United News of Bangladesh

India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday night, but the cricket has been overshadowed by the fallout that followed. On the field, it was a classic. Pakistan, given a strong start by Sahibzada Farhan’s half-century, crashed from 113 for 1 to 146 all out. Nine wickets gone for just 33 runs. Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets did the damage. India’s reply was shaky — three wickets down for 20, the crowd buzzing, Pakistan sensing a way in. Then Tilak Varma stood firm. His 69 not out, alongside Shivam Dube’s 33, dragged India over the line with two balls to spare. It should have been about that chase. Instead, attention flipped the moment the presentation began. India’s players refused to take the trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister and PCB chairman. They posed for photos with imaginary silverware, leaving the real trophy behind. India decline Asia Cup trophy from ACC chief Pakistan captain Salman Agha called it “disrespectful, not just to us but to the game.”  He said India’s refusal to shake hands throughout the tournament and their behaviour at the ceremony sent the wrong message: “If kids are watching this, what are they learning?” Politics rushed in almost immediately. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India congratulated the Indian team with a post linking the win to “Operation Sindoor,” the military action against Pakistan earlier this year. “On the field too, Operation Sindoor. Result the same — India victorious,” he wrote. Naqvi hit back within the hour. “If war is your measure of pride, history has already written your defeats,” he posted, accusing Modi of dragging war into cricket. The row capped a tournament already heavy with tension. Captains didn’t shake hands at tosses, joint photos were skipped, even routine pleasantries avoided. By the time India held their mock celebration on stage, the frost had turned into a visible split. India now have nine Asia Cup titles, two in T20 format. Yet this edition will be remembered as much for politics as for cricket — for a night in Dubai where a final ended not with a trophy in hand, but with both sides pointing fingers long after the game was done.

A day after Bangladesh held their nerve in a last-over thriller against Sri Lanka, opener Saif Hassan said the team now firmly believes they can go all the way to the Asia Cup final. Saif was at the heart of Saturday night’s four-wicket win in Dubai, cracking 61 off 45 balls to set up Bangladesh’s chase of 169. His innings, followed by Towhid Hridoy’s 58, put the Tigers in control before a dramatic finish in which Nasum Ahmed nudged the winning single with one ball to spare. “Before coming here, everyone believed we could play the final,” Saif told reporters on Sunday. “Yes, definitely we are confident now. We are one step ahead but still have two tough matches left against India and Pakistan. Our focus is only on the next game.” The confidence was not misplaced. Bangladesh were staring at an early exit during the group stage but turned things around with a commanding batting display against Sri Lanka, who had been unbeaten in the tournament until Saturday. Bangladesh start Super 4s by edging past Sri Lanka in Asia Cup nailbiter

Bangladesh are still alive in the Asia Cup, but only just. Their eight-run win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday has left the Tigers in contention for a Super Four spot, though the final say now rests with the outcome of Thursday’s Sri Lanka-Afghanistan clash. Here’s how the path looks: if Sri Lanka win, Bangladesh are through. If the game is washed out, Bangladesh also qualify. But if Afghanistan win, the equation gets tangled in the unforgiving world of net run rate, where Litton Das’s side are on shaky ground. The numbers tell the story. Bangladesh have four points from three games, but their net run rate sits at –0.270. Sri Lanka, with two wins from two, already boast +1.546. Afghanistan, despite having just two points, carry a far superior +2.150. That means an Afghan victory — regardless of margin — would lift them above Bangladesh. What could still save the Tigers is a lopsided result. For instance, if Afghanistan score 200 batting first, Sri Lanka would need only 128 to advance with Bangladesh. If Afghanistan make 150, Sri Lanka would need 84. On the other hand, if Sri Lanka bat first, Afghanistan would have to chase inside 12 overs to knock Bangladesh out. Anything short of that keeps Bangladesh ahead. Bangladesh edge Afghanistan in nervy finish to stay alive in Asia Cup It is a frustrating wait for a team that has had to crunch similar calculations in past tournaments. Captain Litton admitted as much after Tuesday’s game. “Winning was important, but we know we left runs out there. Now we just have to hope results go our way,” Bangladesh captain Litton said. Still, there is a silver lining. Bangladesh have put themselves in a position where their fate hinges on only one remaining group game, not a maze of multiple scenarios. A Sri Lanka victory, which on current form looks more than likely, would wipe away all the complicated arithmetic and send Bangladesh into the Super Four without fuss. Until then, the Tigers and their supporters must do what they have so often done in tournament cricket: watch, wait, and cheer for someone else.

Bangladesh clung on by the skin of their teeth on Tuesday night, pulling off an eight-run win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi to keep their Asia Cup hopes alive. It was scrappy, tense, and far closer than it needed to be, but for now Litton Das and his men will take it. Opting to bat first, Bangladesh began brightly thanks to Tanzid Hasan, who lit up the powerplay with 52 off 31 balls. He looked in full command, launching four fours and three sixes, and alongside Saif Hassan (30) gave Bangladesh exactly the sort of start they had been crying out for in this tournament. At 63 without loss in the seventh over, they looked on course for something around 180. But as so often, the innings lost shape. Litton scratched to nine before being trapped by Noor Ahmad. Shamim Hossain fell for 11. Towhid Hridoy briefly countered with 26 from 20 but couldn’t push on. By the death overs, Bangladesh had slowed alarmingly. Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan managed a few late strokes but 154 for five felt underwhelming, particularly after the flying start. If there were doubts about the total, Nasum Ahmed helped steady nerves with a dream opening spell. Brought back into the side, he struck with his very first ball, pinning Sediqullah Atal lbw, and then returned to remove Ibrahim Zadran. His four overs went for just 11 runs and earned him Player of the Match. Afghanistan limped to 27 for two in the powerplay and looked in real trouble. Rahmanullah Gurbaz tried to wrest back control with 35, but he was undone by Rishad Hossain’s leg-spin just after drinks. Gulbadin Naib (16) and Mohammad Nabi (15) came and went, neither lasting long enough to settle the chase. Then came the late drama. Azmatullah Omarzai stormed in, hammering three sixes in a rapid 30 off 16 balls that suddenly brought the equation back in Afghanistan’s favour. Bangladesh not playing their brand of cricket, says Mukund Litton tossed the ball to part-timer Shamim and paid the price as Omarzai went after him. Just as nerves started to jangle, Taskin Ahmed nailed a slower ball to have him caught, and with that the momentum swung again. Rashid Khan wasn’t done. The captain smashed 20 from 11, keeping Afghanistan’s hopes alive until Mustafizur Rahman produced a trademark off-cutter to end the threat. Still, there was one last twist. Noor Ahmad swung Taskin for back-to-back sixes in the final over, leaving Afghanistan needing 10 from three. Taskin, ice-cool this time, found his lengths and closed it out. Afghanistan were bowled out for 146, Bangladesh hanging on by eight runs. Mustafizur finished with three wickets, Taskin and Rishad two apiece, but it was Nasum’s miserly 2 for 11 that set the tone. Litton admitted afterwards: “We were 15–20 short with the bat. But the bowlers, especially Nasum, gave us a chance.” Rashid called it “a game we should have finished,” blaming his side’s rash shot selection. The result keeps Bangladesh alive, but only just. Their net run rate is still negative, which means they’ll be praying for Afghanistan to beat Sri Lanka heavily. For now, though, the Tigers live to fight another day.

Bangladesh will walk into Abu Jayed Stadium on Tuesday knowing the math is brutally simple. Beat Afghanistan or pack the bags. Even then, their fate will hang on other results. Spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed did not sugarcoat what worries him most. “Their spinners in the middle overs — that’s the biggest threat,” he told reporters on Monday. “Rashid, Nabi, Noor, the young lad Ghazanfar… they’re very good in these conditions. If we don’t handle that phase, we’ll be in trouble.” Bangladesh’s batting has been fragile in this tournament, especially after the powerplay. Quick wickets have left the middle order exposed. Mushtaq admitted those collapses weigh on the team. “It’s natural to doubt when you lose four or five early. But we can’t carry that into the next game. Our duty as coaches is to keep the boys believing, not to let them crawl into a shell,” he said. He also had a word for leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who has looked raw. Tensions off the field: No handshakes between India, Pakistan players “Young spinners often try too much. I told him today — land your first three balls in good areas, settle down, then think of variations. Good balls make good overs,” he also said. “Good overs build confidence. That’s the process.” Afghanistan, for their part, sound fresh and ready. Coach Jonathan Trott said the break after their opening win over Hong Kong came at the right time. “We’d played six games in 12 days before the tournament. A pause was needed,” Trott said. “Bangladesh have match-winners, but we’re looking forward to it. If we play well tomorrow, the schedule will feel like it’s worked in our favour.” The recent record gives Bangladesh a glimmer — they’ve won two of the last three against Afghanistan. But Tuesday is not about history. It is about survival.

Bangladesh fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib says his team will take confidence from their recent success against Sri Lanka as they prepare for Saturday’s Asia Cup clash in Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh opened their campaign with a routine seven-wicket win over Hong Kong, and victory against Sri Lanka would put them in strong position to qualify for the Super Four from Group B. The two sides have met frequently in recent months, with Bangladesh winning three of their last five meetings, including a 2-1 series triumph in Colombo in July. “It’s very straightforward. Our approach will be to go for the win,” Tanzim told reporters on Friday. “We have played a lot of games against Sri Lanka. We know their players well and we plan accordingly. They have some very good cricketers, but we will try to stop them by playing our best cricket.” England makes history with first Test nation to score 300 in T20Is The rivalry between the two teams has produced heated moments in the past, but Tanzim insisted he was not focused on that aspect. “Rivalries will always be there. But in a tournament, winning is the main thing. Be it Sri Lanka, Afghanistan or Pakistan, we enter the field to win,” he said. “Beating Sri Lanka in the last series definitely gives us confidence.” Tanzim, who impressed at the last T20 World Cup with 11 wickets, said he is sticking to the basics that brought him success then. “In the World Cup my focus was only on line and length, against any opponent. I’ve set that as my target again,” he added. Bangladesh are expected to field the same XI that beat Hong Kong, with Tanzim once again leading the new-ball attack alongside Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman.

Bangladesh begin their Asia Cup campaign tonight in Abu Dhabi with what looks, at least on paper, like the softest assignment in Group B. Their opponents, Hong Kong, were dismantled by Afghanistan in the tournament’s first game and arrive carrying the scars of a 94-run defeat. Liton Das and his side come in with confidence after three straight T20I series wins. They have embraced a more aggressive batting approach, clearing the ropes with regularity. Openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon have turned six-hitting into a friendly rivalry, striking 23 and 22 respectively this year. Liton himself has been in prime touch, leading Bangladesh in T20I runs in 2025. Still, Hong Kong cannot be taken lightly. The memory of 2014, when they stunned Bangladesh in Chattogram during the T20 World Cup, lingers. Two of that side — Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan — remain in the squad. Hayat top-scored again in the loss to Afghanistan, hitting 39 while others fell around him. Bangladesh are expected to line up with three quicks and two spinners. Taskin Ahmed leads the seam attack, with Mustafizur Rahman and young Tanzim Hasan Sakib for support. Offspinner Mahedi Hasan has been effective in the powerplay, while legspinner Rishad Hossain offers a wicket-taking option in the middle overs. Liton has urged his team to play “smart cricket,” not just swing for the stands. Power-hitting coach Julian Wood was drafted in before the tournament, but the captain stressed that reading conditions and situations will matter as much as brute force. “Every game we have to give our hundred percent, no matter the opponent,” he said on the eve of the match. For Hong Kong, the challenge is to hold their batting together long enough to post a score. Against Afghanistan they slipped to 27 for 4 in the powerplay and never recovered. Their spinners, especially Yasim Murtaza, managed to slow things briefly, but catching errors cost them dearly. Bangladesh know that beyond the win, net run rate could be crucial with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka also in the group. Afghanistan’s huge margin in the opening game has set an early marker. A straightforward victory may not be enough — Liton’s side will want to finish the job quickly and emphatically. The match starts at 8:30 p.m. Bangladesh time.    

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stirred debate in the cricketing world by questioning the very competitiveness of the Asia Cup. Arguing that India face little challenge within the continent, he proposed bringing in African teams and even rebranding the tournament as an “Afro-Asia Cup” to rekindle excitement among fans. Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE, Ashwin did not mince words about what he sees as the event’s diminishing charm. According to him, there is hardly a team in Asia capable of beating India. He said. “How are these teams going to even compete?” India’s dominance is undeniable: they have lifted the trophy eight times, including three of the last four editions. Ashwin himself admitted that for the sake of competition, he would prefer to see another champion emerge. “In a way, I really hope someone else wins the tournament. Because only then will there be a contest in Asia,” he remarked. Even Afghanistan’s emphatic victory over Hong Kong in Tuesday’s curtain-raiser failed to impress him. While acknowledging Afghanistan’s bowlers as potential threats, he dismissed their batting depth: “Even against the so-called threat of the Afghanistan bowlers, if India bat well and score 170+, who will Afghanistan chase this down with? It’s nearly impossible.” Bangladesh fared even worse in his assessment. Once a team known for spirited performances, they no longer merited serious mention in Ashwin’s eyes. “We’ve not even spoken about Bangladesh,” he said, “Because there is nothing to talk about with them.” Bangladesh squad leave for Asia Cup, batter Jaker dismisses criticism The statistics back his argument. India enter the tournament riding the momentum of 17 wins in their last 20 T20Is since clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup. Armed with a deep batting lineup and spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, Ashwin believes the team is virtually untouchable. “None of these teams pick Kuldeep or Varun. And we’ve not even spoken about India’s powerful batting line-up, which has match-winners galore.” For Ashwin, the solution lies in broadening the tournament’s horizons. “They can almost include a South Africa and make it an Afro-Asia Cup to make the tournament competitive.” he suggested. He even floated the idea of fielding an India A side to create at least some semblance of a contest. Wrapping up his assessment of India’s rivals, Ashwin noted that the only realistic path to victory against India is to limit them to a modest total and then hope to chase it down. Otherwise, even the inherently thrilling format of T20 could turn into a one-sided affair in this Asia Cup.

Afghanistan made a dream start to their Asia Cup 2025 campaign, steamrolling Hong Kong by 94 runs in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday—their biggest-ever T20 win against the side and the third-biggest margin in the history of the Men’s Asia Cup T20. For a nation still reeling from the devastation of a recent earthquake, the resounding triumph offered a moment of joy and pride. Winning the toss at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Afghan captain Rashid Khan opted to bat first, and his side piled up a commanding 188 for six wickets, thanks to opener Sediqullah Atal’s composed 73* and Azmatullah Omarzai’s blistering all-round display. In reply, Hong Kong crumbled to manage just  94 for nine. The Afghans were jolted early, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (8) and Ibrahim Zadran (1) in quick succession with the scoreboard reading a precarious 26 for two. But Atal and veteran Mohammad Nabi steadied the innings, crafting a 51-run stand that shifted momentum. Nabi’s lively 33 off 26 balls laid the platform before he departed. Omarzai then joined Atal and tore into Hong Kong’s bowling attack with a dazzling cameo. Their 82-run partnership came off just 35 balls, with Omarzai smashing 53 from 21 deliveries—an innings studded with five towering sixes and two boundaries. By the time he was caught at long-on, the damage had already been done. Atal, calm and composed, carried his bat through the innings, anchoring Afghanistan to 188 with a fluent 73 off 52 balls. For Hong Kong, captain Yasim Murtaza stood out with a miserly spell, conceding only 23 runs in four overs, while Ayush Shukla and Kinchit Shah claimed two wickets each. Yet their efforts were undone by sloppy fielding, as five catches went down during Afghanistan’s innings. Chasing 189, Hong Kong’s top-order collapsed swiftly. Four wickets tumbled inside 22 runs, and though Babar Hayat (39) fought hard to stem the collapse, the lack of support doomed his effort. They limped to 94 for nine, barely clearing the halfway mark of Afghanistan’s total. Afghan bowlers kept things tight across the board, with only Karim Janat proving slightly expensive (21 runs in two overs). The rest of the attack choked Hong Kong into submission. This emphatic win not only boosted Afghanistan’s morale but also gave them a significant net run rate advantage (+4.700), which could prove crucial in their bid to reach the finals alongside the likes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. T20 tri-series: Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan enters as favorites in Asia Cup warm-up Skipper Rashid Khan’s men have now set the tone for the tournament, sending an early warning to rivals that Afghanistan are here not just to compete, but to dominate. Afghanistan next face Bangladesh on September 16, while the Tigers meet Hong Kong on Thursday, September 11. Later today, hosts UAE will take on India in the second match of the tournament, starting at 8:30 pm Bangladesh time.

Mohsin Reza Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council, said the ACC is hopeful of the Asia Cup later this year.  ACC held an AGM in Dhaka, and after the meeting, Naqvi addressed the media on Thursday.  All 25 members of the ACC joined the meeting. The majority of the member nations joined in person, but India and a few others joined virtually.  “The pending issues will be resolved soon, and the much-anticipated Asia Cup will be held. We are now in coordination with the BCCI. We hope everything will be finalised shortly,” Naqvi told reporters after the meeting.  Naqvi also thanked Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam for hosting the event. “Special thanks to Aminul Bhai and the BCB for their warm hospitality. These two days were truly memorable,” he added. Meanwhile, some Indian media reported that the Asia Cup will take place in September in the UAE as the BCCI agreed on this date.