While men’s cricket gets a lot of attention, the history of women in cricket is also no less impressive. The first recorded instance of women in cricket goes back to 1745 and the first Women’s One Day International (WODI) was played in 1934. Over the years, the participation and fan following surrounding women’s cricket has only increased, and one of our very own has taken the flag to new heights. We’re talking about none other than Shathira Jakir Jessy, the first Bangladeshi woman to become an international umpire.  Early Life  Shathira Jakir Jessy was born in 1990 in Lalmonirhat. Her father, a banker, and mother, a head teacher, were very supportive of her love for cricket. Through her mother, Jessy first got into Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) in shooting as women’s cricket wasn’t offered by BKSP at that time.  Over the years, Jessy persisted and when women’s cricket finally took off in 2007, Jessy found her calling. And the rest is history.  Read more: Women's Asia Cup: Bangladesh aim for semifinal spot Career Overview  Table: Shathira Jakir Jessy’s Cricket Career at a Glance Competition Matches Runs Scored  Top Score  Ball Bowled Wickets WODI 2 1 1 22 0 WT20I 1 - - - - WLA 9 133 62 342 15 WT20 13 57 22* 270 17 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shathira_Jakir

Three players from different sports were elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) in the 12th parliamentary election held on Sunday. LGRD minister Tajul Islam secures win in Cumilla-9 The elected MPs are BFF Senior Vice-Presidents Abdus Salam Murshedy from Khulna-4, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza from Narail-2 and Shakib Al Hasan from Magura-1 constituency. All three were elected with Awami League's boat symbol. Environment Minister Md Shahab Uddin elected MP for the fourth consecutive time Salam Murshedy and Mashrafe won the parliamentary seat for the second time and Shakib for the first time. The polling that began at 8:00 am concluded at 4pm without any break amid tight security in 299 out of the country’s 300 constituencies. The counting of votes started immediately after the end of voting. Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque wins in Tangail-1  Voting was postponed in three polling centers due to violence, capturing of polling stations and ballot stuffing.

Candidate Master Sakline Mostafa Sajid of Pabna District and Bangladesh Police emerged unbeaten champion in the Open Division of the Sheikh Russel 41st National Junior (Under-20) Chess Championships 2023 securing 8.5 points after the 9th and final round matches at the Bangladesh Chess Federation Hall-Room here on Sunday FM Manon Reja Neer of Bangladesh Navy finished undefeated runner-up collecting 8 points. In the Girl’s Category, WFM Wadifa Ahmed clinched the title also with unbeaten record securing 8.5 points at the end of 9th and last round matches on Sunday. WCM Warsia Khusbu became runner-up and WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim finished 3rd securing 7 points each. In other open category matches, Swarnavo Choudhury of Bangladesh Ansar became 3rd, WFM Noshin Anjum became 4th and FM Nayem Haque of Sirajganj became 5th with 7 points each. Mohammad Shafiqul Islam became 6th, Shadat Kibria Ayaan of Chandpur became 7th, Aiyan Rahman became 8th, Nazmul Hayat of Chittagong became 9th and Ajraf Anan became 10th with 6.5 points each. In the Girls Category, WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo of Cumilla finished 4th fourth in the girl’s category with 6.5 points. Jannatul Preety of Barisal became 5th, Israt Jahan Nishi of Cumilla became 6th, Neelava Choudhury became 7th and Ahona Dey of Cumilla became 8th with 6 points each. Sanowara Akhter of Chattogram became 9th and Saliha Binti Hafiz became 10th collecting 5.5 points each. In the day's 9th round open category matches, CM Sakline Mostafa Sajid beat Aiyan Rahman, FM Manon Reja Neer drew with Swarnavo Choudhury, Nayem Haque beat Afnan Zarif Haque and WFM Noshin Anjum beat CM Md. Sajidul Haque and Mohammad Shafiqul Islam drew with Shadat Kibria Ayaan in the open section. In the day' s girl’s category matches, WFM Wadifa Ahmed drew with Jannatul Preety, WCM Warsia Khusbu drew with Ahona Dey, WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim beat Khondakar Aneeka Mowla, WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo beat Areeba Adreeta, Israt Jahan Nishi beat Prothoma Zaman, Neelava Choudhury beat Jarin Tasnim, Sanowara Akter beat Nazia jafrin Mohona and Saliha Binti Hafiz beat Ayasa Akter. A total of 120 players took part in open category and 39 players participated in girl’s category match was held on a 9-round Swiss-league format. Roll of Honour 1979- Mansur Rahman, 1980- International Master Zillur Rahman, 1981- Farid Ahmed, 1982- S.M. Idris Ali,1983- Moniruzzaman Khan, 1984- Neamul Haque Niru,1985- Not held, 1986- Syed Ohidul Islam Riton,1987- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1988- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1989- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1990- Kh. Kayes Hasan,1991- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1992- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1993- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1994- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1995- Adnan Faisal,1996- Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib,1997- Dewan Shahidul Amin Tipu,1998- Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib,1999- Grandmaster Enamul Hossain,2000- Grandmaster Enamul Hossain,2001- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2002- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2003- Mohammad Ali,2004- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2005- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2006- Golam Moshtafa Bhuiyan,2007- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2008- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2009- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2010- Abdullah Al Saif,2011- Abdullah Al Saif,2012- Ikramul Haq Siam,2013- Not Held,2014- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2015- Avik Sarker,2016- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2017- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, 2018- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2019-Yasir Ali Khan Evan, 2020-Not held, 2021-Not held, 2022-FIDE Master Subrota Biswas, 2023- Candidate Master Sakline Mostafa Sajid. Junior Girl- 2017- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2018- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2019- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2020- Not held, 2021-not held, 2022-Woman Candidate Master Ahmed Walijah, 2023-Woman FIDE Master Wadifa Ahmed.

Twelve players are sharing the top slot lead in the Sheikh Russel 41st National Junior Under-20 (Open and Girls) Chess Championships 2023, securing three full points each after the third round open category matches at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall-room on Tuesday. The leaders are: FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia, FM Manon Reja Neer, FM Nayem Haque, CM Sakline Mostafa Sajid, Swarnavo Choudhury, WFM Noshin Anjum, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, CM M. Sajidul Haque, Siam Chowdhury, Afnan Zarif Haque, Tashriq Saihan Shan, and Shadat Kibria Ayaan. BFF President Kazi Salahuddin to undergo bypass surgery on Thursday In the girl’s category, four players are sharing the top slot, securing a maximum of three points each after third-round matches. They are: WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo, WFM Wadifa Ahmed, WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim, and WCM Warsia Khusbu. The third-round matches were held on Tuesday. Federation Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings make good start beating Fortis SC in opening match In the day's third round of open section matches, FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia beat Aiyan Rahman, FM Manon Reja Neer beat Ahnaf Rashid Chowdhury, CM Sakline Mostafa Sajid beat Radmim Raha Rayja, FM Nayem Haque beat Justin Matthias Baroi, Swarnavo Choudhury beat Rene Rasikh, WFM Noshin Anjum beat Deblin Adikari, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam beat Kazi Obaidur Rahman Arian, CM Md. Sajidul Haque beat Azraf Annan, Siam Chowdhury beat Laxmon Chakraborty, Afnan Zarif Haque beat Musnad-E-Mofakhkhar, Tashriq Saihan Shan beat Oitijja Barua, and Shadat Kibria Ayaan beat Md Tasrif Alam. Bangladesh Cricket in 2023: Men’s ODI Series- Performance Analysis In the girls section, WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo beat Jannatul Preety, WFM Wadifa Ahmed beat Neelava Choudhury, WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim beat Mehjabin Akter Jubaida, WCM Warsia Khusbu beat Prothoma Zaman, and Sanowara Akter beat Jobaida Jahan Shanta. The fourth round of matches will be held on Wednesday at 3:30 pm at the same venue.

Bangladeshi International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman finished runner-up to earn the silver medal in the Hanoi Grand Master Chess Tournament'2023 that concluded in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday. After the day's 9th and final round, both the Fahad Rahman and Indian International Master A R Ilmparthi have secured six points each and later in the tie-breaking system AR Ilmparth emerged champion and Fahad Rahman finished runner-up. T20 opener between South Africa and India called off because of rain Fahad Rahman, who collected six points from nine matches, fell just one point short of achieving a Grand Master's norm from the meet. If Fahad Rahman won the day's 9th and last round match against IM Setyaki Azarya Jodi of Indonesia, then he would have achieve a Grand Master norm from the 9th round event. In one stage, IM Setyaki Azarya Jodi offered for a draw but IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman did not accept the offer and finally lost the match in 43 moves. ACC U-19 Asia Cup: Bangladesh to play Japan in 2nd group match Monday  Bangladeshi GM Niaz Murshed finished 10th securing 4 points from 9 games.  GM Niaz Murshed drew with FM Banh Gia Huy in the day's last round. A total of 12 players including 4 Grand Masters, 4 International Masters and 3 International Masters from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia AFC Cup: Bashundhara Kings in Odisha for last group fixture, a point away from history India, South Korea, Thailand and hosts Vietnam took part in nine- round swiss league basis tournament.

Bangladesh Navy dominated the pool on the first day of the Max Group 32nd National Swimming, Diving and Water Polo Competitions 2023 that began on Monday (Oct 16)  at the Syed Nazrul Islam National Swimming Complex in Mirpur here. The sailors teams established their absolute supremacy in the very first day of the meet securing nine gold, six silver and two bronze medals in the opening day's 10 events, also featured a new national record. School Volleyball: Kalachandpur High School clinch boys’ champions; Bangladesh Int'l School (BIS) girls’ champions Bangladesh Army are in distant 2nd with one gold, four silver and five bronzes while BKSP are in the 3rd slot with three bronzes. Samiul Islam Rafi of Bangladesh Navy made the day's lone record in the men's 50-metre back stroke covering distance with a timing of 26.90 second to better his previous own record of 37.38 seconds made in 2022. DRU Football: Channel i, ATN News, Deepto TV, Dainik Inqilab reach semifinals Kajol Miah and Sonia Akter Tumpa of Bangladesh Navy emerged as the day's outstanding swimmers clinching two gold medals each. Earlier, Rear Admiral Mojammad Moyeenul Haque,  Assistant Chief of Naval Staff inauguarted the four-day Monday afternoon as the chief guest at a function chaired by general secretary of  Bangladesh Swimming Federation MB Saif. Some 550 swimmers  from 54 teams are taking  part in 38 swimming events (19 events each for men's and women's),  three diving and one water polo event. Apart from individual gold, silver and bronze medals,  the champions team, the runners up team, best male and female swimmers of the meet  will also be awarded. ICC World Cup 2023: Australia restrict Sri Lanka to 209 BSF President and Chief of Bangladesh Navy Admiral M Nazmul Hasan will be the chief guest  at the closing and prize distribution ceremony of the meet on October 19. BSF senior vice president and chairman of the meet's sponsor Max Group Engineer Golam Mohammad Alamgir will be the special on the occasion.

Athlete Imranur Rahman, an England-based Bangladesh-origin sprinter, made his career-best time of 10.11 seconds in the 100-metre sprint in an competition held in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London recently. The Bangladesh Athletics Federation recognised the personal best timing of the England-based Bangladesh-origin sprinter as Bangladesh's national record as the meet was approved and accredited by the World Athletics. Read : World Athletics: Imranur Rahman of Bangladesh finishes first in heat of 100-m sprint Imranur's performance is officially ranked and will be attached to his and Bangladesh's official databases. Earlier, Imranur clinched the historic gold medal, the first-ever by any Bangladeshi athlete at the Asian level, in the men's 60-metre sprint of the 10th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at the Kazakhstan capital Astana last February. This was the first ever medal for any Bangladeshi athlete in an Asian-level athletics championship. Read : Bangladesh Special Olympics team leaves for Germany to participate in Special Olympics World Games The 29-year-old sprinter clinched the country's dream gold by winning the men's 60-metre sprint title with a record time of 6.59 seconds. Imranur, who appeared in the country's athletics last year, emerged as the country's fastest man with a national record in his maiden competition with timing of 10.29 seconds. Read : Imranur conferred with country's first-ever gold at Asian-level athletics He further improved his record at the Asian Athletics Championship held in Bangkok in July this year with a time of 10.25 seconds in the 100-metre sprint. Bangladesh is expecting a good result from Imranur in this month's Asian Games to be held in China.

The Bangladesh national cricket team has encountered a significant setback just before their opening Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, as their opener, Litton Das, has been ruled out of the first match due to fever. Litton has been among Bangladesh's top batters for the past few years, and his absence will undoubtedly be felt by the Tigers in their first Asia Cup match. Read: Asia Cup 2023: Preview of Pakistan vs Nepal 1st ODI Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector of Bangladesh, told UNB that the opener won't be able to participate in the opening match in Sri Lanka. "He is still suffering from fever," Minhajul told UNB. "We are awaiting an update from the medical department." Read: Bangladesh aim a Super Fours berth in Asia Cup Litton was supposed to travel to Sri Lanka with the team on August 27th but could not make it due to a fever.  He was rescheduled to travel to Sri Lanka on Tuesday and join the team in Kandy; Litton's plans were disrupted due to his ongoing fever, preventing him from taking the flight. Read: Bangladesh Cricket Team Departs for Asia Cup Without Liton Das Bangladesh are set to commence their Asia Cup journey on August 31st in Kandy. After that, they will travel to Pakistan for their second match against Afghanistan.  Minhajul mentioned that they have not yet contemplated a replacement for Liton. This year's Asia Cup features a total of six participating teams. Apart from Bangladesh, the other teams are Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. 

The Bangladesh cricket team is all set to depart for Sri Lanka on August 27th to participate in this year's ACC Asia Cup, which is slated to be held in both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Ahead of their departure for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh's head coach, Chandika Hathurusunghe, stated that their initial goal is to secure qualification for the second round of the event. Read: Mahmudullah joins practice camp with backup players In addition to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal are also participating in the Asia Cup. Bangladesh's opening match is scheduled against Sri Lanka on August 31st. The team finds itself in group B, with Afghanistan being the third team in the group. While Bangladesh is set to face Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, they will need to travel to Pakistan for a match against Afghanistan on September 3rd. Within the span of just three days, Bangladesh will traverse two countries to compete in two 50-over matches. Chandika, the coach, expressed some concerns about this tight schedule, saying, "It certainly is a new challenge because we normally don't travel between countries and play a tournament. But, it's the same thing for both teams. So, we are looking forward to that challenge." Read: Asia Cup 2023: Six Players in Bangladesh ODI Squad to Watch Both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have posed challenges for Bangladesh in previous Asia Cups. This time around, they are once again set to test the Tigers in the 50-over format. "Those two teams played really good games against each other, especially in the previous Asia Cups. So, I think both teams give us a good challenge. But at the same time, I think we had some success against them in the recent past," Chandika said during a pre-event press conference in Dhaka. Before departing for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh underwent a comprehensive preparation camp that included a medical assessment and fitness testing. Chandika expressed being "very happy" with the team's preparation for the Asia Cup. The question of who will bat at number 7 has been a topic of discussion in the cricketing community in Bangladesh. Chandika clarified that he's not designating anyone for that role; rather, the decision will depend on the situation and the opponents. The coach also praised the batting improvements of the bowlers, who often find themselves batting in the final few overs. He noted the progress of Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Mustafizur Rahman, considering it a positive development. Read: Injury casts uncertainty on Ebadot's participation in Asia Cup "Our main aim is to qualify for the Super Four," Chandika emphasized. "We are playing against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, a team that performs well on their home turf. And we will face Afghanistan in Pakistan, a team that recently won a series here. So, there are significant challenges, but we are prepared for them." Bangladesh will have to overcome the absence of Ebadot Hossain, their fastest pacer. The coach acknowledged Ebadot's absence as a "significant loss" and pointed out that finding a direct replacement is a formidable task. Ebadot sustained a leg injury during the ODI series against Afghanistan. Although initially part of the squad, the team's physiotherapist later indicated that he required more time to recover from his injury. As a result, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, an uncapped pacer, was named as his replacement.

Bangladesh National Women' s Hockey team left for Oman Tuesday evening to participate in the Men's and Women's Asian Hockey five-a-side World Cup Qualifier to be held in Salalah, Oman from August 25 to September 2. In all, 10 countries, split into two groups, will compete in the qualifying round of the women's competition scheduled for August 25-28. Read: Abu Dhabi Chess: GM Ziaur Rahman makes good start beating Armenian IM Denielyan Vaha Bangladesh was placed in Challengers Pool with Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Iran and hosts Oman while India, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand were put in Elite Pool. In the qualifying round, Bangladesh women's will play Indonesia and Chinese Taipei both on August 25, face Iran and hosts Oman on August 26 while they will play their last group with Hong Kong on August 27. Three teams from the qualifying round will play the World Cup Hockey.    Bangladesh women's hockey team which is going to participate in the international hockey after about four years, aiming to beat Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.  Read: Maldivian club Eagles in Sylhet to play Dhaka Abahani in AFC Cup play-off Meanwhile, Bangladesh national men's hockey team will fly for Oman on August 26 to take part in the qualifying round of the meet to be held bewteen August 29 to September 2 to be participated by 11 countries. Bangladesh Women’s team : Sumi Akhter, Mukta Khatun, FBardia Akhter Ratri, Arpita Paul, Sanjida Akhter Moni, Kona Akhter, Riasa Akhter and Irin Akhter Riya. Bangladesh Men’s team : Asim Gope, Sarowar Hossain, Mahbub Hossain, Shafiul Alam Shishir, Deen Islam Imon, Sarowar Morshed Shawon, Raju Ahmed Topu and Abed Ullah. Read: Jr Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh eliminated in group stage  Team Officials: Ariful Haque Prince (Manager Men's team), Tariquzzaman Nannu (Manager Women's team),M Abdul Hannan (Team official), M Zahid Hossain (Coach) and Parvin Nasima Nahar Putul (Co-(Co-ordinator of Women's team)