United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has strongly denied allegations of financial irregularities following media reports questioning its recent banking transactions. In a statement issued on Saturday, the BCB described the recent reports as “misinformed” and “intentionally constructed” to tarnish the image of the Board and its President, Faruque Ahmed. The BCB said that upon taking charge in August 2024, Faruque prioritized safeguarding the financial assets of the board. Following a reassessment, the BCB withdrew BDT 250 crore from banks considered risky and reinvested BDT 238 crore into institutions categorized in the “Green” and “Yellow” zones by Bangladesh Bank. The remaining BDT 12 crore was kept for operational expenses. Sourav Ganguly calls for severing all cricketing ties with Pakistan The Board clarified that all banking decisions were made with full knowledge and approval of the board members, involving two designated signatories — the heads of the finance and tender & purchase committees — and not by the president alone. The BCB also revealed that since September 2024, its financial restructuring led to a 2–5% increase in interest earnings from fixed deposits. At the same time, BCB secured nearly BDT 12 crore in sponsorships from three banking partners, with another BDT 20 crore pledged for infrastructure development. This statement of BCB came amidst criticisms claiming that the president moved the fund from one bank to another without the knowledge of other board members.

Mumbai Indians surged into the top three of the Indian Premier League standings on Wednesday with a dominant seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rohit Sharma, stepping up as an impact player, smashed his second consecutive half-century, scoring 70 runs to lead Mumbai to 146-3 in just 15.4 overs. The five-time champions, who had a slow start to the season, have now climbed to third place in the points table. Remaining 15 minutes of Federation Cup final to be played on Tuesday Heinrich Klaasen’s 71 off 44 balls had earlier saved Hyderabad from complete destruction to score 143-8 with new ball bowlers Trent Boult (4-26) and Deepak Chahar (2-12) doing the most damage. It’s a remarkable turnaround for Mumbai, which won only one of its first five games before bouncing back with four straight wins. Hyderabad is at No. 9, just ahead of last-place Chennai Super Kings. Sharma sets sixes record Sharma had a quiet start to the season with a top-score of 26 in his first six games. But the seasoned T20 batter got back into his groove when he smacked unbeaten 76 against Chennai at home three days ago. Sharma continued where he left off and despite the slowness of the wicket he smacked three sixes and eight fours in his fluent half-century. Sharma also became the highest six hitter for Mumbai with 259 sixes and surpassed Kieron Pollard’s Mumbai record of 258. Ryan Rickelton (11) yet again couldn’t capitalize on a good start and offered a one-handed return catch to Jaydev Unadkat, who had replaced struggling Mohammed Shami in Hyderabad’s playing XI. Sharma then shared two half-century stands with Will Jacks (22) and Yadav before chipping a regulation catch at mid-wicket when Mumbai was just 14 runs away from victory. Yadav summed up a dismal night for Hyderabad when the ball burst through the hands of Nitesh Kumar Reddy at deep mid-wicket for a four as the fielder seemed to have lost the ball in the floodlights and it crossed the ropes. “Glad the boys are taking the momentum in the right way,” Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya said. “I’ve felt, once everyone starts clicking in this team there will be domination. ... Overall, a wonderful win.” Boult subdues Hyderabad Hyderabad’s top-order had showed early sparks in the tournament when it not only racked up 286 against Rajasthan Royals in its opening game but also chased down 246 against Punjab Kings at home last week. Other than those two bright moments, Hyderabad batters had mostly struggled this season. Head fell for a four-ball duck when he top-edged Boult’s length delivery outside the off stump and Abhishek Sharma was caught at cover point when he got deceived by left-armer’s slow knuckle ball. In between those two wickets, Chahar had removed Ishan Kishan in a bizarre fashion. On-field umpire first declared Chahar’s leg-side delivery a wide but changed his decision and lifted his finger when he saw Kishan walking back. However, Ultra edge later showed on television that the ball had missed the bat as Kishan got strangled for the second time this season. Klaasen revived the innings by combining in a 99-run stand with Abhinav Manohar (43) off 63 balls before Jasprit Bumrah completed 300 wickets in T20 cricket when Klaasen missed out the low full toss and was caught at deep mid-wicket in the penultimate over. Boult, who had removed openers Travis Head for nought and Abhishek Sharma for eight in his opening spell, bagged two more wickets in the last over when Manohar got hit wicket and then clean bowled captain Pat Cummins with a perfect yorker. “Never got going,” Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins said. “After a couple of wickets, you have to find a way to steady the ship, (but) couldn’t do that.”  

Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 10-wicket haul in the match went in vain as Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by three wickets on Wednesday in the Sylhet Test, riding on the bowling and batting brilliance of Blessing Muzarabani and Brian Bennett.  Set a target of 174 runs, Zimbabwe reached the mark during the third session of day four. Opener Brian Bennett anchored the chase superbly, scoring his second half-century of the match. He shared a crucial 95-run opening stand with Ben Curran, providing a solid platform for the visitors. However, the chase wasn't straightforward. Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who completed his second five-wicket haul of the match, triggered a collapse by dismissing Curran and claiming four more wickets rapidly. Taijul Islam added two more, creating big pressure and sending tremors through the Zimbabwe camp. Sylhet Test: Muzarabani takes six, Zimbabwe need 174 to win Despite the wobble, Wessly Madhevere (19*), supported by Wellington Masakadza (12) and Richard Ngarava (4*), showed admirable composure to guide their team home. Zimbabwe owed much of their position to Blessing Muzarabani. The fast bowler was exceptional throughout, finishing with match figures of 9/122. His second-innings haul of 6/72 was instrumental in bowling Bangladesh out for 255, despite fifties from captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (60) and Jaker Ali (58). Failures from other key batters and an inability by Bangladesh's pacers to exploit the helpful Sylhet conditions meant the hosts couldn't set a more daunting target. With Zimbabwe taking the lead in the series, both teams will now travel to Chattogram to play the second Test, starting from April 28. 

Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto held firm with an unbeaten half-century as Bangladesh crossed the 100-run lead mark against Zimbabwe before poor light brought an early close to the third day of the opening Test. Bangladesh ended the rain-affected day on 194 for 4, with Najmul on 60 and Jaker Ali unbeaten on 21. Only 44 overs were bowled after the morning session was lost to persistent showers, further limiting play in an already tightly contested Test. Resuming from their overnight position, Bangladesh consolidated through a 60-run second-wicket stand between Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque. Sylhet Test: Mominul, Shanto lead Bangladesh after washout session, secure lead Joy, who made 33, was dismissed by the ever-reliable Blessing Muzarabani, who continued his strong outing with three more wickets in the second innings after taking as many in the first. Mominul narrowly missed a half-century, falling for 47 after adding 65 runs for the third wicket with his captain. Najmul then steadied the innings and helped Bangladesh push past Zimbabwe’s first-innings advantage of 82 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim’s struggles with the bat persisted, as he again fell for 4. He also made the same score in the first innings.  Earlier, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s five-wicket haul had helped Bangladesh claw back into the contest after Zimbabwe posted 273, gaining a slender lead over the home side’s 191 in the first innings.

The first session of the third day of the first Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe washed out due to rain, and following that, Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto guided the hosts to take the lead on Tuesday.  After the first innings of each team, Zimbabwe maintained an 82-run first innings lead. Bangladesh lost their first wicket early in the second innings when Shadman Islam fell prey to Blessing Muzarabani. Bangladesh ended the second day at 57 for one.  Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who was unbeaten overnight, could only manage five runs on day three before falling as the second wicket of Muzarabani.  After the fall of both openers, Mominul and Shanto paired up to guide Bangladesh.  At the end of 25 overs, Bangladesh were at 105 for two.  Table-topping Gujarat routs defending champion Kolkata in IPL Earlier, Zimbabwe made 273 in their first innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took a five-for, while Nahid Rana took three.  Bangladesh posted a 191 in their first innings after winning the toss. Mominul scored a fifty for the hosts, but the other batter failed to capitalise.  The second and final Test of this series will be played in Chattogram on April 28.           

The Gujarat Titans continued their impressive IPL run with a dominant 39-run win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, tightening their grip at the top of the table. Skipper Shubman Gill led from the front with a classy 90 off 55 deliveries, while Sai Sudharsan extended his dream season with another fifty — his fifth — scoring 52. Their 114-run opening stand laid the platform for Gujarat’s imposing total of 198-3. Fed Cup Football: Holders Bashundhara Kings will play 12th time champions Dhaka Abahani in final on Tuesday Despite chasing at a venue known for high scores, Kolkata never really found their footing and limped to 159-8, suffering their third home defeat of the campaign. “It’s hard to have a flawless performance,” said Gill after the match. “But finding a way to win is something we’ve mastered.”   Kolkata batters struggle Kolkata’s chase was clipped early when Mohammed Siraj pinned Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw for just 1 in the Afghan opener's first game of the season, and Rashid Khan dismissed Sunil Narine off his third ball in the powerplay. Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane resisted with a 36-ball 50 as the middle order struggled to accelerate against the spinners in Gujarat’s sixth win in eight games. Venkatesh Iyer struggled for 19 balls to make 14. His slog sweep against Sai Kishore’s left-arm spin went straight to Washington Sundar at deep mid-wicket. Rahane departed in the next over when he was stumped off Sundar’s wide ball and Kolkata's chase was derailed at 91-4 in the 13th over. Dominant Gujarat top order Gujarat opening pair Gill and Sudharsan perfectly assessed the tricky surface with their occasional aggressiveness. Gill, who lost the toss, missed out on a century but paced the innings nicely with left-hander Sudharsan. They combined for 114 runs then Jos Buttler hit a rampant unbeaten 41 off 23 balls with eight boundaries. Gill and Sudharsan completed half-centuries in almost identical style, hitting a dozen boundaries and two sixes between them. Kolkata couldn’t separatem until the 13th over. Sudharsan, taking 34 balls for his fifty, perished soon after when he cut Russell’s short ball and got a thin outside edge. Gill's 33-ball half-century included 29 runs off 12 balls. He was out swatting Vaibhav Arora’s low full toss to Rinku Singh in the outfield in the 18th over. Buttler was dropped early but his late flurry closed out a stiff total. “I thought 199 was chaseable, we came back into the game really well with the ball,” Rahane said. “You expect good opening starts but that’s what we’re struggling with.”

Bangladesh's batting line is struggling against the Zimbabwe bowling attack in the first Test of the two-match series in Sylhet on Sunday.  Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first in Sylhet, where the surface is traditionally helpful for the pace bowlers.  Bangladesh bat first in Sylhet Test vs Zimbabwe Bangladesh lost their openers in just 32 runs. Both of them fell prey to Victor Nyauchi.  In the third wicket, Mominul Haque and Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto formed a 68-run partnership, but they failed to carry on.  They fell to Blessing Muzarabani. Mominul posted 56, and Najmul made 40.  Wellington Masakadza bagged three wickets, including the veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, who just posted 4 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz also failed to impress with the bat, dismissed for only 1.  Bangladesh lost seven wickets for 146 in 49 overs.  The second Test of the series will be played in Chattogram from April 28.         

Cricket fans in Sylhet can begin purchasing tickets for the first Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, scheduled to be held at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS), starting on Saturday. Both the teams have already started their preparation camps in Sylhet. Ticket sales will officially open at the stadium counter from 9AM on Saturday, 19 April, while another sales point will open at Modhumoti Bank PLC’s Ambarkhana Branch from 10AM on Sunday, 20 April. Fans can grab the tickets at different price points starting at BDT 50 for the Green Hill Area, Eastern Gallery (Gate-3), and Shaheed Turab Stand (West Gallery). Four women athletes to join CA Yunus on state visit to Qatar Tickets for the Shaheed Abu Sayeed Stand are priced at BDT 100, while the Eastern Gallery (Gate-2) tickets cost BDT 150. The Club House seats are available for BDT 250, and the Grand Stand tickets are priced at BDT 500. While the first match of the series is in Sylhet, the second and final match of the series will be played in Chattogram.

The final round berth of Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s World Cup’2025 was delayed after conceding a three-wicket defeat against West Indies in their 4th qualifying round match of the ICC Women's World Cup at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground on Thursday. Bangladesh’s direct qualification in the ICC Women’s World Cup was also hampered losing to West Indies by eight wickets in the 3rd ODI about three months back in St Kits and later New Zealand earned the direct qualification to the World Cup by virtue better run rate ahead of Bangladesh. Despite the day’s maiden defeat, Bangladesh Women’s team dominated the points table securing six points from four matches with a comfortable net run rate of 1.033 while hosts Pakistan followed Bangladesh securing full six points from straight three matches with a net run rate of 0.857. After the day’s match, Scotland and West India are also in the Women’s World Cup race securing four points each from four matches with one match to spare having a net run rate of + 0.136 and –0.286 respectively. Earlier, Bangladesh made a flying start crushing Thailand by a record 178 runs, beat Ireland by two wickets in hard fought 2nd match and earned 34 runs victory over Scotland in the 3rd match. In the day’s match, Bangladesh batted first after winning the toss and scored a moderate 227 runs for 9 in stipulated 50 overs.   Why are IPL umpires suddenly measuring bats? After the departure of opener Sobhana Mostary (6) for 16 runs in 4.2 overs, another opener Fargana Hoque pairing with one down Sharmin Akter contributed 118 runs in the 2nd wicket stand to make a good foundation of Bangladesh innings, but the remaining batters, except Nahida Akter (25) and Rabeya Khan (23), failed to continue rhythm to fold the innings for 227 runs for 9 in quota 50 overs. Sharmin Akter hammered the team highest 67 runs off 79 deliveries hitting 10 boundaries while opener Fargana Hoque scored 78-ball 42 runs,featuring three fours.   Aallyah Alleyne made major damage in Bangladesh inning grabbing four wickets for 39 runs and was adjudged player of the match while Hayley Matthews and Afy Fletcher took two wickets each. In relay, West Indies Women’s reached their target scoring the match winners 228 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 46 overs with number six batter Chinelle Henry making the team highest 51 runs off 48 balls hitting five fours and two sixes. Marufa Akter claimed two wickets for 38 runs while Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter and Rabeya Khan and Jannatul Ferdous took one wicket each.      

Pakistan has been penalized for a slow over-rate against New Zealand in their second one-day international in Hamilton this week. Match referee Jeff Crowe fined the Pakistan players 5% of their match fees after they were one over short of the target on Wednesday after the time allowances were taken into consideration. New Zealand won by 84 runs. Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan “pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the sanction, eliminating the need for a formal hearing,” the International Cricket Council said on Thursday. India reveals schedule of a packed cricket season in 2025 It was the second consecutive match after which Pakistan was fined for a slow over-rate. The visiting team was two overs short of the target and fined 10% after losing the first ODI by 73 runs at Napier last Saturday. The third and last ODI is at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.