United News of Bangladesh

Charith Asalanka’s century and a disciplined bowling performance powered Sri Lanka to a 77-run victory over Bangladesh in the first ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday. Chasing 245 for victory, Bangladesh looked promising early on with Tanzid Hasan’s fluent 62 off 61 balls. But the innings unraveled rapidly after his dismissal, as the visitors lost six wickets for just five runs between the 17th and 21st overs, crashing from 100 for 2 to 105 for 8. This is the worst collapse in men's ODI history for the 2nd to 8th wicket, with only 5 runs added. The previous record was 8 runs, set by the USA against Nepal in 2020, when they crumbled from 23 for 1 to 31 for 8 before being bowled out for just 35. Asalanka hits fifty to rescue Sri Lanka from collapse Jaker Ali offered late resistance with a 64-ball 51, striking four boundaries and as many sixes. But his effort was not enough, as Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 167 in 35.5 overs. Sri Lanka’s spinners did the bulk of the damage, with Wanindu Hasaranga picking up 4 for 10 in 7.5 overs. Kamindu Mendis chipped in with 3 for 19, ripping through Bangladesh’s middle and lower order. Maheesh Theekshana and Asitha Fernando took one wicket each. Earlier, Sri Lanka, after opting to bat, posted 244 despite a shaky start. The hosts were reduced to 11 for 2 inside five overs and later slumped to 29 for 3. But Asalanka anchored the innings with a well-crafted 106 off 123 balls, featuring six fours and four sixes. He added vital runs with Janith Liyanage and Milan Rathnayake to rebuild the innings. Taskin Ahmed led Bangladesh’s bowling attack with figures of 4 for 47, while Tanzim Sakib grabbed three wickets. Debutant Tanvir Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto took one apiece. Mustafizur Rahman bowled tidy spells before leaving the field injured. The second and final ODI will be played on July 5 and 8.

Charith Asalanka struck a gritty century to guide Sri Lanka to 244 all out in 49.2 overs, despite a strong pace attack from Bangladesh led by Taskin Ahmed, who claimed four wickets in the opening ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. After choosing to bat first, Sri Lanka lost both openers early, with just 11 runs on the board. Asalanka hits fifty to rescue Sri Lanka from collapse Bangladesh’s new-ball pair of Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib removed Pathum Nissanka and Nishan Madushka in quick succession, exposing Sri Lanka’s top order. Tanzim removed Nissanka in the fourth over with a delivery that bounced more than expected and found the edge to Litton Das behind the stumps. Taskin followed up in the next over, sending Madushka back for six with a sharp delivery that caught an inside edge. Despite the early blows and another double setback before the 100-run mark, Sri Lanka found stability through their captain Asalanka. He rebuilt the innings with composure, reaching his fifty and accelerating when needed. He shared crucial partnerships in the middle overs, keeping the scoreboard moving even as wickets fell at the other end. Asalanka’s innings ended in the final over when he attempted to clear the midwicket boundary off Taskin, only to be caught by Tanzim Sakib. He finished on 106. Taskin was the best bowler for Bangladesh, ending with 4 for 47. Debutant Tanvir Islam and part-timer Najmul Hossain Shanto chipped in with a wicket each, while Tanzim bagged three.  Bangladesh’s bowling effort could have been even stronger had Mustafizur Rahman not left the field injured during his seventh over. He bowled six overs before experiencing discomfort and leaving the field.

Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka hits a fifty after they lost four wickets before reaching 100 in the first ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh in Colombo.  After 32 overs, Sri Lanka were batting at 154 for five. Bangladesh strike early to remove Sri Lankan openers Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first, but they failed to lay a good foundation as the Bangladeshi pacers sent back their openers in just five overs with only 11 runs on the board.  Two of Sri Lanka’s top four batters, including Pathum Nissanka who was Sri Lanka’s main star in the Test series, suffered a duck each.  Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib bagged the first two wickets. Tanzim later added more, and debutant Tanvir Islam also joined, taking one wicket.  Najmul Hossain Shanto, a part-timer, scalped the fifth wicket for Bangladesh. He dismissed Janith Liyanage for 29, with Tanzim taking a good catch.  Both teams have fielded three pacers each in this match.  While Bangladesh have two debutants- Tanvir and Parvez Hossain Emon, Sri Lanka also has a debutant— Milan Rathnayake. 

India rested fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah amid three lineup changes against England on Wednesday in its bid to level the test series at Edgbaston. Bumrah, India's best bowler but on a three-test quota in the five-test series, was replaced by Akash Deep, who will play his first test this year. Batting allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy replaced bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, who scored only 1 and 4 in the first-test loss in Leeds last week. Washington Sundar, the off-spin bowling allrounder with 25 wickets and a batting average of 42 in nine tests, has also come in to shore up the batting which suffered late-order batting collapses of 41-7 and 31-6 in Leeds. Sai Sudharsan, who scored 0 and 30 in his test debut in Leeds, was dropped and Karun Nair promoted to No. 3 in the order. India was made to bat first on a batting-friendly Edgbaston pitch after the toss was won by England, which has an unchanged lineup. India captain Shubman Gill said he also would have bowled first. England's decision means it will chase again in the fourth innings. It hunted down 371 in Leeds to win by five wickets, and chased down 378 against India on the same ground in 2022. Sri Lanka opt to bat first in the series opener vs Bangladesh  India has never beaten England at Edgbaston in eight previous tests going back to 1967. Bumrah was available and had an eight-day rest since Leeds, but his workload is being managed to help his lower back. “This is an important match for us, but the third match at Lord's may have a little more in the wicket than this one,” Gill said. On not pairing first-choice spinner Ravindra Jadeja with Kuldeep Yadav, Gill said: “We were very tempted to play (Yadav) but looking at the last match we wanted to add some depth to the batting.” Lineups: England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Bryson Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir. India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Lokesh Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Both the Sri Lankan openers were sent back by Bangladeshi pace bowlers inside the fifth over of the innings in the first ODI in Colombo.  Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first.  Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib opened the bowling for Bangladesh.  In the fourth over of the innings, Tanzim earned the early breakthrough, removing Pathum Nissanka for a duck. Nissanka was Sri Lanka’s main star in the two-match Test series.  Bangladesh’s new ODI captain focuses on team unity, middle-order stability It was a back-of-a-length delivery from Tanzim. Nissanka tried to cut it, but he was beaten by an extra bounce. He managed only a thick edge to the wicketkeeper Litton Das.  In the next over, Taskin dismissed the other opener Nishan Madushka for only six.  It was a length delivery outside Taskin. Madushka tried to play but managed an inside edge. The batter failed to show enough foot movement to negotiate this delivery.  With only 11 runs on the board, both of Sri Lanka’s openers had gone back to the dressing room.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening match of the three-match series against Bangladesh on Wednesday in Colombo.  After 20 years, Bangladesh are playing an ODI without the famous five players— Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.  Surprisingly, Bangladesh’s previous match without these players was also at this venue in Colombo.  Bangladesh's ODI future now rests on the shoulders of its younger generation of players. Bangladesh begin new ODI era sans Pandas against Sri Lanka Bangladesh fielded three pace-bowlers— Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.  Sri Lanka have also chosen three pace bowlers in their set-up, and they also have a debutant— Milan Rathnayake.  Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Jaker Ali, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman Sri Lanka XI: Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (capt), Janith Liyanage, Milan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando//

South Africa matched its longest winning streak in men’s Test cricket by crushing Zimbabwe by 328 runs on Tuesday, securing a ninth straight victory — a feat last achieved by the Proteas in 2002-03. Medium-pacer Corbin Bosch starred with career-best figures of 5-43 as Zimbabwe, chasing an improbable 537, folded for 208 after lunch on day four. It marked Zimbabwe’s heaviest defeat by runs in Test history. Bosch struck with the first ball of the day, removing Nick Welch, after dismissing opener Takudzwanashe Kaitano with the final delivery on Monday. Despite resistance from skipper Craig Ervine (49) and Wellington Masakadza (57*), Zimbabwe's hopes faded quickly, collapsing from 32-1 overnight to 82-6 within the first hour. Bosch, playing only his second Test, also scored an unbeaten century in the first innings, becoming the first South African since Jacques Kallis in 2002 to register a hundred and five-for in the same Test. Bangladesh’s new ODI captain focuses on team unity, middle-order stability South Africa declared at 418-9 and added 369 in the second innings, while Zimbabwe managed 251 and 208. Teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius was named player of the match for his 153 on debut. Dewald Brevis (51 and a wicket) and Codi Yusuf (3-42 and 3-22) also impressed on their Test debuts. Proteas stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj praised the young talents, saying, "Pretorius is a mature head, Brevis expresses himself fearlessly, and Bosch has slotted in perfectly — his all-round display was special." The final Test of the two-match series begins Sunday at Queens Sports Club. Source: Agency    

There is no tension in the Bangladeshi dressing room after the recent change in leadership roles, said ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He was appointed for the role just ahead of the Sri Lanka series.  Mehidy also called the senior players in the team to come up and fill the void that left behind by the players like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad.  Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s ODI series opener against Sri Lanka, Mehidy clarified that there has been no discussion with Najmul Hossain Shanto—who was removed as captain last month—regarding the leadership shift. “There is a lot of talk about the captaincy. But for us, we are not discussing it,” said Mehidy. “Our job is to support our team and perform. The team is first, Bangladesh is first. That is the most important thing.” Mehidy, who previously captained Bangladesh in four ODIs, starts his new journey as a full-time leader at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 2. The series comes as Bangladesh transitions from its experienced core to a younger setup. “We haven’t played any ODIs since the Champions Trophy,” Mehidy added. “Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah retired and they used to play two very important positions. We’ll try to fill those with experienced players.” Bangladesh begin new ODI era sans Pandas against Sri Lanka Mehidy said he is ready to bat in one of those middle-order slots himself, while Litton Das is also likely to move into that role. “Rather than putting someone younger there, we as senior players should take those responsibilities,” he added. Mehidy has previously shown promise at number four, with three recent half-centuries, though his strike rate has drawn scrutiny. Litton, meanwhile, was seen, as reported by various media, practicing intensively against spin in Colombo, preparing for a likely middle-order role. Bangladesh’s other options for the middle order include Towhid Hridoy—who struck a century against India in the Champions Trophy—Jaker Ali, and Shamim Hossain.

Bangladesh will look to usher in a new era in their ODI cricket when they take on a confident Sri Lanka in the first of a three-match series at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. Under the leadership of newly-appointed ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh are set to begin a new era. Bangladesh will play this series without any of the five veterans who defined their white-ball legacy—Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mashrafe Mortaza. This will be the first time since 2005 that Bangladesh plays an ODI without any of those names. The recent retirement of Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah leaves the middle order lacking experience. Bangladesh’s last ODI series saw both players still in the XI. BCB may include foreign teams in BPL if they meet criteria Their absence now places added responsibility on the likes of Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Towhid Hridoy to anchor the innings and stabilize a side undergoing a clear transition. Mehidy, who has batted in almost every position in ODIs, is expected to play a key role with both bat and ball. He may also float in the batting order depending on team needs, while leg-spinning allrounder Rishad Hossain will look to replicate his earlier success against Sri Lanka with both the bat and ball. The hosts, meanwhile, are in a much more settled phase. Under Charith Asalanka’s captaincy, Sri Lanka have built consistency at home, with series wins over India, West Indies, New Zealand and Australia. Their bowling unit, led by spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, looks especially dangerous in home conditions. Bangladesh have never won an ODI series in Sri Lanka. A win here, under a new leader and without their veterans, could mark the start of something fresh. Mustafizur Rahman and Takin Ahmed are joining the team with the ODIs after missing the Test series. However, Sri Lanka’s captain said they have a clear plan against Bangladesh’s premium pacer Mustafizur. India cricket team’s Bangladesh tour uncertain this year “Mustafizur is a great bowler. He has proven that in the past. He has taken a lot of wickets for Bangladesh. I think we have a clear plan for him,” Asalanka said on Wednesday. The match will begin at 3pm in Bangladesh time.

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to return to its usual December-January slot this season, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) considering several new steps—including the possibility of foreign franchises joining it. After a recent board meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, BCB’s Media Committee Chairman Iftekhar Rahman said that the decision to keep the tournament during winter months initially finalized. He also said that BCB is exploring scope to appoint a foreign event management company to be tasked with organizing the tournament. In a bid to increase transparency, the BPL committee may now include individuals from outside the board. India cricket team’s Bangladesh tour uncertain this year While the number of participating teams has yet to be finalized, the BCB has announced plans to offer five-year franchise rights to interested parties. If foreign companies meet the required standards, they too could own teams in the upcoming editions of the BPL. BCB President Aminul Islam said venues for the BPL may also be expanded this season to make the tournament more accessible to fans around the country. In other developments, the BCB has decided to resume the BCB Award Night, and plans are underway to launch new training programs.  BCB officials also said that former ICC Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel has been appointed as an umpiring advisor for three years.