United News of Bangladesh

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.

Taijul Islam has made a bit of history. The left-arm spinner is the first Bangladeshi to be signed by a team in South Africa’s franchise competition, the SA20. Durban Super Giants bought him at Tuesday’s auction for 500,000 rand — about Tk 34.9 lakh. It means, if the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) grants him an NOC, Taijul will finally get to play a foreign league outside the BPL. It wasn’t a great day for the rest of the Bangladesh names. Twenty-three had registered, 14 made the final shortlist. Only Taijul was picked. Women’s World Cup opens on September 30 with eight teams, record purse Mustafizur Rahman’s name came up, but no team raised a paddle. Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das weren’t even in the final pool. Mahmudullah Riyad, once a fixture in these lists, was cut before the auction. The scale of the auction was massive: 782 players put their names in, 541 went under the hammer, 84 got contracts. South Africa’s Dewald Brevis was the headline buy, snapped up by Pretoria Capitals for 16.5 million rand. Aiden Markram went for 14 million to Durban. National captain Temba Bavuma, though, was ignored for a second straight year. For Taijul, who built his reputation in Test cricket, this is a different challenge. He may not have the profile of a Shakib or a Mustafizur, but he’s now the one carrying Bangladesh’s flag into the SA20.

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.

The Women’s Cricket World Cup kicks off on September 30, with matches in India and Sri Lanka and the final set for November 2. Eight teams are in. Australia, winners seven times, lead the pack. England have four titles. New Zealand’s lone triumph came in 2000. India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all still waiting for one. The format is straight forward. No groups. Everyone plays each other once. Seven games each. The top four advance to semifinals on October 29 and 30, before the final. India will stage matches in Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai. Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium is Sri Lanka’s only venue. There are 28 group fixtures in all, mostly afternoon starts at 3 p.m. local. One exception is England vs New Zealand on October 26, which begins in the morning. Warm-ups start September 25. Each team has two matches, except Australia, who meet England once in Bengaluru on September 27. The ICC has raised the prize pool to $13.88 million. That’s nearly four times the amount from 2022 and more than the purse for the men’s World Cup in 2023. Broadcasters will carry the tournament worldwide, with ICC.tv also streaming. Organizers are counting on the biggest audience the women’s game has ever had.

Bangladeshi umpire Masudur Rahman has been handed one of the most high-profile assignments of the Asia Cup — the India–Pakistan match on September 14 in Dubai. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced the list of officials for the group stage on Monday. Masudur will be on the field with Sri Lanka’s Ruchira Palliyaguruge. Afghanistan’s Ahmad Pakteen and Ijazatullah Shafi will work as TV umpires, while former Zimbabwe captain Andy Pycroft has been named match referee. Masudur is no stranger to this stage. He stood in both India–Pakistan games during the 2022 Asia Cup, in the group round and again in the Super Four. Now 50, he has officiated in 64 internationals across ODIs and T20s. Another Bangladeshi, Gazi Sohel, has also been named. He will take charge of the India–UAE match on September 10. The Asia Cup opens Tuesday with Afghanistan playing Hong Kong. Eight teams are split into two groups, with 12 matches scheduled in the first phase. The ACC said umpires for the Super Four and final will be decided later, depending on team progress and how the officials perform.

England won by the biggest margin of victory in one-day international cricket on Sunday, beating South Africa by 342 runs. Pacer Jofra Archer took four wickets and England restored some pride to deny South Africa a series sweep in the third and final ODI. Batting first after losing the toss, England scored 414-5 in 50 overs at Southampton’s Rose Bowl with centuries from Joe Root (100) and 21-year-old Jacob Bethell (110). Jos Buttler smashed a 32-ball 62 not out. Opener Jamie Smith also hit 62 in 48 deliveries. In reply, South Africa was dismissed for 72 in 20.5 overs after being reduced to 24-6 at one point. Temba Bavuma was injured while fielding and did not bat. Archer took four wickets for only five runs in his first five overs and finished with figures of 4-18 in nine overs. India held the previous winning margin record of 317 runs against Sri Lanka in 2023. Dozens of teams have won by the maximum number of wickets (10) but this is the highest winning margin by runs. South Africa won the series 2-1. It had already clinched the series with a game to spare Thursday after a five-run win in the second match. England was skittled for 131 on the way to losing the first match by seven wickets at Headingley.A three-match T20 series between the two teams starts in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board has signed Simon Taufel on a two-year deal to help improve local umpiring standards. The former Australian official, once regarded as the best in the game, is set to land in Dhaka on September 13 to take charge of his new role. There had been talk earlier of a three-year arrangement, but the board confirmed after its latest meeting that the contract will run for two. Taufel will meet BCB officials the day after his arrival to set out the details of his work, including how many assistants he will have and when he will begin full-time duties. Taufel, 53, is a familiar name in world cricket. He stood in his first ODI in 1999 and a Test a year later, rising quickly to the ICC’s elite panel. From 2004 to 2008, he was voted ICC Umpire of the Year five times in succession. By the time he stepped down in 2012, he had overseen 74 Tests, 174 ODIs and 34 T20 internationals, including World Cup matches and Ashes series. The BCB expects his experience to filter down to domestic cricket, where umpiring has long been criticized for inconsistency. For Taufel, it marks a return to the international spotlight more than a decade after leaving the elite panel.

Bangladesh's campaign in the 2025 Asia Cup officially began on Sunday, as the first group of players departed Dhaka for the United Arab Emirates. Thirteen squad members, including batter Jaker Ali, boarded a flight at 10:15am, heading to Dubai ahead of the tournament. Speaking briefly to reporters at the airport, Jaker expressed confidence in the team's preparation, citing recent training camps and the series against the Netherlands. “The dressing room has always been fine. From fitness to the series, everything has gone well. We’re hopeful of doing well in the Asia Cup,” he said. He also downplayed criticism and external pressure. “In big tournaments or small ones, every match is important. We want to approach all of them with the same mindset and focus on the basics. There’s nothing to answer to anyone. We’ll just play our cricket and give our best.” Bangladesh have been under fire for their uneven T20 form in recent years, struggling to string together consistent results despite flashes of quality. The Asia Cup presents an opportunity to reset and build confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Tigers will open their campaign against Hong Kong on September 11, with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka completing Group B. The tournament will be held across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with the final scheduled for September 28 in Dubai.  

Defending champions South Africa will tour Pakistan next month to begin the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium set to host its first test match in more than three years. South Africa broke its ICC title drought in June with a victory over Australia in the WTC final at Lord’s. Pakistan, by contrast, finished at the bottom of the previous WTC table after losing nine of its 14 matches, including a 2-0 home series defeat to Bangladesh. “We are looking forward to welcoming South Africa for the opening series of our ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 campaign,” Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed said in a statement on Saturday. “Starting the new cycle against the current test champions will provide quality cricket for our players and fans.” The two-match test series will begin on Oct 12 in Lahore, marking the city’s first test since March 2022, when Australia played at the venue. The second test will be held in Rawalpindi from Oct 20. Curran recalled as England shake up T20I squads for South Africa, Ireland Rawalpindi will also stage the opening T20 on Oct 28, before the teams return to Lahore for the remaining two games on Oct 31 and Nov 1. The three-match ODI series will be played in Faisalabad from Nov 4–8 at Iqbal Stadium, which is set to host international cricket for the first time in 17 years. Faisalabad was earlier scheduled to stage Pakistan’s T20s against Bangladesh in May, but those games were canceled amid political tensions between India and Pakistan. Source: Agency 

England have turned to Sam Curran again, recalling the all-rounder for the T20I series against South Africa and Ireland. It will be his first outing in national colours this year. Curran comes in for opener Ben Duckett, who has been given a break from the shortest format. The 27-year-old last played for England in November 2024 on the West Indies tour, but he has forced his way back through weight of runs and wickets in domestic competitions. “Not me, player of the match is Stokes”: Curran after T20 victory against Pakistan He has been one of the standouts in this season’s T20 Blast, piling up 365 runs and 21 wickets in 15 games. Before that, he helped Oval Invincibles clinch The Hundred title with a run of telling contributions — 238 runs and 12 wickets in nine matches. Selectors have also released fast bowler Matthew Potts so he can turn out for Durham in the County Championship. Harry Brook captains the T20 side against South Africa, while Jacob Bethell will lead a younger group in Ireland. Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer provide experience across both squads. England’s three T20s against South Africa run from September 10 to 14, after the ongoing ODI series where the Proteas already hold an unassailable lead. The team then heads to Dublin for three games against Ireland, starting September 17 at Malahide.