United News of Bangladesh

Cricketer Taskin Ahmed has denied allegations that he assaulted a childhood friend. He said the incident was a misunderstanding and requested his fans not to believe “baseless rumors.” The allegation came after a man named Sifat ur Rahman filed a general diary at Mirpur Model Police Station late Sunday night. Bangladesh plans home series against Nepal or Netherlands ahead of Asia Cup He accused Taskin of calling him over and physically assaulting him. Sifat is known to be a long-time friend of the fast bowler. In a Facebook post, Taskin urged everyone not to spread or believe rumors. “This isn’t respectful—for me, my family, or my friend. We’ve spoken. Things shouldn’t have gone this far,” he wrote.  He called the claims false and motivated, and said he hopes people will stand by the truth.//

A thrilling test cricket series between India and England is heading to a dramatic finale. India battled back to secure a hard-fought draw in the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday, defying the odds and keeping the five-match series alive. With England holding a 2-1 lead, the final test at The Oval starting Thursday will decide the outcome. India ended the match at 425-4 in their second innings, with centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (107*), Washington Sundar (101*), and captain Shubman Gill (103), giving them a lead of 114 runs when play was called off early. “This feels like a win for us,” Gill told the BBC. “Our batters were exceptional.” While the fourth test didn’t quite match the nail-biting intensity of England’s 22-run win at Lord’s, it remained compelling throughout. After falling far behind, India clawed its way back into the contest. Early in their second innings, India was in deep trouble—0 for 2 and trailing by 311 runs after England’s huge first-innings total of 669. A series defeat looked inevitable. But Gill refused to let the game slip away. Supported by a strong batting line-up, including the top four run-scorers of the series, India mounted a remarkable comeback. Gill’s century — his fourth in four matches — set the tone. KL Rahul contributed 90, while Jadeja and Sundar delivered a match-saving partnership. England’s bowlers were worn down by the unrelenting resistance. “These are the kind of fighters we have in the dressing room,” said India coach Gautam Gambhir. “They’re willing to fight for the country.” A Dramatic Turnaround The turnaround was rapid. When Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan fell to consecutive deliveries from Chris Woakes before lunch on Saturday, India looked in crisis. Then Gill stepped in. His 188-run partnership with Rahul spanned the rest of Saturday and into Sunday. Gill finally fell for 103, caught by Jamie Smith off Jofra Archer after nearly seven hours at the crease. “Gill is living up to his talent — and more importantly, his responsibility as captain,” said Gambhir. Gill now leads the series scoring chart with 722 runs, followed by Rahul with 511. After Gill and Rahul’s dismissals before lunch, England saw a glimmer of hope. But Jadeja and Sundar's unbroken stand dashed those hopes and ensured a draw. Stokes Shines Again — But Can't Seal the Win With India resuming Day 5 at 174-2 and still trailing by 137, England needed something extraordinary — and Ben Stokes stepped up. Despite missing Day 4 bowling due to fitness concerns, the England captain returned to take Rahul’s wicket — his 17th of the series — trapping him lbw. His absence on Day 4 had been deeply felt as India’s batters piled on the runs. Stokes, the top wicket-taker in the series, had earlier claimed five wickets in India’s first innings. Returning from hamstring surgery earlier this year, the 34-year-old dubbed himself the "bionic man." “I’ve told the lads — pain is just an emotion,” he said, referring to his gritty comeback. But his recurring leg discomfort limited his impact in India’s second innings. Stokes expects to feature in the final test, despite ongoing concerns. “I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s very unlikely I won’t play,” he said. All to Play for at The Oval With the series finely poised at 2-1, the fifth and final test at The Oval promises more excitement and high stakes. The outcome remains wide open.  

India's Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the final test against England with a foot fracture. India coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed Pant's injury for the first time after the visitors salvaged a draw in the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday. Pant retired hurt on day one when taken off the field on a cart with his foot badly swollen but he returned, limping, on day 2 to reach a half century. “It’s been declared that he’s out of the series, and one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on something Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well,” Gambhir said. "Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. “I think the generations to come forward will talk about it and the generations coming forward should talk about it.” Pant was injured when attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes and the ball deflected onto his right ankle and foot. India did not confirm at the time the extent of the injury, but he was replaced as wicket-keeper by Dhruv Jurel for the remainder of the match. He wasn't required to bat in India's second innings, with the visitors earning a draw in Manchester after Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar (101 not out) all reached centuries on the final day. Pant's injury has raised the question of substitutions in test cricket, but England captain Ben Stokes described the debate as “ridiculous”. “There would just be too many loopholes for teams to be able to go through,” he said. “You pick your 11 for a game. Injuries is part of the game.” England leads the series 2-1 going into the final test at the Oval next week.

Bangladesh will play hosts Zimbabwe in their second match of the Zimbabwe Tri-nation Under-19s Tournament at the Harare Sports Club ground on Monday. The match will kick off at 1:15 pm Bangladesh time. Bangladesh made a good start in the Tri-nation Youth Tournament with an exciting one-wicket victory over South Africa in their first match at the Sunrise Sports Club ground in Harare on Saturday, thanks to sensible batting by all-rounder Samiun Bashar. Chasing a small target of 129 runs to win, Bangladesh almost lost control of the match, losing nine wickets for 109 runs in 27 overs. But in that crucial situation, number seven batsman Samiun Bashar guided the team to victory, reaching 129 for 9 in 28.4 overs. Samiun Bashar contributed an unbeaten 45 runs off 39 balls, hitting seven fours and one six, after also grabbing two Proteas wickets for 17 runs in four overs. He also made a 31-run 7th wicket partnership with the day’s other good performer, Al Fahad. Besides, opener Zawad Abrar (20), Mohammad Abdullah (14), and Al Fahad (11) were the other three Bangladeshi batsmen to reach double figures. Earlier, favoured by the coin in the match, South Africa opted to bat first against Bangladesh and were bundled out cheaply for 128 runs in 34.4 overs. Going in to bat first, South Africa faced an initial batting collapse, losing their top four wickets for 43 runs in 8.4 overs against devastating bowling by Bangladesh pacer Al Fahad, who claimed four wickets for 32 runs. In the remaining matches, Bangladesh will play South Africa on July 31, face hosts Zimbabwe again on August 1, South Africa on August 6, and Zimbabwe on August 8. The top two teams of the tri-nation meet will play the final on August 10. Earlier on Friday, South Africa made a flying start in the Tri-nation U-19 meet, crushing hosts Zimbabwe by 278 runs in the opening match, featuring 215 runs by teenage opener Jorich Van  

Sunil Gavaskar has stirred debate over the power dynamics within India’s Test team, asserting that captain Shubman Gill—not mentor Gautam Gambhir—should be making the final calls, especially regarding team selection. Speaking during Day 4 of the crucial fourth Test in Manchester, Gavaskar criticized the idea that the team was being unofficially led by Gambhir, despite Gill being officially appointed captain. He questioned why key players like Kuldeep Yadav weren’t picked, implying that such decisions may not fully reflect Gill’s choices. “It’s Shubman Gill’s team, not Gambhir’s,” Gavaskar told Hindustan Times, suggesting that behind-the-scenes narratives of harmony may be masking deeper issues. Stokes hits century but India rallies to frustrate England's cricketers on 4th day of test The former India captain reflected on his own era, saying captains then had clarity since they were advised by team managers or ex-players rather than governed by a head coach. He admitted difficulty understanding the modern coach-captain dynamic and stressed that the final responsibility—and decision—must rest with the captain, not the backroom staff. Gavaskar’s remarks have sparked broader questions about who truly leads India’s new-look Test side.

Ben Stokes hit another century. Chris Woakes was in sight of a hat trick before he'd even completed the first over of India's second innings. Day 4 of the fourth test at Old Trafford on Saturday certainly started with a bang. So much so that by lunch, and with the visitors 1-2 and 310 runs behind, there seemed the genuine possibility that England could claim a series-clinching victory without the need of going to the final day. But given the way this thrilling and feisty series has gone, India was never likely to go down without a fight. The odds are still stacked against the visitors holding out for a draw in Manchester. However, through the stubborn stand of KL Rahul (87 not out) and Shubman Gill (78 not out), they were given hope of salvaging something from the test and the five-match series as a whole, which England leads 2-1. India ended the day on 174-2 and trailing by 137 after frustrating the hosts, and with some rain forecast for Sunday, England may run out of time to seal a win that looked so likely earlier in the day. Asia Cup Cricket: Bangladesh will play Hong Kong in first match on September 11 “It was very frustrating. We expected to get a few more wickets after the first over of the day,” said England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “But they (India) batted very well, they stuck at it.” Stokes century Stokes scored his 14th test century as England ran up a 311-run innings lead to seemingly put it in complete control. A score of 141 continued his brilliant all-round performance after taking five wickets in India's first innings. With his ton, the 34-year-old England captain became his country's fourth player to get five wickets and a century in a test. “He’s been working really hard and just trying to find the rhythm and get the feeling back of getting those big scores,” said Trescothick. “I think we saw a couple of shots this morning which were back to his best almost.” Having resumed on 544-7, England was determined to pile the pressure on India, reaching 669 all out. And it was Stokes's spectacular batting that enthralled the crowd — scoring his first test century in two years, including three sixes. After reaching his century, he took off his helmet, looked up to the sky and then raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd. He was eventually caught by Sai Sudharsan off Ravindra Jadeja, who finished the innings with four wickets. India collapses, India rallies The end of the morning session could hardly have gone worse for India. Yashasvi Jaiswal went for a duck after just four balls, caught by Joe Root off Woakes. And Woakes immediately struck again, to give himself a chance of a hat trick, when Sudharsan went for a golden duck, caught by Harry Brook. Bangladesh plans home series against Nepal or Netherlands ahead of Asia Cup At 1-2 at lunch, it looked like being a painful rest of the day for India, but through Rahul and Gill it rallied to 86-2 at tea. A resilient second session included a fourth 50 of the series for Gill. India grew in confidence as the partnership of the two leading run-scorers in the series looked immovable through the evening session, with Rahul emulating Gill by also reaching a fourth 50 of the series. Questions about Stokes' fitness Stokes was brilliant with the bat but he was notable by his absence from the attack as England toiled with the ball. Having retired hurt with cramp on Day 3, he opted against bowling, even as England struggled to come up with answers to stop India's rearguard action. With a series-leading 16 wickets, Stokes may need to join the attack if the hosts are to dismiss India in time to claim victory. “We're hoping that with another night’s rest and a bit more physio work overnight that he’ll be back and doing a bit tomorrow,” Trescothick said. Should India hold on, it would head into the final test at the Oval with the chance of tying the series 2-2.

The grouping and fixture of the 17th edition of the Asia Cup 2025 to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in T20 format from September 9 to 28 has been finalized. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has officially unveiled the full schedule for the Asia Cup 2025, confirming that the much-anticipated tournament will take place in UAE from September 9-28. Bangladesh put in Group B of the eight-nation meet along with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong while two traditional rivals India and Pakistan put in Group A with Oman and hosts UAE. Afghanistan will play Hong Kong in the tournament opener on September 9 while two arch- rivals holders India and Pakistan will lock horns on Sept 14. Bangladesh will start their Asia Cup campaign taking on Hong Kong on September 11, play Sri Lanka on Sept 13 and Afghanistan on Sept 16. The Asia Cup 2025 will feature 8 top Asian teams, split into two groups of four. The tournament follows a round-robin format, where each team will face every other team in their group once. The top two teams from each group will move on to the Super Four stage. In the Super Four, the four teams will compete again in a round-robin format. Later, the top two teams from the Super Four will qualify for the final match scheduled for Sept 28.  

Bangladesh is planning to play a short home series against Nepal or the Netherlands ahead of the Asia Cup this year. A board official said they are considering playing the series against one of these two teams. The national team is currently on a break after back-to-back series wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka.However, concerns have been raised about whether such a long gap before the next major tournament could disrupt their momentum. “We’re trying,” said Nazmul Abedin, the BCB’s cricket operations chief. “It’s hard to get a major team at the moment because of their schedules. Nepal or the Netherlands are possibilities.” Asia Cup Cricket to be held in UAE from September 9 to 28: ACC Chief Bangladesh were supposed to host India next month for six white-ball games, but the tour has been pushed to September next year due to delays in official clearance from the Indian government. Now, with that window open, the board is hoping to bring in a team for a few matches—ideally at home. If that doesn’t work out, the national side may play practice games against the A team or the High Performance unit. A short training camp is also being planned. Meanwhile, the chief of the ACC has announced the dates for the Asia Cup—from 9 September to 28 September.

A sensible knock by lower-order batsman Samiun Bashar Ratul guided touring Bangladesh to a strong start in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in Zimbabwe, with an exciting one-wicket victory over South Africa in a low-scoring match at the Sunrise Sports Club ground in the Zimbabwean capital Harare on Saturday. Chasing a modest target of 129 runs, Bangladesh nearly lost control of the match after slumping to 109 for nine in 27 overs. However, in that crucial situation, number seven batsman Samiun Bashar steered the team to victory, finishing on 129 for nine in 28.4 overs. Samiun Bashar contributed an unbeaten 45 off 39 balls, hitting seven fours and one six. He shared a 31-run seventh-wicket partnership with the day's other standout performer, Al Fahad. In addition, opener Zawad Abrar (20), Mohammad Abdullah (14), and Al Fahad (11) were the only other Bangladeshi batsmen to reach double figures. Earlier, favoured by the toss, South Africa opted to bat first but were bundled out cheaply for 128 runs in 34.4 overs. Facing an early collapse, South Africa lost their top four wickets for just 43 runs in 8.4 overs against the fiery pace bowling of Bangladesh's Al Fahad. However, middle-order batsmen Armaan Manack (28), Paul James (26), and Daniel Bisman (24) helped South Africa cross the 100-run mark. Al Fahad inflicted the most damage on the South African innings, taking four wickets for 32 runs in his 10-over spell, while Shadhin Islam and Samiun Bashar took two wickets each, conceding five and 17 runs respectively.  

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday launched a two-day training programme for match referees at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The programme aims to strengthen officiating standards across both domestic and international cricket. Organised by the BCB’s umpires’ department, the workshop will conclude on 27 July. Current match referees and former players are participating in the training. The workshop covers key aspects of match officiating—from understanding the role and responsibilities of a referee to interpreting the Player Conduct and Team Code. The programme also includes training in report writing, communication, and evaluating umpire performance. Led by experienced professionals, the sessions feature hands-on exercises, case studies, and group discussions based on real-match scenarios. “Match officials play a pivotal role in preserving the standards and spirit of cricket,” said Iftekhar Rahman, head of the BCB’s umpires’ committee. “This workshop is a continuation of our strategic focus on developing a strong, consistent, and well-trained group of referees who can operate confidently across formats and conditions,” he added.