United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s national cricket team is set for an intense and uninterrupted run of international fixtures over the next two years, as the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) outlines a packed schedule through March 2027. The upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe this month in Sylhet and Chattogram is the beginning of what Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials are calling a “non-stop cricket” phase. Kolkata thumps Hyderabad by 80 runs in IPL-2025 Apart from December 2025 and January 2026, the national team is scheduled to play in every month through the FTP period, with barely any extended breaks. Over the next 23 months, Bangladesh are slated to play 16 bilateral series comprising 18 Tests, 32 ODIs, and 32 T20Is. Three of these will be full-format series (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), while several will be limited-overs contests. Bangladesh will also take part in two major T20 tournaments — the Asia Cup in September this year and the ICC T20 World Cup in February-March 2026. The packed calendar also coincides with Phil Simmons’ extended tenure as head coach, with the former West Indies cricketer expected to guide the team at least until the 2027 ODI World Cup in October-November, which falls just outside the current FTP window. “We are planning with the 2027 World Cup in mind. When coach Simmons arrives on April 8, we’ll finalise the roadmap,” BCB’s cricket operations chief Nazmul Abedeen said to a local newspaper. Nazmul added that the board sees the congested schedule not as a burden but as an opportunity to test and rotate players. Tamim Iqbal regains consciousness, speaks with family He said there would be a concerted effort to give exposure to both senior and emerging players through national team selections and by ramping up matches for the ‘A’ and high-performance squads.

Venkatesh Iyer made a 25-ball half-century to propel defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders to a massive 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s Indian Premier League final. The left-hander teed off in the final five overs to smash 60 off 29 balls as Kolkata cruised to 200-6 after Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to field at Eden Gardens. Hyderabad couldn’t recover from the loss of three wickets in space of first 13 balls before eventually getting bowled out for 120 in 16.4 overs to lose its third straight game. Kolkata’s big win lifted it from the bottom of the points table to No. 5 with four points. “This game was really important for us, and winning with margin — that was really crucial,” Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane said. Arora dampens Hyderabad's chase Hyderabad’s batting powerhouse struggled to get going for the third straight game since amassing 286 runs in the season opener against Rajasthan Royals. Impact player Vaibhav Arora (3-29) made an immediate impact when the fast bowler removed Travis Head off his second ball and Ishan Kishan was brilliantly snapped by a diving Rahane at short extra cover. Arora should have got one more wicket but Andre Russell dropped a sitter from IPL debutant Kamindu Mendis before the Sri Lankan batter had scored.   And to make things worse for Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma’s struggles continued when the left-hander sliced a catch in the slips off Harshit Rana’s slower delivery before Arora returned and removed top-scorer Heinrich Klaasen (33) to close out with brilliant figures. Spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy squeezed the middle-order with their impeccable bowling in favorable home conditions as Hyderabad lost wickets in clusters. Narine completed a haul of 200 wickets for Kolkata in the IPL when Mendis holed out at mid-wicket after scoring 27. Chakravarthy then ran through the lower order with 3-22 and was denied a hat-trick after claiming the wickets of Cummins and Simarjeet Singh off successive balls in his final over. “Not a great night tonight,” Cummins said. “Less than two weeks ago, we put on 280. Our batters are at our best taking it on, but you have to think about if you could take different options.” Iyer delivers Angkrish Raghuvanshi made an impactful 50 off 32 balls upfront, but Hyderabad had limited Kolkata at 122-4 in 15 overs before leaking 78 runs off the final 30 balls. Kolkata lost its left-handed opening pair of Quinton de Kock (1) and Narine (7) cheaply inside the first four overs before Rahane and Raghuvanshi put on 81 runs for the third-wicket stand and revived the innings. However, both batters got dismissed in space of three overs before Iyer and Rinku Singh (32 not out) counterattacked Hyderabad pace in the final five overs. Iyer took his time before unleashing seven boundaries and three sixes that included three fours and a six in the 19th over bowled by Cummins, who finished with 1-44. Singh consumed just 16 balls and led the home team’s acceleration with Iyer by contributing 91 runs for the fifth-wicket stand off just 41 balls.

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.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a packed home schedule for the Indian men's cricket team, set to host the West Indies and South Africa across October to December this year. The season will begin with a two-match Test series against the West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad on October 2. The second Test will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from October 10. Following the Caribbean challenge, India will take on South Africa in an all-format series that begins with a historic Test match in Guwahati — the city’s first-ever — after the opener in New Delhi from November 14 to 18. The second Test will follow from November 22. The two sides will then play a three-match ODI series in Ranchi, Raipur, and Visakhapatnam, scheduled from November 30 to December 6. A five-match T20I series will wrap up the home season, with games taking place in Cuttack, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad from December 9 to 19. Buttler and Siraj lead Gujarat to big victory over Bengaluru in IPL This will be the first all-format bilateral contest between India and South Africa since the 2023–24 series in South Africa. The two teams last clashed in a major tournament in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where India lifted the title. India’s last Test series against the West Indies was in July 2023, with Rohit Sharma’s side clinching a 1-0 win. India recently won the ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE, beating New Zealand in the final. With a packed season looming, the confidence of winning the big event will surely boost them further.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj grabbed 3-19 against his former team and Jos Buttler made amends for poor glovework with a 31-ball half-century as Gujarat Titans notched an eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Siraj, who was not retained by Benglauru, bowled to tight lengths in Bengaluru's first home game of the season before Liam Livingstone’s 40-ball knock of 54 lifted the total to 169-8. Buttler dropped one of the three catches and missed out stumping of Livingstone but smashed an unbeaten 73 off 39 balls as Gujarat cruised to 170-2 in 17.5 overs, denying Bengaluru of a third straight victory. Opening batter Sai Sudharsan (49) missed out on his third straight half-century, but his 75-run partnership with Buttler led Gujarat to its second win of the season. Buttler leads Gujarat chase Buttler had a few tough months coming into the IPL as he stepped down as England captain after an early exit from the Champions Trophy. But he shrugged of the disappointment for his new IPL franchise, even if being a bit scratchy behind the wickets. Captain Shubman Gill scored run-a-ball 14 before he sliced a catch to Livingstone at third man just one ball after hitting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six inside the power play. But with dew settling in, Buttler and Sudharsan batted with lot of aggression before a dried ball brought success for Bengaluru. Sudharsan tried to play a lap-shot against Josh Hazlewood (1-43) for the second time but offered a simple catch to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. New Zealand makes 292-8 after batting 1st in the 2nd one-day international against Pakistan Buttler raised his second half-century of the season with a six over long-on against Livingstone as Bengaluru had little answer to Englishman’s aggression. Impact player Sherfane Rutherford also hit three sixes in his quickfire unbeaten 30 off 18 balls as he finished off the game with a pulled six off Hazlewood. “Really enjoyed it (batting),” Buttler said. “The bowlers did a fantastic job. If we fielded better, myself included, we would have chased less.” Siraj proves a point Siraj and pace bowler Arshad Khan bowled at a good pace and proved captain Gill’s decision to bowl first right as Bengaluru slipped to 42-4 inside the first seven overs. Virat Kohli (7) started with a cover driven boundary in Siraj’s first over before pulling Khan’s back of the length delivery straight into the hands of Prasidh Krishna at backward square leg in the next over as he walked off to the much disappointment of home team fans. Buttler missed out a straightforward edge of Phil Salt (14), but Siraj uprooted the off stump of Englishman and also clean bowled Devdutt Padikkal (4). Ishant Sharma then pinned captain Rajat Patidar plumb leg before wicket for 12 as Bengaluru lost four top-order batters. “It was emotional because I played for seven years here,” Siraj said of his long association with Bengaluru. “There was some nervousness and some emotion … (but) I have belief that I can do well, irrespective of wherever I am playing and that is my mindset.” Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma (33) shared vital 52-run stand off just 38 balls before left-arm spinner Sai Kishore (2-22) dismissed Sharma and Krunal Pandya in his two successive overs. But Livingstone took on ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan (0-54) and struck three sixes in his one over after twice getting dropped and Buttler missing out on a stumping chance. Delhi Capitals climb to 2nd after comfortable victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL Livingstone cashed in on the chances as Bengaluru scored 64 off the final five overs with Tim David hitting two sixes and three boundaries in his little cameo of 32 off 18 balls.

Mitch Hay scored an unbeaten 99 from 78 balls to lift New Zealand to 292-8 as it batted first Wednesday in the second one-day international against Pakistan. Hay struck 22 runs, including two sixes and two fours from the final over, as he chased a maiden ODI century. He fell just short, stranded on 99 at the end of the 50 overs, while still helping New Zealand to a competitive total after an innings in which the home side often struggled to score freely. Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Wasim Jr. bowled superb containing spells through the middle of the New Zealand innings as Pakistan produced an improved bowling performance in helpful conditions at Seddon Park. New Zealand made 344-9 in winning the first match of the three-match series at Napier by 73 runs. Wasim took 1-15 and Sufiyan took 2-29 bowling tandem seven over spells Wednesday which seemed to have denied New Zealand a substantial total after it had reached 97-2 at the end of the 15th over. Delhi Capitals climb to 2nd after comfortable victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL New Zealand started well and the new-look opening partnership of Rhys Mariu, who made 18 in his first ODI, and Nick Kelly, who made 31 in his second, put on 54 for the first wicket. Daryl Mitchell (18) kept up the momentum until wickets began to fall and run-scoring became increasingly difficult. New Zealand added only 27 runs for the loss of Mitchell and Henry Nicholls (22) between the 15th and 25th overs. It added a further 21 runs and lost captain Michael Bracewell (17) as it stuttered to 145-5 after 30 overs. Newcomer Muhammad Abbas, whose 50 from 24 balls in the first one-day international on Saturday, was the fastest half century on debut in ODI history, produced a contrasting innings notable for its slowness. He took seven runs from the first 30 balls he faced, 15 runs from 43 deliveries, 20 from 49. Abbas and Mitchell Hay shared a half-century partnership from 65 balls before Pakistan-born Abbas fell for 41. South Australia state wins its first Australian first-class cricket title in 29 years The final match of the ODI series is scheduled for Saturday at Mount Maunganui. New Zealand won the preceding Twenty20 series 4-1.

af du Plessis scored 50 off 27 balls as Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets on Sunday to secure a second consecutive win in the 2025 Indian Premier League. The 40-year-old du Plessis hit three fours and three sixes as he put on 81 off 55 balls for the first wicket with Jake Fraser-McGurk (38) helping Delhi chase down the 164-run target with four overs to spare. Earlier, Mitchell Starc picked up 5-35 in 3.5 overs to help bowl out Hyderabad for 163 runs in 18.4 overs. Delhi finished with 166-3 in 16 overs. It was Starc’s maiden five-wicket haul in his fourth IPL season, and helped Delhi climb to second in the points table with two wins from two games. Hyderabad had opted to bat first but lost its way early in its innings. Hard-hitting opener Abhishek Sharma was run out for one, and the visitors were soon reduced to 37-4 in 4.1 overs. Ishan Kishan, a centurion in the previous game, was out caught for two, while Nitish Reddy was dismissed for a two-ball duck. Starc also sent back fellow Australian Travis Head – caught behind for 22 off 12 balls leaving Hyderabad’s innings in tatters. Aniket Verma, 23, then smacked a maiden half-century in his third IPL game to help rescue the innings. Verma hit six towering sixes, and another five fours, as he raced to 50 off 34 balls. In doing so, he put on 77 off 42 balls with Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 32 off 19 balls including two sixes. Their fifth-wicket stand helped Hyderabad cross 100, and Verma’s assault almost pushed Delhi onto the back foot. But Klaasen miss-hit and was caught in the 11th over to balance the scales again. South Australia state wins its first Australian first-class cricket title in 29 years Kuldeep Yadav picked up 3-22 in four overs as Hyderabad’s tail failed to wag with six wickets lost for 49 runs in the space of 47 balls to finish with an under-par total. In reply, du Plessis and Fraser-McGurk set the opening pace for Delhi. Debutant spinner Zeeshan Ansari struck thrice to peg Delhi back, including removing both set openers in the space of six balls hallway through. But it wasn’t enough as Abhishek Porel smacked 34 not out off 18 balls including two sixes, while Lokesh Rahul – in his maiden outing for the Capitals – also hit 15 off 5 balls. Ansari bowled Rahul for his third wicket, even as Tristan Stubbs rounded off the game with 21 not out off 14 balls. He put on 51 off 28 balls with Porel as Delhi won with 24 balls remaining. It was Hyderabad’s second loss in three games, while Delhi built on its surprise win over Lucknow SuperGiants in the first game. In Sunday’s evening game, Rajasthan Royals hosts Chennai Super Kings at Guwahati.

South Australia has chased down a record 269 runs in an Australian first-class cricket final to win its first Sheffield Shield cricket title in 29 years. South Australia scored 270-6 in its second innnings to beat Queensland by four wickets Saturday. It was the fourth day of the scheduled five-day final. Jason Sangha led the South Australians with an unbeaten 126 while Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored 105. The two combined for a 202-run partnership. Sangha hit the winning runs when he clipped a Callum Vidler delivery off his pads for four to seal the victory. Several hundred fans ran on to the pitch at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide when the match ended. The 33-year-old Carey had returned from a hectic season of international duties and straight from the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan, where Australia lost in the semifinals to India. New Zealand beat Pakistan by 73 runs in 1st one-day cricket international Queensland was bowled out for 95 in its first innings — the lowest total of any team batting first in a Shield final which involves Australian state sides. South Australia posted 271 all out in reply. Queensland appeared down and out at 221-6 in its second innings, just 45 runs ahead, at lunch on the third day Friday. But centuries from Jack Wildermuth (111) and Jack Clayton (100) led a comeback and Queensland reached 445 in its second innings for its 269-run lead. The highest previous run chase to win a Shield final was Victoria’s 239-2 against New South Wales in 1990-91. Jake Lehmann scored 102 in South Australia's first innings. He's the son of South Australian great and former Australian national coach Darren Lehmann, who played in the state’s last Shield victory in 1995-96.

Mark Chapman scored 132 and Daryl Mitchell 76 in a 199-run partnership as New Zealand made 344-9 and went on to beat Pakistan by 73 runs Saturday in the first one-day international. Chapman posted his third one-day international century and rebuilt the innings with Mitchell after New Zealand had been three wickets down in the 13th over, struggling against bounce and swing from the Pakistan fast bowlers. Muhammad Abbas, the first Pakistan-born player to play for New Zealand, made 50 from 24 balls — the fastest half century by a player on debut in one-day internationals. Babar Azam led Pakistan's run chase with 78 from 83 balls but when he was out Pakistan slumped, losing seven wickets for 22 runs. For much of its innings Pakistan was ahead of New Zealand, 64-0 after 10 overs where New Zealand had been 34-2. Thakur and Pooran secure Lucknow’s five-wicket win over Hyderabad Usman Khan and Abdullah Shafique put on 83 for the first wicket, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan added 76 for the third wicket then Babar and Salman Ali Agha contributed a further 85 for the fourth wicket. Pakistan was 249-3 in the 39th over and still well on target. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell was forced to bring back his strike bowlers Will O'Rourke and Jacob Duffy. O'Rourke offered a short ball to Babar which he hooked to Mitchell on the boundary at backward square. Duffy then ran out Tayyab Tahir (1) and bowled Irfan Khan first ball as Pakistan slumped to 253-6 in the 40th over. Pakistan's hopes faded as wickets dwindled and the run-rate rose. Pakistan was 271-9 when Salman was out for 58 from 48 balls. “We started the second innings with good intent and we got the things you need for a big chase,” Rizwan said. “But at the end the pressure was very big because as you get near to the end, the pressure becomes more.” Pakistan won the toss, bowled and was on top early through the efforts of its four seam bowlers, Naseem Shah, Akif Javed, Mohammad Ali and Haris Rauf. Akif and Ali were making their ODI debuts. There were patches of grass on the pitch at McLean Park and the ball moved more than is usual at the venue where the average first-innings score in ODIs is 244. Naseem Shah and Akif Javed used the conditions superbly. New Zealand slumped to 34-3 in the 13th over, bringing Chapman and Mitchell together. Runs were hard to come by at first but after bowling his seamers through the first 25 overs, Rizwan was forced to go to his fifth bowler. The New Zealanders cashed in. Phil Simmons confirmed as Bangladesh head coach until 2027 World Cup Chapman and Mitchell took 67 runs from the five overs bowled by Salman and 51 runs from five overs bowled by Irfan Khan. Irfan had his revenge dismissing both Chapman and Mitchell. Chapman's 132 came from 111 balls and Mitchell's 76 from 84 deliveries. “It was certainly pretty tricky to bat early on,” Chapman said. "We were probably aiming for a total lower than we got in the end. But it's something we pride ourselves on, being able to adapt to the conditions then putting up a score and just scrapping.” Pakistan lost the preceding five-match T20 series 4-1 by margins of nine wickets, five wickets, 115 runs and eight wickets as the visiting batters struggled to adapt to bouncy New Zealand pitches. The second match in the three-match ODI series is next Wednesday in Hamilton.

Shardul Thakur’s fiery 4-34 and Nicholas Pooran’s record-breaking half-century powered Lucknow Super Giants to a commanding five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday. Thakur's early breakthroughs, including successive dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, restricted Hyderabad to 190-9 after Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant opted to chase. In reply, Pooran’s explosive 70 off 26 balls, along with Mitchell Marsh’s 52 off 31, propelled Lucknow to victory in just 16.1 overs. Pooran and Marsh Dominate the ChaseHyderabad’s Mohammed Shami struck early, dismissing Aiden Markram in the opening over. However, Pooran and Marsh turned the tide with a 116-run stand off just 43 balls. Pooran smashed the fastest half-century of the season off just 18 balls, reaching the milestone with a six off Adam Zampa. Lucknow raced to 96-1 in just seven overs, leaving Hyderabad struggling to regain control. Speedster Nahid prioritises Zimbabwe series over PSL Captain Pat Cummins briefly revived Hyderabad’s hopes by trapping Pooran leg-before and later dismissing Marsh, who had just completed his half-century with consecutive boundaries. Despite the late dismissals of Pant (15) and Ayush Badoni (9), Abdul Samad wrapped up the chase in style, hammering 22 off eight balls, including two sixes and two fours. Thakur Dismantles Hyderabad’s Top OrderEarlier, Thakur’s fiery spell derailed Hyderabad’s batting lineup. He removed Sharma and Kishan in successive deliveries, nearly claiming a hat-trick. Travis Head counter-attacked with 47 off 28 balls, but his momentum was halted by Prince Yadav (1-29) in the eighth over. Phil Simmons confirmed as Bangladesh head coach until 2027 World Cup The only late resistance came from Aniket Verma, who smashed five sixes in a 13-ball 36. However, Hyderabad failed to build substantial partnerships, managing only 190-9, a stark contrast to their record 286-run total at the same venue last Sunday. Lucknow Registers First WinWith this win, Lucknow bounced back from their opening defeat to Delhi Capitals, securing their first points of the season. Source: With input from agency