United News of Bangladesh

The third one-day international between India and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Tuesday due to persistent rain. India won the toss after a delay of more than two hours caused by a wet outfield and intermittent showers, but conditions never improved enough for play to begin. Officials called off the match shortly before 7pm local time as heavier, more persistent rain made it impossible to prepare Seddon Park before the 8pm cut-off time. Rain had also disrupted the first two matches of the series. India won the opening ODI in Auckland by five wickets and the second in Wellington by four runs, with both matches decided under the Duckworth-Lewis system. The teams will now travel to Mount Maunganui on New Zealand's North Island for the fourth and fifth ODIs, scheduled for Friday and Sunday. India have secured at least a series victory, while New Zealand can still draw the series level.

The Saputo family has initiated the process of selling CF Montreal, putting the Major League Soccer club's future in the Canadian city in question. The club announced the decision on Monday, saying the family, which has owned the team for more than three decades, was beginning the process of finding new ownership. The family has been associated with the club since 1992, when it was known as the Montreal Impact and competed in the American Professional Soccer League. The team joined MLS in 2012. “After more than three decades of commitment, we believe this is the appropriate time to begin the process of identifying new ownership for CF Montreal,” Joey Saputo said in a statement. He described the club as a central part of the family's lives, saying they had invested considerable time, effort and resources in building it. Saputo also thanked the fans, saying their passion and loyalty had been central to the club. The family would prefer to sell the team to a buyer willing to keep it in Montreal, Saputo said, although he did not rule out the possibility of the club moving to another city under new ownership. The announcement comes after CF Montreal endured its worst season in MLS, finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a record of six wins, 20 losses and eight draws. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Saputo, however, insisted that the decision to sell was not driven by the team's on-field performance or financial concerns.

Lionel Messi has been awarded the 2026 MLS Golden Boot, becoming the first player in league history to win the award in consecutive seasons. The Inter Miami forward scored a league-high 26 goals this season. He also notched 17 assists and led the league with 43 goal contributions. Messi edged out FC Dallas striker Peter Musa (22 goals) and Nashville SC striker Sam Surridge (21 goals) to take home the award just months after winning the Silver Boot at the 2026 World Cup while leading Argentina to the final. Messi became the sixth two-time MLS Golden Boot winner, joining Bradley Wright-Phillips, Chris Wondolowski, Jeff Cunningham, Taylor Twellman and Preki. The Argentine great, who retired from the national team this year, had 29 goals and 19 assists when he won the MLS award in 2025. Messi could be up for another accolade on Monday night and become the first three-time winner of the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. The award will be announced at 8 p.m. EST. Messi and No. 2-seeded Miami face the No. 7-seeded Columbus Crew in a best-of-three series in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Bad light ended the second Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in a draw in Sylhet on Monday, handing the visitors a 1-0 series win. Bangladesh were 184 for four in their chase of 369 when bad light stopped play before 2:45pm on the final day. They still needed 185 runs, while West Indies needed six wickets. The umpires were due to inspect the light at 4pm, but the two captains agreed to a draw before that. West Indies had won the first Test in Mirpur by eight wickets. Towhid Hridoy, who scored an unbeaten 242 in the first innings, followed it with 82 and was named player of the match. He became the first Bangladesh batter to score a double century and a fifty in the same Test. West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican was named player of the series for his 16 wickets, nine in the first Test and seven in the second. West Indies resumed on 345 for three, added 53 runs in 10 overs and declared on 398 for six. Kavem Hodge made 142, his third Test century, while Kevin Wickham scored 78 and Brendon King 61. Nayeem Hasan took two for 72, Mehidy Hasan Miraz two for 85 and Taijul Islam two for 118. Bangladesh lost both openers before lunch. Tanzid Hasan was caught at the midwicket boundary for 21 trying to hit Warrican for six. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was given lbw for 14 off Warrican after a West Indies review, leaving Bangladesh on 40 for two. Hridoy and Mushfiqur Rahim then batted through the entire second session without losing a wicket, adding 113 runs in 34 overs. Their third-wicket stand was worth 135 runs. During the innings, Mushfiqur became the first Bangladesh batter to score 7,000 Test runs. He reached the mark with a single off Warrican in the 20th over. Mominul Haque is second on the list with 5,293 runs. Bangladesh lost both set batters within the first nine overs after tea. Hridoy was bowled for 82 trying to sweep Warrican, missing a full delivery from over the wicket that pitched well outside leg stump. It was Warrican's 100th Test wicket. Mushfiqur fell one short of his fifty when Shamar Joseph bowled him for 49 off 123 balls. Litton Das and Miraz were at the crease when the light faded. "Apart from Hridoy, nobody batted well in the first innings, and we paid the price for that," Shanto said after the match. Hridoy spoke about batting with Mushfiqur. "I've followed Mushi bhai since childhood. He is my idol, and I always try to learn from him," he said. Bangladesh made 386 in their first innings in reply to West Indies' 356, with pacer Hasan Mahmud taking six for 90. Bangladesh fly to South Africa on Tuesday for a two-Test series. The first Test begins in Johannesburg on November 15.

Bangladesh need 369 runs to win the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet after the visitors declared their second innings on 398 for six on the final day on Monday. Bangladesh were 33 for one in the eighth over in reply, needing another 336 runs. Their highest successful chase in Tests is 215, against West Indies in 2009. The hosts lost opener Tanzid Hasan for 21 off 32 balls, with four fours. He tried to hit a Jomel Warrican delivery over the boundary and was caught by Joshua Da Silva at midwicket. Towhid Hridoy, who made a record unbeaten 242 in the first innings, joined captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. West Indies batted for 10 overs in the morning and added 53 runs to their overnight 345 for three before declaring. Bangladesh opened the day with spin at both ends and struck in the second over. Kavem Hodge added only two runs to his overnight 140 before he was caught by Hasan Mahmud at fine leg off Nayeem Hasan. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then trapped Justin Greaves lbw for nine, leaving West Indies on 369 for five. West Indies sent Shamar Joseph in early to score quickly, but he was caught by Tanzid at long-off for one, giving Nayeem his second wicket. Miraz dropped Bishop at midwicket off Nayeem before West Indies declared.

Bottom-placed Pakistan hopes to find a pool of promising young players for the next World Test Championship cycle when it takes on Sri Lanka in the first cricket test on Monday. Pakistan has won only two of the nine test matches in this WTC cycle that included its chaotic 3-0 loss in England and a 2-0 drubbing at the hands of Bangladesh. Seven players and two coaches were flown back home midway through the tour of England and of those only Salman Ali Agha has been recalled for the two-test home series against Sri Lanka, with selectors naming eight uncapped players in the squad of 16. “After the England tour, we decided to take a different step and inject several new players,” Pakistan test captain Babar Azam said on the eve of the first test Sunday. “We are almost out of this World Test Championship, (and) now we are looking forward to the next WTC and make preparations for it … we will give opportunities to youngsters to express themselves.” The uncapped players include fast bowlers Ali Shabbir and Saqib Khan, all-rounder and player of the recent triangular ODI series Arafat Minhas, batters Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Saad Baig and Sameer Minhas. Seam bowling all-rounder Aamir Jamal was also recalled after his recent impressive domestic performances to team up with experienced seam bowler Mohammad Abbas and pace bowler Razullah. “The intent is to build a vast and strong pool of players for both home and away conditions so that we can turn the tables in the next (WTC) cycle,” Babar said. Babar’s long century drought It has been 40 innings since Babar scored his last test century in December 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand at Karachi. He even tried to regain his lost touch by playing in three domestic first-class cricket matches, but ended up with a top-score of 42 from six innings. The closest Babar came to ending his century drought was at Port of Spain against the West Indies in August before he got was for 88 as Pakistan drew the two-test series 1-1 in Babar’s return as skipper of the test side. “I know I am not performing,” admitted Babar. “If I sit out and don’t play, it won’t solve the problem. You can only improve if you continue to play. You will get results when you have belief in yourself. I am talking to the coaches and doing all the hard work.” Mendis hopes batters do the job Sri Lanka’s new test captain Kusal Mendis, who replaced Dhananjaya de Silva as skipper in October, hoped his batters will come good on an expected pace-friendly green wicket prepared at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka has been in Pakistan for more than a month, losing the T20 series 2-1 and the final of the ODI tri-series against the host, but returns to Rawalpindi where it chased down the second-highest ODI score of 430 against England in the tri-series. “We know they will be giving a little bit different wicket,” Mendis said. “The batters have to manage our skills and preparation well. We have a very good batting line-up with some very senior players ... Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, myself, and a couple of other guys.” The tourists had ideal preparation for the test matches when they beat Pakistan Cricket Board XI by 142 runs in a practice game in which Mendis and Lahiru Udara scored half-centuries. “Overall, we’re on a very good path, and when coming to test cricket, we have to focus on our test game,” Mendis said. “It’s not easy to play tests away from home. I think Pakistan will give a very good wicket, and we have a plan in how (we want) to play.” Sri Lanka is ranked No. 7 in the WTC points table, winning just one of its six test matches while drawing three and losing two. Lahore will host the second test from Nov. 17-21.

Kavem Hodge struck an unbeaten 140 as West Indies moved to 345 for three in their second innings on the fourth day of the second Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet on Sunday, building a lead of 315 runs with a day to go. The lead means Bangladesh will need the highest successful run chase in their Test history to win the match. Their best remains 215, chased down against West Indies in 2009, and they have never won a Test chasing more than 200 on any other occasion. West Indies scored 338 runs in 79 overs on Sunday and lost three wickets. Amir Jangoo, who made 133 in the first innings, was unbeaten on 20 at stumps alongside Hodge. The visitors resumed on seven for no loss, 23 runs behind, and wiped out the deficit early. They scored 59 runs in the first hour without giving the Bangladesh bowlers a chance. Taijul Islam made the first breakthrough, trapping Joshua Da Silva lbw for 36 with the score on 86. It was Taijul's first wicket since the second innings of the first Test in Mirpur. Mehidy Hasan Miraz then removed Brandon King for 61. King pushed forward to a ball that drifted away from him, and the edge went to Najmul Hossain Shanto at slip. King had made an unbeaten 81 in the second innings in Mirpur, and this was his sixth Test fifty. West Indies scored 121 runs in 30 overs in the morning session and went to lunch on 128 for two, 98 runs ahead. Hodge and Kevin Wickham then took the game away from Bangladesh. The pair added 131 runs in 28 overs in the afternoon session, and West Indies were 259 for two at tea. Wickham, playing his debut Test, made his second fifty of the match off 68 balls. He became the eighth West Indies player to score two fifties on Test debut. Hodge reached his third Test century by sweeping Taijul to fine leg. Taijul ended the stand soon afterwards, dismissing Wickham for 78. The pair had added 168 for the third wicket. The pitch still offered little to the bowlers on the fourth day, and the West Indies batters kept scoring freely after tea. Taijul finished the day with two for 118, while Miraz took one for 58. Bangladesh made 386 in their first innings, led by Towhid Hridoy's unbeaten 242, the highest Test score by a Bangladesh batter. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican took four for 104.    

Arsenal opened a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League over Manchester City heading into the international break following a 1-0 home win over Hull City and Man City's 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday . Martin Odegaard scored the 72nd-minute winner for Arsenal's fifth straight league win, while winless Hull's drought reached nine games. Liam Delap scored twice (18th, 73rd minutes) after Jair Cunha’s sixth-minute opener as Forest handed Enzo Maresca’s Man City a third consecutive loss. Rayan Cherki scored City's sole goal. Fulham drew 1-1 with Newcastle United as substitute Rodrigo Muniz (83rd) canceled out Jacob Murphy’s 80th-minute strike. Meanwhile, Leeds United snapped Tottenham’s three-match winning run 1-0 via substitute Noah Okafor’s 79th-minute goal off a flicked throw-in. On Friday, Everton came from behind to beat Coventry City 3-1 with second-half goals from Thierno Barry (56th, 61st) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (81st), after Yann Gboho put Coventry ahead in the 52nd.

Towhid Hridoy hit an unbeaten 242, the highest Test score by a Bangladesh batter, to give his side a 30-run first-innings lead on the third day of the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet on Saturday. Bad light ended play early, with West Indies on seven for no loss in their second innings, still 23 runs behind. Hridoy's maiden Test double century took Bangladesh to 386 in reply to West Indies' 356. He passed Mushfiqur Rahim's 219 to set the national record. He hit 11 sixes, the most by a Bangladesh batter in a Test innings and the joint third-highest in the world, along with 22 fours. That gave him 154 runs in boundaries, also a Bangladesh record. Hridoy resumed the day on 29 and added 213 runs, beating Shakib Al Hasan's record of 212 runs in a single day for Bangladesh. He became the first Bangladesh batter to turn a maiden Test century into a double century, and the fourth from the country to score a Test double hundred, after Mushfiqur, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib. Mushfiqur had held the record since his unbeaten 219 against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in 2018. Shakib made 217 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017, and Tamim's 206 came against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015. Hridoy's innings is also the highest individual Test score at the Sylhet venue, beating Mahmudul Hasan's 171, and the highest by a Bangladesh batter against West Indies. It was only his third Test. He made his debut against Zimbabwe in June and had scored 54 runs in his first two matches. Hridoy came in with Bangladesh on 22 for two on the second day, and the side were in trouble again on Saturday morning. They lost their seventh wicket at 184, effectively their eighth, since opener Shadman Islam could not bat because of an injury. Hridoy and Taijul Islam then added 117 for the eighth wicket, the second-highest eighth-wicket stand for Bangladesh. Taijul made 22 off 56 balls in about two hours and 20 minutes at the crease. He fell when he could not get his foot back behind the crease against left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. Hridoy went to his century with a single off Roston Chase, and was on 100 at lunch with Bangladesh on 205 for seven. He was hit on the ribs by a short ball from Jayden Seales in the 85th over and went down in pain, but pulled the next delivery for runs. He reached 150 with a four off Shamar Joseph, and was on 190 at tea. West Indies took the second new ball as soon as it was due, but it made little difference. Hridoy reached his double hundred with a single off Warrican in the 100th over, and he was still not out when the innings ended. Earlier, West Indies made 356 in their first innings. Amir Jangoo top-scored with 133, while Kevin Wickham made 61 and Justin Greaves 51. Pacer Hasan Mahmud led the Bangladesh attack with six for 90.

Towhid Hridoy converted his maiden Test century into 200 on the third day of the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet on Saturday, taking Bangladesh to 331 for eight, 25 runs behind the visitors' first-innings 356. Hridoy reached his double hundred off 304 balls, with 19 fours and seven sixes, after coming in with Bangladesh on 36 for two on the second day. Taskin Ahmed was with him on one. His innings is the highest by a Bangladesh batter in a maiden Test century, surpassing Mominul Haque's 181. It is also the highest Test score at the Sylhet International Stadium. Hridoy had been on 100 at lunch, with Bangladesh on 205 for seven. He then added a century stand for the eighth wicket with Taijul Islam, only the third 100-run stand for the eighth wicket by Bangladesh in Tests. The record is 144, by Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz against Zimbabwe in 2018. Taijul made 22 before he was out, and Hridoy added 30 more with Taskin to complete his double century. Hridoy took a blow to the ribs in the 85th over when he missed a pull against a short ball from Jayden Seales, and went down in pain. He pulled the next delivery, another bouncer, for runs. He was on 190 at tea, with Bangladesh on 318 for eight. Hridoy had made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in June. Before this match, he had scored 54 runs in two Tests. Bangladesh are batting a man short, with opener Shadman Islam unable to bat in the first innings after injuring his ankle while fielding on Friday. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican has taken four for 87 for West Indies.