United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) expressed deep sadness reacting to the news of the demise of Shane Warne, the Australian cricket legend. BCB has said that a one-minute of silence will be observed in the 2nd T20 between Bangladesh and Afghanistan which is set to be played on Saturday in Mirpur. Warne is considered the all-time greatest leg-spinner. He was 52. His sudden demise left the cricketing world shocked and shattered. Read: Cricketing world pays tribute to Aussie legend Warne The former Australian cricketer was found unresponsive at Koh Samui, Thailand. When the medical staff tried to wake him without any luck. Warne’s management said the family of the deceased requested to respect the privacy, and further details will be released soon. The leg-spinner played 145 Tests and bagged 708 wickets with 37 five-fors. He also played 194 ODIs and bagged 293 wickets.

The cricketing world has been left shocked with the sad news of the untimely death of Shane Warne, the Australian legend widely hailed as the greatest leg spin bowler of all time, and Test cricket's second-highest wicket-taker of all time.  He breathed his last in Koh Samui, Thailand, confirmed Fox Cricket.  Read: Legendary Australia cricketer Shane Warne dies at 52 “Unbelievable. I am shocked to the core. This can't be true,” Sir Viv Richard Tweeted. “Rest In Peace, @ShaneWarne. There are no words to describe what I feel right now. A huge loss for cricket.” Pakistan legend Wasim Akram wrote: “I am shocked and extremely sad to hear about the sudden death of my friend Warnie. he has always been in touch and always helpful.. apart from an iconic bowler he was a great entertainer… my condolences to the family and friends... rest in peace my friend.” Waqar Yunis, the teammate of Akram, alos took to Twitter to pay tribute to Warne. He wrote: “Shane Warne no more. I’m Shocked and Shattered. Simply can't believe I’m hearing this. Very very sad day for our cricket community. The biggest superstar of my generation is gone. Goodbye Legend @ShaneWarne  #RIP Condolences to the family and friends.” Former Sri Lankan captain and another legend of modern cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, also paid tribute to Warne’s memory.  “Absolutely shocked and gutted to hear about @ShaneWarne  legend and friend. Just Can’t believe it,” Sangakkara Tweeted.  Warne played his first international match in 1992, and his last match came in 2007.  Read:'White Lightning' appointed as Tigers' new fast bowling coach During his long career, Warne embraced both fame and filth. He was one of the greatest leg-spinners that the game of cricket has ever seen, and he was also one of the bad boys of the game.  He often came to the headlines for his relationships with women. He was banned before the from the 2003 World Cup in South Africa for taking a banned substance.  Warne’s management said the family of the deceased requested to respect the privacy, and further details will be released soon.  The leg-spinner played 145 Tests and bagged 708 wickets with 37 five-fors. He also played 194 ODIs and bagged 293 wickets.

Considered by many as one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the game, Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne has died of a suspected heart attack aged 52. Affectionately known as "Warnie," the legendary player passed away in Thailand's Koh Samui of a suspected heart attack, according to his management. Read:Cricketing world pays tribute to Aussie legend Warne "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa, and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," the leg-spinner's management company said in a statement Friday. "The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course." Across a stellar 15-year career, Warne took 708 Test wickets in 145 matches – the highest for an Australian, and the second most of all time behind only Muttiah Muralitharan. Named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century, the Australia great won the 1999 50-over World Cup and claimed 293 one-day international wickets in 194 matches. The "king of spin" retired from international cricket in 2007. However, he continued to play Twenty20 franchise cricket until retiring from all formats in 2013. Read:'White Lightning' appointed as Tigers' new fast bowling coach At the age of 23, Warne delivered what is now regarded as the greatest ball in cricket history, taking everyone by surprise on June 4, 1993. Before letting the ball rip towards England batter Mike Gatting, he ambled up to the stumps. The ball drifted in the air, pitching outside Mike's leg stump, before fizzing past his bat and clipping the off stump.

Virat Kohli reached 8,000 runs in his 100th test and Rishabh Pant hit 96 off 97 balls as India scored 357-6 at stumps in the first test against Sri Lanka on Friday. The 33-year-old Kohli scored 45, including five boundaries, during his 76-ball stay. He is the sixth India batter to hit 8,000 runs in test matches and the 12th player for India to reach 100 tests. Kohli went into the match at Mohali with 7,962 runs. “My mindset has always been to play to help the team win. That is what will remain,” Kohli said. “It is important to feel a certain joy when playing and I have always felt that way and still feel that way.” Read:Imam’s 1st test century takes Pakistan to 245-1 vs Australia Pant got his ninth test half-century as India took control in the third session of the opening day. Opener Hanuma Vihari (58) completed his sixth test half-century and added 90 runs for the third wicket with Kohli, who walked to the crease to a chorus of cheers. Sri Lanka pulled things back with two wickets in four overs. Kohli played late and was bowled by Lasith Embuldeniya (2-107). Vishwa Fernando (1-69) left India at 175-4 as Vihari was bowled in the 47th over. Kohli’s wait for an elusive 71st century goes on. He last reached the three-figure mark in November 2019. “As long as there is focus on the right things, I am not too bothered about milestones,” Kolhi said. “These are just conversations that have happened in the outside world and they will continue to do so. I personally don’t think like that. I am batting well and for me that is the most important thing.” India went to tea at 199-4 with Shreyas Iyer and Pant at the crease. After the break, the duo briskly added 53 runs for the fifth wicket. Pant reached his half-century off 73 balls, including five fours and a six, but lost his partner at the other end. Dhananjaya de Silva (1-47) trapped Iyer (27) lbw. The batter reviewed it unsuccessfully. Joined by Ravindra Jadeja, Pant then pressed the attack button. He hit another four fours but also three sixes. Pant scored the next 46 runs off only 24 balls as India crossed 300 in the 77th over. The Pant-Jadeja partnership put on 104 off only 118 balls. Pant fell excruciatingly short of his second hundred on home soil, and was bowled by Suranga Lakmal (1-63). “We all know how he (Pant) bats, and it was a special innings today,” Vihari said. “He helped us get to 350-plus on the first day, which will be helpful going forward.” Jadeja was unbeaten on 45 runs and closed out the day with Ravichandran Ashwin (10 not out). Earlier, India was 109-2 at lunch after opting to bat. Read:'White Lightning' appointed as Tigers' new fast bowling coach Rohit Sharma (29) combined with Mayank Agarwal (33) in a 52-run opening partnership, scoring at above five runs an over, in his first test as India captain. Sharma pulled a delivery from Lahiru Kumara (1-52) and was caught at fine leg in the 10th over. Vihari went in at No. 3 and put on 28 runs with Agarwal for the second wicket as Sri Lanka brought the run-rate under check. “I am happy to bat where the team wants me to, but No. 3 is my preferred spot,” Vihari said. “I was batting well, and the ball was coming onto the bat initially. But once the ball was old, it was difficult to time it.” Embuldeniya made the second breakthrough for Sri Lanka, when he trapped Agarwal lbw. The match in Mohali also marks Sri Lanka’s 300th test. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said he also would have chosen to bat first if he had won the toss, aiming to end a run of 20 tests in India without a victory.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq hit a memorable first test century on Friday and led Pakistan to a commanding 245-1 in its first home test against Australia in 24 years. The left-hander closed out the opening day of the first test on 132 not out on a typically slow and grassless subcontinent wicket. Veteran Azhar Ali is also looking solid on 64 not out. Read:Bangladesh announces squads for South Africa tour Australia might have missed a trick by opting to go with its three frontline fast bowlers, who hardly troubled the batters with both the new and old ball. Australia even used its three part-time spinners — Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Steve Smith — without any reward. Imam and Azhar denied Australia any hope of a breakthrough with the new ball in the 10 overs before stumps and stretched their second-wicket partnership to 140. The lone Australian specialist spinner, Nathan Lyon (1-87), got the only success of the day for the visitors when he dismissed Abdullah Shafique for 44 just before lunch, but not before a 105-run opening wicket stand with Imam. Azhar and Imam then frustrated Australia for the entire two sessions by piling up another century stand. Imam, playing in his 12th test but first in 27 months, showed grit throughout the day against fast bowlers and spinners after captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat. Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins hardly troubled Pakistan’s top order in their short spells as they bowled 45 overs between them. Lyon earlier extracted brief turn off the wicket with the new ball but both openers dominated the spinner by using their feet and raised a century stand. Lyon was ineffective until he claimed Shafique in the penultimate over before lunch. Shafique got beaten in the flight and tried to heave the offspinner over long off. He was brilliantly caught by a running Cummins. Imam, who last played a test match against Australia at Adelaide in December 2019, survived a close call for lbw in Starc’s third over as the visitors went for an unsuccessful television review and the replays suggested the ball would have went over the stumps. Imam raised his century in the last session when he drove Starc through the covers for his 13th boundary beside hitting two straight sixes against Lyon. Shafique also had a close call but Head dropped a difficult chance at leg slip in Lyon’s second over, a ball after the spinner was smacked for a straight six. Imam had earlier raised his half century by pulling Cummins to square leg boundary for a four and overtook his batting partner once Australia briefly applied the offspin of Head and Lyon. Read:Liton, Nasum guide Bangladesh to easy win vs Afghanistan in first T20 It’s the first time Australia has played a test match in Pakistan since 1998 due to concerns over security from several attacks in Pakistan. It’s a three-match test series. Australian players wore black armbands as a tribute to Australia’s former wicketkeeper great Rod Marsh, who died on Friday at age 74.

South African fast bowling legend Allan Donald has been appointed as the new bowling coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team. Jalal Yunus, chair of the cricket operations department of Bangladesh Cricket Board, confirmed the development. Read:Legendary Australia cricketer Shane Warne dies at 52 Donald will take over from West Indian Ottis Gibson, who left recently to return to the English county circuit. “We have appointed Donald as our new bowling coach,” Jalal told the media. “For now, he will be working with us till the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. We may renew the contract after that.” Donald will join the Bangladesh team during their tour of South Africa for a three-match ODI and two-match Test series. However, it’s not clear if Donald will join the team from the beginning of the series. During the Nineties, Donald - nicknamed 'White Lightning' - was one of the mainstays of the South Africa team. He played 72 Tests and retired as South Africa's highest wicket-taker with 330 wickets at an of average 22.72 - since surpassed by Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, and Dale Steyn.  He also played 164 ODIs and bagged 272 wickets at 21.64. Some of his best years were lost in the international wilderness during South Africa's ban from international cricket due to apartheid.  It was during this period that he earned the nickname 'White Lightning' while plying his trade for English county side Warwickshire, where he spent many summers. Recently, Jamie Siddons has joined the Bangladesh team as the batting coach. He was Bangladesh’s head coach after the 2007 World Cup. BCB did not renew the contract with him after the 2011 World Cup at home. Read:Bangladesh announces squads for South Africa tour With Siddons and Donald, Bangladesh’s coaching staff has surely gotten a more high profile. Currently, the Bangladesh team is playing a two-match T20 series against Afghanistan. The team will fly to South Africa on March 11. The first ODI of the series will take place on March 18.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday announced ODI and Test squads for the tour of South Africa. Bangladesh will play three ODIs and two Tests during the tour starting on March 18 with the first ODI at SuperSport Park, Centurion.  BCB included Sayed Khaled Ahmed in the ODI squad for the first time.  Both Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are included in the Test squad. Tamim is set to return to the longer version of the game after missing out on five Tests.  Mohammad Naim, who got his Test cap in Christchurch last year, was omitted from the team. Along with him, the left-handed batter Fazle Rabbi has also been dropped. He got a chance to tour to New Zealand when Shakib opted to skip the series. Read: Liton applauds Nasum for ‘game-changing’ bowling Right-arm pacer Shohidul Islam is added to the Test squad.  While the first ODI is to take place on March 18, the second and third ODIs will be played on March 20 and 23 at Johannesburg, and Centurion.  The first Test of the series will be played in Durban from March 31, while the second Test will kick off on April 8 at Port Elizabeth.  One-day Squad: Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Syed Khaled Test Squad: Mominul Haque (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Nurul Hasan Sohan

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das, who hit 60 off 44 balls in the first T20 against Afghanistan on Thursday applauded Nasum Ahmed for his “game-changing bowling”.  While Liton helped Bangladesh post a challenging total of 155-8, Nasum’s fiery bowling demolished Afghanistan to clinch a win 61-run victory at Mirpur’s packed Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Masum ended up taking four wickets conceding only 10 runs in four overs— his best bowling figure in this format.   “The way Nasum bowled was a game-changing effort,” Liton said after the match. “Had he not picked up early wickets, the result of the match would have been different. I think the wicket was better, and considering that Nasum bowled really well.” Nasum removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the very first over when Afghanistan started to chase the target of 156. Afghanistan were never able to recover from that early setback.  Read: Liton, Nasum guide Bangladesh to easy win vs Afghanistan in first T20 “Nasum is not like other left-arm spinners. I played him a lot in the nets, and he always tries to do something different. He can play with his pace, which is so important in T20 cricket. It’s easy to pick if a bowler comes up with the same kind of deliveries. I think he is a different type of bowler,” Liton further said about Nasum.  Bangladesh fielded two uncapped players in this match— Munim Shahriar and Yasir Ali. To give a chance as an opener to Munim, Liton had to bat changing his regular position of an opener. “I’m not to talk about the change of my batting position. Whenever I play for Bangladesh, my only focus remains on doing well and contributing to the team’s result,” Liton said.  “I will do whatever the team is expecting from me. If the team management asks me to bat at number one tomorrow, I’ll do it. I have nothing to say about it,” Liton further told the media.

Nasum Ahmed grabbed four early wickets after Liton Das smashed a fine 60 to guide Bangladesh to an easy 61-run victory against Afghanistan in the first T20I on Thursday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  In a full-packed stadium, at least 24,000 spectators cheered the Tigers in their thumping win demolishing the Afghans with 14 balls in hand. Bangladesh posted 155-8 in 20 overs bating first after winning the toss. In reply, Afghanistan tumbled for 94 all out in 17.4 overs.  Najibullah Zadran was the best batter for Afghanistan scoring 27 off 26 balls. But his effort was not enough for the tourists to chase a challenging target of 156 runs.  Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nasum bagged four wickets conceding only 10 runs in four overs. He struck in the very first over of the innings removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. In his previous innings, in the third ODI prior to the T20 series, Gurbaz had a ton in Chattogram. But he failed to have a good start to the T20 series.  Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Gurbaz sliced an easy catch at the point area to Yasir Ali. 

Liton Das has propelled Bangladesh to a challenging total of 155 in the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday in Dhaka.  Liton hit 60, his fifth half century in the format, off 44 with two sixes and four fours.  Mohammad Naim and the debutant Munim Shahriar opened the innings for the hosts, but they failed to make a good start as they posted 10 in the first wicket stand.  Naim, who had a lean campaign during the last edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), failed to prove his mettle once again as he fell for two this time.  Read: BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI for First T20I Munim had a good start as he struck a four early in his first international innings. But he couldn't carry it on as he fell for 17 off 18 balls with three fours. The number four batter, Shakib Al Hasan, also returned early scoring only five off six balls.  After Shakib, Mahmudullah Riyad also stayed only for a few minutes in the middle. The Bangladesh captain scored 10 off seven balls with a six.  However, Liton was firm at the other end of the wicket. He and Afif Hossain added 46 runs in the fifth wicket stand.  After Liton fell to Fazalhaq Farooqi for 60, Afif was dismissed for 25 off 24 balls.  Bangladesh eventually ended up on 155 for eight in 20 overs.  For Afghanistan, Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai scalped two wickets each.