditions of Pakistan and the UAE suit them well, and they also have an experienced bunch of cricketers. Afghanistan reached the semifinals in the last T20 World Cup. Before that, they were close to reaching the semifinal of the ODI World Cup too. These memories of the ICC events have boosted their confidence. That performance secured Afghanistan’s place in the Champions Trophy, where they believe they have a real shot at the title.

Pakistan cricketers were docked 5% of their match fees for a slow over rate against New Zealand during the opening game of the Champions Trophy. Pakistan was one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration as New Zealand won by 60 runs in the Group A game on Wednesday, the ICC said on Thursday. Big blow for Pakistan as Fakhar out of Champions Trophy ahead of India match Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan pleaded guilty to the offense with no formal hearing required thereafter, the ICC added.

Shubman Gill scored a century to chase down a below-par target of 229 and guided India to a comfortable six-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday in Dubai. With this win, India made a flying start to their ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Shubman remained unbeaten for 101. Before his ton, Mohammad Shami bagged five wickets to set the tone for India. Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain took two wickets for 38 runs, but it was not enough for them to challenge India’s formidable batting line. India chased down the target inside 47 overs. Earlier, Towhid Hridoy hit his maiden ODI century. Riding on his century, Bangladesh posted 228 in 49.4 overs despite suffering an early batting collapse which saw them reeling at 35 for five wickets. Towhid reached his ton off 114 balls. He hit six fours and two sixes. Towards the end of his innings, Towhid visibly struggled with a hamstring injury in his leg. He relied primarily on singles to reach his century. Bangladesh opted to bat first, winning the toss, but failed to build a good start. Three of their top-five batters failed to reach a double-digit total, with two of them suffering a duck each. They lost the first wicket in the first over, when Soumya Sarkar fell prey to Mohammad Shami for a duck. The left-handed batter tried to drive to the mid-off but only managed an inside edge to the Indian wicketkeeper. In the next over, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fell for another duck. He faced only two balls. He failed to drive Harsit Rana’s outswinging delivery. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim also failed to produce good batting. Miraz scored 5, and Mushfiqur suffered a first-ball duck. Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim fell for 25. After losing five for 35 in the ninth over of the innings, Towhid and Jaker steadied the innings for Bangladesh, forging a formidable stand of 154 runs in the sixth wicket, facing 206 deliveries. At the end of the match, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul credited Towhid and Jaker, but said the failure of the earlier batters cost them the match. “I think the first powerplay, the way we batted, the game cost us at that point,” Najmul said. “Very hard for the lower order to recover. The way Hridoy and Jaker batted was brilliant.” Towhid was dismissed at 100 in the last over. While he was the best batter for Bangladesh, Jaker Ali was right behind him scoring 68 off 114. For India, right-arm pacer Mohammad Shami bagged five wickets for 53 runs. It was the sixth five-for of Shami in ODIs, the first against Bangladesh. Harshit Rana took three wickets, while Axar Patel scalped two. Bangladesh will play New Zealand and Pakistan in their next two matches on February 24, and 27.

India beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets in their first match of the ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday in Dubai. Bangladesh batted first and posted 228 riding on a hard-fought ton of Towhid Hridoy. He scored 100. Jaker Ali scored 68. In the sixth wicket stand, Jaker and Towhid added 154 runs after Bangladesh lost 5 for 35 runs. Mohammad Shami bagged five for 53. In reply, India chased the target riding on the ton of Shuvman Gill. India chased the target in 47 overs. Gill remained unbeaten for 101.

Towhid Hridoy smashed his maiden ODI century in Bangladesh’s first match in the ICC Champions Trophy against India in Dubai on Thursday. Riding on his century, Bangladesh posted 228 in 49.4 overs despite suffering an early batting collapse that saw them reeling at 35 for five wickets. Towhid reached his century off 114 balls. He hit six fours and two sixes. Big blow for Pakistan as Fakhar out of Champions Trophy ahead of India match Towards the end of his innings, Towhid visibly struggled with a hamstring injury in his leg. He relied primarily on singles to reach his century. Bangladesh opted to bat first, winning the toss, but failed to build a good start. Three of their top five batters failed to reach a double-digit total, with two of them suffering a duck each. They lost the first wicket in the first over when Soumya Sarkar fell prey to Mohammad Shami for a duck. The left-handed batter tried to drive to the mid-off but only managed an inside edge to the Indian wicketkeeper. In the next over, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fell for another duck. He faced only two balls. He failed to drive Harsit Rana’s outswinging delivery. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim also failed to produce good batting. Miraz scored 5, and Mushfiqur suffered a first-ball duck. Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim fell for 25. After losing five for 35 inside the ninth over of the innings, Towhid and Jaker steadied the innings for Bangladesh, forging a formidable stand of 154 runs in the sixth wicket stand, facing 206 deliveries.Towhid was dismissed at 100 in the last over. While he was the best batter for Bangladesh, Jaker Ali was right behind him, scoring 68 off 114. ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Bangladesh in trouble  losing 5 wickets quickly  vs India For India, right-arm pacer Mohammad Shami bagged five wickets for 53 runs. It was the sixth five-for of Shami in ODIs, first against Bangladesh. Harshit Rana took three wickets, while Axar Patel scalped two.

Ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy clash against arc-rival India on Sunday, Pakistan suffered a big blow as their key batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out due to an injury he sustained during the match against New Zealand.  Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Imam Ul Haque will be the replacement for Fakhar in their squad.  Fakhar was Pakistan’s main weapon when they beat India to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. Now, when they are set to face India again in the same event to defend their title, Fakhar is missing out.  ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Bangladesh in trouble  losing 5 wickets quickly  vs India He shared the sad news for Pakistan fans on his social media page.  “I have been privileged enough to represent Pakistan multiple times with pride,” Fakhar wrote on his Instagram profile. “Unfortunately I’m now out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but surely Allah is the best planner. Grateful for the opportunity. I will be backing our boys in green from home,” he added. Fakhar played 86 ODIs for Pakistan and scored more than 3600 runs with 11 centuries and 17 half centuries.

Bangladesh are in trouble in their first match of the ICC Champions Trophy against India in Dubai, losing five wickets inside the 9th over of the innings.  Bangladesh, who opted to bat first winning the toss, failed to build a good start. Three of their top-five batters failed to reach a double-digit total, with two of them suffering a duck each.  ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Bangladesh opt to bat first vs India They lost the first wicket in the first over, when Soumya Sarkar fell prey to Mohammad Shami for a duck. The left-handed batter tried to drive to the mid-off but only managed an inside edge to the Indian wicket-keeper.  In the next over, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fell for another duck. He faced only two balls. He failed to drive Harsit Rana’s out swinging delivery.  Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim also failed to produce good batting. Miraz scored 5, and Mushfiqur suffered a first-ball duck.  Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim fell for 25.  At the end of the 19th over, Bangladesh were batting at 70 for five, with Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridy were not out for 20 and 18 respectively. Shami and Axar Patel scalped two wickets each. Axar’s two wickets came in two consecutive deliveries, when he removed Tanzid and Mushfiqur in the 9th over.