United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh A clinched the three-match unofficial ODI series against New Zealand A with an 87-run victory in the second game at the Sylhet International Stadium on Wednesday. Having also won the opener by seven wickets, the hosts now lead the series 2–0. Captain Nurul Hasan starred with the bat, smashing a 101-ball 112, while Mahidul Islam Ankon added 105 off 108 deliveries as Bangladesh A posted a daunting total of 344 for 5. The pair added 225 runs for the fourth wicket, laying the foundation for a high-scoring total after a brisk start from the top order. New Zealand A, who chose to field first after winning the toss, struggled to contain the runs despite early breakthroughs. Shamit Shome gets FIFA nod to play for Bangladesh Kristian Clarke and Adithya Ashok claimed two wickets between them, but the visitors’ attack lacked penetration in the middle overs. In response, Dale Phillips gave New Zealand A a quick start with a fluent 79 off 54 balls, but the chase quickly faltered. Mosaddek Hossain triggered the collapse with a three-wicket burst, and Shoriful Islam and Tanvir Islam chipped in with two wickets apiece. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 257 in 43.1 overs, falling well short of the target. Only Kristian Clarke (39) and Mitchell Hay (38) offered some resistance in the latter half of the innings. Nurul Hasan was named Player of the Match for his match-defining century. With the series already secured, Bangladesh A will look to complete a clean sweep in the final match, which will take place at the same venue on May 10.  After the one-dayers, both teams will lock horns in a two-match unofficial Test series in Sylhet.

Gujarat Titans rose to the top of Indian Premier League with a thrilling three-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians on DLS method Tuesday. In a game twice interrupted by rain, Gujarat reached the revised target of 147 for the loss of seven wickets of the final ball as Deepak Chahar couldn’t defend 15 runs. Mumbai had earlier lost five wickets for 27 runs in the middle overs and was restricted to 155-8 with Will Jacks (53) scoring his first half-century of the season. Gujarat with 16 points is at No. 1 ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore on net run-rate while Mumbai is at No. 4 with 14 points as the battle for four playoff spots got intense. “There was a little bit of chaos when we came in to bat after the rain,” Gujarat captain Shubman Gill said. “But always good to have a W (beside your name) after the match.” When rain first interrupted the game, Gujarat was eight runs ahead on DLS before Mumbai stormed back through its pace bowlers when play resumed. Rain ends Hyderabad's slim hope of qualifying for IPL playoffs Gujarat lost four wickets in space of 16 balls as Jasprit Bumrah clean bowled captain Gill (43) and Shahrukh Khan (6) to finish with 2-19. Sherfane Rutherford smashed two fours and two sixes in his quickfire 28 off 15 balls but Trent Boult trapped him leg before wicket and Rashid Khan also fell lbw against Ashwani Kumar’s searing yorker before rain took the players off the field for the second time. When play resumed for one last time well past midnight, Rahul Tewatia kept his cool against Chahar and smashed the fast bowler for a straight boundary off the first ball and Gerald Coetzee smacked a six over long off to bring down the target to four off three balls. With scores leveled and two balls to go, Chahar had Coetzee holed out at mid-wicket and captain Hardik Pandya could have run-out Arshad Khan off the final ball, but missed the stumps as Mumbai’s six-match winning streak ended in the tournament. “Fought well with the total we had,” Pandya said. “It was a game of margins. It was definitely not a 150-wicket. It was a 175-wicket, we were short by 20-25 runs.” Earlier, Gujarat made amends of its three dropped catches inside the batting powerplay to contain Mumbai. Jacks was dropped before he had scored and Suryakumar Yadav also got reprieve on 10 before scoring 35, his 13th successive score of 25 or more in T20 cricket. Both batters combined in a 71-run stand before Gujarat spinner Sai Kishore (2-34) and Khan (1-21) put the brakes in the middle overs. Punjab beats Lucknow to go second in IPL and Kolkata stays in top-four contention Yadav spooned an easy catch at mid-off as he tried to play Kishore inside out and Jacks holed out to Kishore at deep square leg as he tried to drill Khan on the leg-side. Gill picked up three catches as Mumbai lost momentum after its two set batters got dismissed before Corbin Bosch made 27 off 22 balls and helped five-time champion to cross the 150-run mark in the final over.

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed is set to remain out of action for at least another month as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury. He was left out of the T20I squads for the upcoming series against the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan due to the issue. Taskin consulted three specialists in London who jointly advised a one-month rehabilitation program. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Debashis Chowdhury, who accompanied Taskin on the trip, confirmed the latest update and outlined the recovery plan after discussing the medical report with the team’s support staff. The fast bowler had been experiencing ankle pain since October last year but continued to play. The discomfort gradually increased and began to affect his bowling. On April 27, he travelled to London for further evaluation. Rebel national women's footballers sign contract with BFF Taskin has already started his rehab, which is being overseen by BCB's strength and conditioning coach Nathan Kelly. The program has been designed in coordination with the team physio, Bayezidul Islam. Earlier, the 29-year-old missed the home Test series against Zimbabwe. His absence continues into the T20Is against UAE and Pakistan.

Rain washed out Sunrisers Hyderabad’s meager hopes of making the Indian Premier League playoffs on Monday. Skipper Pat Cummins gave Hyderabad a strong start by claiming three early wickets with the new ball, restricting Delhi Capitals to 133 for 7. However, heavy rain and an unplayable outfield forced the match to be abandoned. With the game called off, both sides were awarded one point each. The result officially eliminated last year’s finalists, Hyderabad, from playoff contention—making them the third team to exit the race, following Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Delhi, despite another poor showing from its top-order batters, was fortunate to escape with a point and now sits fifth on the table, still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Delhi stumbles against Cummins Cummins perfectly read the tricky grassless pitch and ran Delhi into all sorts of trouble with three wickets off his first 13 balls after he won the toss and elected to field. Bangladesh A crush New Zealand A by 7 wickets to take lead He had Karun Nair caught behind off the first ball of the match and Faf du Plessis was beaten by a short ball and edged behind to Ishan Kishan, who kept wickets for the first time this season in place of Heinrich Klaasen. Cummins, who took the new ball after Mohammed Shami was left out, made it 15-3 when Kishan took a smart running catch at square leg after Abhishek Porel top-edged an attempted flick. Cummins added a brilliant catch over his right shoulder when he back-pedalled from mid-off to dismiss Delhi captain Axar Patel. Kishan's fourth catch made it 29-5 when Lokesh Rahul edged Jaydev Unadkat. Tristan Stubbs, 41 not out, and impact player Ashutosh Sharma, 41, helped Delhi cross 100 but all of Hyderabad's sterling work in the field was washed away by the rain.      

Bangladesh A made a good start to their three-match unofficial ODI series, defeating New Zealand A by seven wickets in the opening match at Sylhet on Sunday. The hosts chased down a modest 148-run target with ease, finishing on 149 for 3 in just 27.2 overs. The visitors, after opting to bat first, collapsed to 147 all out in 34.3 overs. Khaled Ahmed starred with the ball, taking 3 for 27 and earning the Player of the Match award. Tanvir Islam also picked up 3 wickets, while Shoriful Islam and Ebadot Hossain chipped in with two each. New Zealand A’s batting crumbled early. They lost four wickets for just 13 runs and five of their batters, including captain Nick Kelly, registered ducks. Only Dean Foxcroft (72 off 64) and opener Rhys Mariu (42) reached double digits, highlighting the visitors’ struggles. Bangladesh name squad for UAE T20Is, Litton to lead In reply, Bangladesh A made light work of the chase. Parvez Hossain Emon scored a brisk 24, while Anamul Haque added 38. Mahidul Islam Ankon (42) and captain Nurul Hasan (20) saw the side home with 136 balls to spare. The clinical performance gave Bangladesh A a 1-0 lead in the series.

Prabhsimran Singh powered Punjab Kings to a 37-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, scoring a commanding 91 off just 48 deliveries and helping his team climb to second place in the Indian Premier League standings. Singh notched his fourth half-century of the season, smashing seven sixes and six fours in a blistering innings that propelled Punjab to a total of 236 for 5 in their 20 overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer added valuable support with a quickfire 45 off 25 balls, which included two sixes. Lucknow’s chase finished at 199-7 despite Ayush Badoni’s 74 off 40 balls, and the Super Giants took a blow in its bid for a top-four place. Lucknow is now seventh after 11 games – with five wins and six losses. Punjab has 15 points from 11 games and sits between leader Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians. Gujarat Titans completes the top four. Kane finally wins his first career title as Bayern Munich becomes Bundesliga champion Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by one run to keep its top-four bid alive. Stand-in skipper Riyan Parag smashed five sixes in one over but still finished on the losing team as Rajasthan’s chase fell agonizingly short. Parag hit eight sixes overall in his 45-ball 95. Rajasthan finished on 205-8 in its 20 overs with Varun Chakravarthy (2-32), Harshit Rana (2-41) and Moeen Ali (2-43) taking six wickets between them. This was after Andre Russell’s 57 not out off 25 balls propelled Kolkata to a total of 206-4. Kolkata is now sixth in the points’ table, with five wins in 11 games, and can still make the top four. Rajasthan is eighth with its ninth loss in 12 games, and was already eliminated along with Chennai Super Kings.    

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 16-member squad for the T20I series against the United Arab Emirates, with Litton Kumer Das set to lead the side. All-rounder Mahedi Hasan has been named vice-captain. The two T20Is will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on May 17 and 19, both starting at 7 PM local time. Following the UAE leg, Bangladesh will travel to Pakistan for a five-match T20I series. This is Bangladesh’s second bilateral T20I series against the UAE in three years. The teams last met in September 2022 in Dubai, where Bangladesh won both matches. Bengaluru go top of the IPL after epic two-run win over Chennai Bangladesh T20 squad: Litton Das (Captain), Shak Mahedi Hasan (Vice-Captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam.    

Fast bowler Yash Dayal held his nerve to give table-topping Royal Challengers Bengaluru a sensational two-run win over Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball Indian Premier League thriller on Saturday. Chennai, already eliminated from playoffs contention, needed 15 off the last over to prevent Bengaluru from notching its eighth win and topping the table. Dayal faced Ravindra Jadeja, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and impact player Shivam Dube and used full tosses and yorkers to dismiss Dhoni off the third ball and concede three singles off the last three balls. Chennai was stranded on 211-5 after nearly chasing down Bengaluru’s 213-5. “I felt I should have converted a couple of more shots, and eased the pressure, so I will take the blame for it,” Dhoni said. Mhatre and Jadeja efforts in vain The 17-year-old opener Ayush Mhatre kept Chennai in the hunt with a scintillating 94 off 48 balls, supported by Jadeja’s unbeaten 77. Gill and Buttler bat Gujarat up to second in IPL after big win over Hyderabad Mhatre and Jadeja stitched a rollicking 114-run partnership off 64 balls. Both batters were dropped in Dayal’s second spell. South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who replaced an injured Josh Hazlewood, the IPL's second leading wickt-taker, brought Bengaluru back in the game with two wickets in two balls in the 17th over. Ngidi deceived Mhatre with a slower ball and had him caught at midwicket, and then Dewald Brevis was out leg before. But replays suggested the ball would have missed leg stump. Down to the last over, Dube swung the game back in Chennai’s favor when he belted a six off a waist-high no-ball. But Dayal bowled three perfect yorkers to Dube and Jadeja for Bengaluru to snatch victory. “He (Dayal) is the main bowler of our team, a death-overs specialist,” Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar said. “It was a clear-cut message to give him the last over. Last year as well, he did the same thing for the team and he did it again (tonight).” Shepherd goes beserk After half-centuries by Bengaluru openers Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell, they slumped to 159-5 going into the 19th over. But Romario Shepherd smacked 53 off 14 balls, tied for the second fastest half-century in IPL history, to give Bengaluru a total it could defend. Kohli, who hit his fourth successive half-century to lead the run-scorers' list, and Bethell grafted a 97-run opening stand but then Chennai spinners Noor Ahmad (1-26) and Jadeja (0-26) squeezed the run-rate. Chennai looked to contain Bengaluru until Shepherd shredded Khaleel Ahmed in the 19th over and Matheesha Pathirana in the 20th. Mumbai's big win ends Rajasthan IPL playoffs bid, 14-year-old Suryavanshi dismissed for 0 runs Shepherd struck four sixes and two boundaries in Ahmed’s over, which went for 33 runs. The left-arm fast bowler finished with an expensive 0-65 off his three overs. Shepherd then hit Pathirana for two fours and raised his electrifying half-century by lofting the Sri Lankan fast bowler for successive sixes off the last two balls. “Shepherd in the death overs was excellent," Dhoni said. “Whatever we were bowling, he was able to hit it for maximum runs. We need to practice more yorkers.”

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal may have stepped away from the national team, but his passion for the game remains undimmed. At an event of the launch of the Bangladesh District and Divisional Sports Organisers Association, Tamim shifted attention to local responsibility. Speaking to organizers and former athletes, Tamim criticized cricket board members who fail to contribute to the game in their own districts. “If someone can’t improve cricket in their own area, they have no business being on the board,” he said firmly. Zawad century powers Bangladesh U-19 to big win extending series lead Tamim said that cricket is Bangladesh’s biggest sport and deserves leadership from people who understand the game and care about its future. Without mentioning names, he called for greater accountability and grassroots investment, stressing that real development must begin at the local level.

Gujarat Titans cruised to a commanding 38-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Friday’s Indian Premier League fixture, powered by explosive half-centuries from captain Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. Gill led the charge with a blistering 76 off just 38 balls, while Buttler hammered 64 from 37 deliveries. Sai Sudharsan also chipped in with a quickfire 48 off 23 as Gujarat posted a formidable total of 224 for 6. In reply, Hyderabad never truly threatened the steep target. Despite a valiant 74-run knock from Abhishek Sharma, the rest of the batting lineup failed to fire. Fast bowlers Prasidh Krishna (2 for 19) and Mohammed Siraj (2 for 33) played key roles in derailing the chase, restricting Hyderabad to 186 for 6. With this win, Gujarat Titans climbed to second place in the 10-team standings, while last year’s finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad slipped to ninth, now teetering on the edge of playoff elimination. Hyderabad stalled The 225 target was steep, and only steeper after Krishna removed opener Travis Head for 20 to Rashid Khan's stunning diving catch and No. 4 Klaasen for 23. Eric Dier to leave Bayern Munich at season’s end Ishan Kishan continued to struggle since his century in the opening game as he labored for 17 balls to 13 runs, and Gerald Coetzee, playing his first match of the season, found a leading edge and gave Krishna a regulation catch at deep third man. Sharma did the bulk of the scoring and hit six sixes and four boundaries before Gujarat sealed the game with four wickets for six runs within 12 balls. Siraj took out Aniket Verma and Kamindu Mendis for a combined three runs and was on a hat trick but captain Pat Cummins defended it. Hyderabad, apart from Sharma though, struggled to pose a threat. Gill leads Gujarat to big total Openers Gill and Sudharsan set the platform for Gujarat. Their electrifying 82 runs together off 41 balls in the powerplay, including 13 boundaries, was Gujarat’s best ever. The left-handed Sudharsan, who smashed five boundaries in one over off Mohammed Shami, became the leading run-scorer in this IPL. He's also the second fastest batter in Twenty20s to complete 2,000 runs, in 54 matches. Sudharsan was out in the seventh over, caught behind, but Buttler joined Gill and upped the ante with smart, powerful hitting. Mumbai's big win ends Rajasthan IPL playoffs bid, 14-year-old Suryavanshi dismissed for 0 runs Gill reached his fifty in 25 balls, and was run out at 149-2 on a single he called, by Harshal Patel’s throw deflected by wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen. Gill hit 10 fours and two sixes. Buttler, dropped on 22 by Cummins, reached his fifty in 31 balls. He eventually fell to a catch on the boundary off a Cummins delivery in the penultimate over.