United News of Bangladesh

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul on Tuesday said Bangladesh will not accept any unreasonable conditions if the ICC creates pressure on the country under influence from the Indian Cricket Board. “If the International Cricket Council (ICC) bows to pressure from the Indian Cricket Board and tries to impose any illogical condition on us, we will not accept,” he told reporters at the Secretariat. He also said Bangladesh cannot be forced to travel to India to play the T20 World Cup under pressure. Asked about a report by French news agency AFP which said Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the World Cup if the team refuses to go to India, the adviser said they have not officially heard any such decision. “There are precedents in international cricket, when India refused to play in Pakistan the ICC changed the venue. We have reasonably asked for a venue change,” he added. Bangladesh recently informed the ICC that they would not travel to India for the tournament due to political tensions and requested their matches be moved to another venue. BCB rejects ICC’s plea to reconsider India tour to play T20 World Cup A final decision on Bangladesh’s participation and travel to India is expected by Wednesday. The ICC has not clarified how it would select a replacement team if a participant withdraws. Tensions escalated recently after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL due to security threats, a concern reportedly validated by the ICC’s own “Internal Threat Assessment Report”.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday (January 07, 2026) dismissed media reports claiming it had received an ultimatum from the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding its participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India, and said it will continue ‘constructive engagement’ with ICC for T20 World Cup solution.  In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the board termed such reports as ‘completely false and unfounded,’ clarifying that the communication received from the global body was cooperative in nature. The clarification comes amidst a deepening diplomatic and sporting crisis triggered by the exclusion of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, which led Bangladesh to request a venue change for their World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka citing security concerns. Read more: ICC to BCB: Play in India or forfeit points “The BCB categorically states that such claims (of an ultimatum) ... do not reflect the nature or content of the communication received from the ICC,” the media release read. The board confirmed that the ICC has formally responded to Bangladesh's concerns regarding the safety and security of the national team. According to the BCB, the ICC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring Bangladesh's ‘full and uninterrupted participation’ and has expressed a willingness to work closely with the board on detailed security planning. The BCB emphasized that it would continue ‘constructive engagement’ with the ICC to reach an “affable and practical solution.” This diplomatic tone comes as a slight shift from the hardline stance seen earlier in the week, where government officials had signaled a potential boycott of the tournament if the venue was not changed. Read more: BCB eyes ICC intervention for World Cup security following Mustafizur’s IPL exit However, the board reiterated that the safety and well-being of the players remain its ‘highest priority.’

The ICC has announced a record-breaking prize pool for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023–25, which will be contested between South Africa and Australia from June 11 at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The total prize money stands at a massive USD 5.76 million, more than double the amount from the previous two editions. The champions will receive USD 3.6 million, an increase from the USD 1.6 million awarded in both 2021 and 2023. The runners-up will take home USD 2.16 million, up from USD 800,000. The ICC released the details as part of a promotional campaign marking the 30-day countdown to the final. A star-studded video featured current players like Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Steve Smith, and Travis Head, along with cricketing legends such as Shaun Pollock, Shoaib Akhtar, Matthew Hayden, and Ravi Shastri. South Africa, who finished top of the WTC table, secured their place in the final with series wins over Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, as well as a drawn home series against India. Australia booked their place after a strong campaign that included a 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy victory against India, a 3-0 home sweep of Pakistan, and away series wins over New Zealand and Sri Lanka. ICC Chair Jay Shah said the final is a celebration of Test cricket. “This edition showcased remarkable performances and culminates in a final between two outstanding teams. Lord’s is a fitting venue for this prestigious clash,” he said. South African captain Temba Bavuma called the match a golden opportunity. “Everyone understands the importance of Test cricket, and this is a chance to win an ICC title at a historic venue. The anticipation is increasing with less than one month to go,” Bavuma said.  Australian skipper Pat Cummins echoed the sentiment.  “It’s an honour to defend the WTC title at Lord’s. This reflects the hard work of everyone involved over the past two years,” Cummins said.  The winning team of the ICC World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa will receive USD 3.6 million, the highest ever prize for a Test match.  Mehidy wins ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April The runners-up will also enjoy a significant payday, earning USD 2.16 million for their efforts. India, who finished third in the WTC standings, will be awarded USD 1.44 million, while New Zealand, placed fourth, are set to take home USD 1.2 million. Fifth-placed England will receive USD 960,000 for their campaign. Sri Lanka, who finished sixth, will earn USD 840,000. Bangladesh follow with a payout of USD 720,000 after finishing seventh in the table. The West Indies, in eighth place, are due to collect USD 600,000, and Pakistan, who ended the cycle in ninth, will receive USD 480,000.  Bangladesh qualify for ICC Women's World Cup'2025 despite losing to Pakistan by 7 wickets

Human Rights Watch has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Afghanistan's membership and bar the Taliban-controlled country from participating in international cricket. This request was made through an email sent to ICC Chair Jay Shah on February 3 and publicly released on March 7. The letter titled "Suspending the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Implementing a Human Rights Policy" called for the suspension of Afghanistan’s participation in cricket until women and girls are once again allowed to engage in education and sports within the country. Human Rights Watch, an independent NGO focused on human rights advocacy, stated that the ICC should adopt a human rights policy based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The letter emphasized that despite the ICC's promises to enhance women's cricket, the Taliban's policies since their return to power in 2021 have severely restricted women's and girls' rights, including their freedom of movement, employment, and education beyond sixth grade. The email also highlighted the ICC's commitment to anti-discrimination, asserting that the governing body should ensure that cricket is inclusive and free from intimidation based on sex, gender, or marital status. It pointed out the inconsistency in the ICC's actions, as Afghanistan's men's team still receives financial and logistical support, while the women's team, which has been suspended, is denied the same resources. India wins ICC Champions Trophy for the third time Human Rights Watch further criticized the Taliban's ban on women's participation in cricket, calling it a violation of the Olympic Charter’s guarantee that "the practice of sport is a human right." The letter also referenced former Afghanistan women's players, who now live in exile, requesting ICC recognition of a refugee women's national team to allow them to train, compete, and receive ICC financial support. The email questioned why the ICC has not taken stronger action against the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), asking what steps are being taken to ensure the inclusion of women and girls in Afghan cricket. It also inquired about the support the ICC has provided or plans to offer to the ACB. Human Rights Watch concluded by urging the ICC to adopt a human rights framework, similar to other sports governing bodies, and to pressure the Taliban to allow Afghan women and girls to participate in sport. The ICC has yet to comment on the matter. Source: ESPNcricinfo

Jay Shah started his tenure as the youngest International Cricket Council chair on Sunday, with a looming decision on the venue for the Champions Trophy still to be announced by the governing body. Shah, 36, was elected unopposed as the ICC chair in August, taking over from Greg Barclay of New Zealand. Carse takes first ten-wicket haul as England beats NZ in 1st Test “I am honoured to take on the role of ICC chair and grateful for the support and trust of the ICC directors and member boards,” Shah said in an ICC statement. “This is an exciting time for the sport as we prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games and work to make cricket more inclusive and engaging for fans worldwide." Shah has previously served as chair of the ICC’s finance and commercial affairs committee and as president of the Asian Cricket Council. He was also secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. An impasse exists over Pakistan hosting the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to start in February, after the BCCI informed the ICC last month that its government has not allowed the cricket team to travel to Pakistan for the eight-team event. Ireland women aim to rebound after heartwarming 'Dhaka Welcome' India hasn’t toured Pakistan since 2008, when it played in the Asia Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board has stated that it wants to host all of the Champions Trophy games in Pakistan and refuses to share hosting rights to accommodate its rival, after sending its team to the 2023 World Cup in India.  

Bangladesh star allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has been nominated for the International Cricket Council’s Men's ODI Player of the Year award. Along with him, Pakistan captain Babar Azam, South African batter Janneman Malan, and Ireland batter Paul Stirling have also been named for the same.  Read: It’s tough to play all formats together: Shakib Shakib is the only allrounder among the nominees. In the pandemic-hit year, Shakib batted in nine matches and scored 277 runs with two fifties. He also bagged 17 wickets. Shakib’s bowling performance is keeping him ahead of the other nominees.  2021 was the year when Bangladesh allrounder made a comeback after serving a ban imposed on him by the ICC due to failing to report corrupt approaches made to him by the bookies.  Shakib started a challenging year with the home series against the West Indies and emerged player of the series. Right before that series, he participated in the inaugural Bangabandhu T20 Cup at the domestic level but failed to impress. That was his first competitive cricket event after the ban ends.  Read: Shakib Al Hasan's next stop: Bank director After the home series against West Indies, Shakib played against Sri Lanka as well but failed to continue on a good run. He returned to his true form against Zimbabwe when he amassed 145 runs in three ODIs and bagged eight wickets— which help him to earn the second player of the series award in the same calendar year.  While Shakib shone both with ball and bat, Babar, the Pakistan captain did well with the bat scoring 405 in six matches with two centuries, and Janneman also batted superbly scoring 509 in eight matches with two centuries, and Paul also did well with the bat amassing 705 runs in 14 ODIs he played in the year with three centuries and two fifties— which was also the highest run by any batters in the format in the calendar year of 2021. 

Is cricket making a return at the 2028 Olympics? The IOC has a negative view of cricket. Cricket hasn't been in the Olympics in a long time since it takes five days to play. The ICC is optimistic that cricket will be featured in the Olympics again, thanks to the popularity of T20 cricket and the fact that it takes less time to play this format. It is not certain that the T20 format will be considered if cricket is included in the Olympics again. The ICC is pushing to return cricket to the Olympics and some actions have already been taken. Read: Big step towards becoming a big team: Shakib The ICC's Initiatives to bring cricket back to the Olympics The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already started the process of bringing cricket back to the Olympics.A working committee has already been formed for this purpose. The committee will take steps to include cricket in the Olympics. The ICC's initial objective is to get cricket included in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Ian Watmore will lead the ICC Olympic Working Group. Indra Nooyi (ICC’s Independent Director), Tavengwa Mukuhlani (ICC Associate Member Director), Mahinda Vallipuram (Vice President of the ACC), and Parag Marathe (Chairman of USA Cricket) will accompany him. Read:BAN vs. NZ 2021: New Zealand Announce Squad For the T20 Series against Bangladesh As per the ICC, the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics itinerary will be a big achievement. Moreover, cricket is followed by over a billion people worldwide, including over 30 million cricket enthusiasts in the United States. Therefore, cricket should be included in the Olympic Games if the commercial aspect of the game is considered.  Cricket will be included at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. The International Cricket Council officials believe this will be an ideal platform to exhibit what this sport can contribute to the Olympics. Read: Shakib Al Hasan Favourite to Win ICC’s Player of the Month for July Cricket was last played at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 1900, with just Great Britain and the hosts France competing. The only cricket match at the Olympics was held between Great Britain and France. It was a low-scoring contest and in the end, Great Britain won the match by 156 runs.

The former performance analyst of Sri Lanka Cricket, Sanath Jayasundara, has been handed a seven-year ban from all cricket after the International Cricket Council (ICC) found him guilty of breaching its Anti-Corruption Code. Following a full hearing and presentation of written and oral argument, the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found Jayasundara guilty of offering a bribe or other reward to the Sri Lankan sports minister to contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of an international match, the global governing body of cricket said Monday. He was also found obstructing or delaying an Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) investigation into possible corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. ICC General Manager (Integrity Unit) Alex Marshall, said: "Jayasundara's attempt to bribe a minister is a grave transgression while the efforts to cover up his tracks and the lack of remorse are hugely disappointing." "We won't tolerate corrupt conduct in our sport, and my team will be relentless in preventing such behaviour. This ban should serve as a deterrent for anyone who may be tempted along the wrong path." The ban is backdated to May 11, 2019, when Jayasundara was provisionally suspended.

He was a complete allrounder during his age-level cricket. He used to bat at number four and amassed ample runs. He used to bowl 10 overs in 50-over games regularly and scalped many wickets. His bowling was more effective than his batting. Still, the 23-year-old allrounder never was a fan of the idea that he could break into the world’s top bowlers.  And yet, Mehidy Hasan Miraz is now the number two ODI bowler in the world as per the latest ranking updates by the International Cricket Council published on May 26. In his immediate reaction, Mehidy said: “Praise be to Allah. I’m excited to know that I’m now the number two ODI bowler in the world, but I never thought that I could reach this height.” Read:Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: 3rd ODI Match Preview There were many reasons behind Mehidy’s thinking of himself that he couldn’t become a top-class bowler. One of the main of those reasons was his mindset. He had been thinking only to contain the runs for a long time. He never believed that he could be the bowler who can take wickets and trap the batsmen the way he wants, only bringing some changes into his bowling.  But things started to change ahead of Bangladesh’s last tour to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series when spin-bowling consultant Daniel Vettori was unable to join the team due to travel restrictions imposed to tackle the Covid-19 situation around the globe. It came as a blessing in disguise for Mehidy who got the service of his childhood coach Sohel Islam in Sri Lanka. BCB appointed Sohel as a substitute for Vettori.  “We started to work together ahead of the Sri Lanka Tests,” Sohel told the media after coming to know Mehidy’s new achievement of becoming the number two bowler in the world. “The only problem was his mindset. He used to be more aggressive to take wickets, which eventually forces him to make mistakes. So the first thing we wanted to do is fix his mindset.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitch used in the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as "below average." In a press release sent to the media on Wednesday evening, the ICC said match referee Ranjan Madugalle called the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch in Kandy "substandard." So, the venue has received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. Also read: Rain forces early close of high-scoring Kandy Test "The character of the pitch hardly changed over five days. There was no shift in the balance between bat and ball as the game progressed," Madugalle said. "The pitch remained batting-friendly throughout, resulting in a total of 1289 runs scored in the match for the loss of 17 wickets at an average of 75.82 runs per wicket, which is very high. So, in keeping with the ICC guidelines, I rate this pitch as below average," he added. Madugalle's report has been forwarded to Sri Lanka Cricket. Also read: Kandy Test: Bangladesh declare posting a mammoth score Both Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque and head coach Russell Domingo have criticised the wicket, too, saying it was not the wicket that they had expected ahead of the game. Dimuth Karunaratne, the hosts' captain, also said they were expecting a better wicket.  The second and final Test of this two-match series will commence tomorrow at the same venue.