United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz is set to make his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) debut after joining Guyana Amazon Warriors as a replacement for Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi. Mehidy is not part of Bangladesh’s T20I squad for the Asian Games in Japan and will be available for Amazon Warriors for the rest of the CPL season. Nabi is leaving the tournament to join Afghanistan for a three-match T20I series against India starting September 13. He has been a key part of Amazon Warriors’ campaign, taking 12 wickets in six innings at an economy rate of under six. Amazon Warriors have won 10 of their 11 matches across the CPL and the Global Super League and have already qualified for the playoffs. Mehidy was previously signed by Trinbago Knight Riders as a replacement player in 2017 but did not play a match. He will now get another chance to appear in the CPL, nine years after his first involvement in the tournament. Amazon Warriors will also lose Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is leaving for the national team. Gurbaz scored 93 runs in two innings this season, including 54 off 35 balls against Jamaica Kingsmen and 39 off 25 balls against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris will replace Gurbaz. He has already played for Amazon Warriors this year, turning out for them in the Global Super League. Amazon Warriors can also bring Glenn Phillips back into the XI and use Shai Hope as wicketkeeper. Guyana batter Matthew Nandu is another option to open the innings.  

Kent seamer Matt Milnes has heaped praise on bowling partner Hasan Mahmud, calling the Bangladesh pacer a "top, top bowler" after his impressive return to county cricket. Kent were in a strong position after the third day of their County Championship Division Two match against Worcestershire on Friday, leading by 296 runs with the hosts placed 84 for three at stumps. Hasan, who took nine wickets including a six-wicket haul in Bangladesh's Test win over Australia in Darwin last month, picked up 4 for 68 on his return to the county side. He now has the second-best strike rate, 30.37, among bowlers with at least 10 wickets in this season's Division Two. "Hasan obviously brings something special to our attack, so it's a lovely bonus having him back. I think he hits the stumps slightly harder than mine! But yeah, as I said, he just brings that X-factor," Milnes said. Milnes said Hasan's unusual bowling action makes him difficult to face. "He can bowl good pace, his action's a little bit different, tricky to pick up and he's a top, top bowler. I'd rather he was in my side than playing against him," he said. Sam Northeast struck 132 as Kent made 358 in their second innings in tough batting conditions, before Milnes took two wickets for 21 runs to reduce Worcestershire to 39 for three. Brett D'Oliveira and Adam Hose steadied the innings before bad light ended play early, with Worcestershire closing on 84 for three.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal's latest hike in domestic match fees has drawn wide praise, but questions remain over whether all cricketers will get enough playing opportunities to benefit from it. Tamim announced the increase on Thursday, the second such hike in five months after an earlier rise in April. The latest revision lifts first-class match fees by 114.29 percent, while List A and T20 fees double from last season. Women's match fees have also doubled across all three formats. Tamim said a player completing the domestic season could now earn Tk 35-40 lakh a year including salary, more than Tk 3 lakh a month on average. But only 21 players across eight teams played all seven matches in last season's National Cricket League four-day competition, while no Rangpur Division player featured in all 10 of the team's T20 matches, according to BCB data. Under the new fee structure, a player appearing in all seven NCL four-day matches can earn Tk 10.5 lakh, with a further Tk 20.5 lakh possible from a proposed new six-team, three-format domestic structure. A Chattogram Division cricketer said the benefit "is not going to be there for all the players," noting that national and 'A' team players are best placed to gain since they also feature in the BPL and DPL. The BCB hopes a newly proposed NCL Second XI will widen opportunities for players outside the main system, though its match fee has not yet been decided.    

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday announced a sweeping increase in match fees for domestic cricketers, aiming to help players earn up to Tk 35-40 lakh a year from domestic cricket alone. BCB president Tamim Iqbal unveiled the decision at a press conference, saying the hike amounted to more than 100 percent in some categories. Under the new structure, first-class match fees will rise to Tk 1.5 lakh from Tk 70,000, List A fees will double to Tk 1 lakh from Tk 50,000, and T20 fees will go up to Tk 80,000 from Tk 40,000. Women's cricketers will also benefit, with three-day match fees doubling to Tk 40,000, fees for one-dayers rising to Tk 30,000 from Tk 15,000, and T20 fees doubling to Tk 20,000. Tamim said the proposal had come from the players themselves and was meant as a long-term solution rather than a seasonal fix. "The proposal came from the players. We are all one — the players, the board and the directors," he said. "I never wanted a solution for just one year. I wanted something that would benefit the players for years." He said a domestic cricketer could now earn Tk 35-40 lakh, or more than Tk 3 lakh a month, from domestic cricket alone, in addition to any earnings from the Dhaka Premier League or the BPL. Tamim also revealed that a new domestic tournament is in the pipeline, with about 85 percent of the preparatory work already done, and further details expected by the end of the month. He said national team players could feature in the tournament's first edition depending on their international commitments. The BCB chief added that players would be expected to maintain professionalism in return, saying there would be no exceptions for those who fail fitness tests. He said the board is also reviewing the salary structure for umpires, scorers, physiotherapists and trainers, and plans to upgrade academy facilities, including a new 110-metre athletics track.

Towhid Hridoy finished unbeaten on 350 for Bangladesh A against South Africa A in Potchefstroom on Wednesday, passing Tamim Iqbal's long-standing record for the highest first-class score by a Bangladeshi. With this, Hridoy has also become the first Bangladeshi to make a first-class triple century outside the country. He went past Tamim's 334 on the final day of the four-day affair. Tamim set that mark for East Zone against Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League at Mirpur in 2019. Bangladesh A declared on 676 for eight, with Hridoy having faced 481 balls. Rejaur Rahman, who held up an end late in the innings, was 31 not out from 110 deliveries. Wickets fell around Hridoy through the day. The eighth went down with him on 225, leaving him to push the score along with the tail. He and Rejaur then batted through to the declaration. South Africa A, 164 behind on first innings, began their second innings with less than a session left, giving Bangladesh A no realistic chance of bowling them out.

Bangladesh fast bowler Khaled Ahmed has signed for Kent for the last four matches of their County Championship season.  In his first County assignment, he will bowl alongside compatriot Hasan Mahmud. Kent announced the deal on Tuesday, subject to regulatory approval, as the club chase promotion from Division Two. The 32-year-old right-arm seamer joins Hasan, who is back at Canterbury after an earlier spell this season. Hasan took 12 wickets in two matches in June, including 9-101 against Lancashire at Stanley Park, before leaving for international duty. "It's an honour for me to play county cricket and join a club with a big history such as Kent," Khaled said. "This is an important part of our season and I am determined to help the team achieve promotion." He added that Hasan and his agent had spoken well of the club, which made the decision an easy one. Khaled made his first-class debut for Sylhet in 2015 and has 190 wickets from 70 matches. He has taken 34 wickets in 18 Tests since making his debut for Bangladesh in 2018. Kent are second in Division Two, level on points with Northamptonshire and 40 points behind leaders Durham. Director of cricket Simon Cook said the club had been looking for another bowler to add depth for the closing weeks. "With three of our final four games at home, we can stick with a formula that worked well in the first half of the year, while also having the flexibility to rest and rotate our frontline bowlers," Cook said.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has suspended three individuals, including former Director Mokhlesur Rahman, over allegations of corruption and match-fixing during the 12th Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The BCB announced the suspensions in a news release on Tuesday and gave the accused 15 days to respond to the charges. Mokhlesur, a former director of the board led by Aminul Islam, faces allegations of trying to influence the outcome, progress or conduct of BPL matches, or being involved in efforts to fix matches. He is also accused of encouraging or helping others involved in the tournament to take part in corrupt activities. The BCB further alleged that Mokhlesur failed to report a corrupt approach to anti-corruption officials and deleted or destroyed communications that could have been relevant to an investigation. Mokhlesur had stepped down from his role with the BCB’s audit committee after fixing allegations surfaced during the previous BPL. The other two suspended individuals are former BCB security liaison officer Zakir Hasan and Rakibul Islam Sani, a former member secretary of the board’s audit committee. Zakir is accused of trying to influence the outcome or progress of matches and of encouraging others to become involved in corruption. He also allegedly failed to cooperate with an anti-corruption investigation without reasonable justification. Rakibul, a former Bogura district councillor who served as member secretary of the audit committee, is accused of failing to report an approach to engage in corrupt activities and of not cooperating with an anti-corruption investigation. The suspensions are provisional. The three have 15 days to submit their responses to the allegations.  

Uganda has announced its final squad for the upcoming ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, scheduled to take place in Tanzania from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5. The eight-team qualifier will be hosted at the TCA Cricket Arena at the University of Dar es Salaam, with nations competing for the single available spot at next year's global tournament. Brian Masaba, head coach of Uganda's Baby Victoria Pearls, told media on Wednesday that the management had named a strong squad following several months of rigorous preparation. "We are going to compete strongly because our target is to qualify and play at the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup," said Masaba. Uganda will open its campaign against Nigeria on Aug. 30. Highlighting the team's focused mindset, Masaba added, "We are going to treat every match like a final because our target is qualification". The eight participating teams competing for the qualifier's sole ticket are Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Nigeria and host Tanzania. The ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal next year.

A group of 21 former international cricket captains has appealed to Pakistan’s prime minister to ensure jailed former premier Imran Khan receives proper medical treatment and basic facilities, saying the authorities must comply with a Supreme Court order. The letter, sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marks the second such appeal from former captains in six months. It follows concerns that Imran’s treatment in custody and access to his family have not met the court’s instructions. The Supreme Court had ordered that Imran be examined by a medical board and allowed weekly meetings with family members. He was recently taken to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, but remained there for only a few hours before being returned to Adiala prison after an examination by a state-appointed team. Former England captain Michael Atherton said the appeal was motivated not only by concern over Khan’s health but also by what he described as an effort by the Pakistani state to erase the former cricketer from public life. “Yesterday, 21 former captains sent another letter, which was a humanitarian appeal to ensure that Imran Khan receives the medical care he needs,” Atherton said on a Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “But I think the main concern was the way the state is trying to erase Imran Khan.” India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, who signed the letter, said the former Pakistani leader deserved the same basic rights as any prisoner. “We want him to get the best medical treatment. We are not asking for anything else, nor are we seeking a response,” Kapil said. “We are simply making a request.” The signatories include prominent former captains such as Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border, Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Alastair Cook, Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara and Nasser Hussain, along with former women’s captains Belinda Clark and Alex Blackwell. Imran, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023 after convictions in several cases.  

Bangladesh’s historic Test win in Australia has pushed them to No. 6 in the ICC rankings, their highest position since becoming a Test-playing nation. The three-place rise came despite a heavy defeat in Mackay, where Australia won the second Test by an innings and 51 runs inside two days to level the series 1-1. Bangladesh now have 1,878 points from 24 Tests and a rating of 78. They moved above Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Their previous best was seventh, reached after their 2-0 series win in Pakistan in 2024. The ranking rise was secured by a series of results that included Bangladesh’s nine-wicket victory over Australia in Darwin, their first Test win on Australian soil. That performance was driven by their bowlers and several individual contributions, giving Bangladesh one of the most significant Test results in their history. The Mackay defeat was a sharp contrast. Bangladesh were dismissed for 64 and 95, becoming the first team in 21 years to be bowled out for fewer than 100 in both innings of a Test. Shoriful Islam’s seven-wicket haul was one of the few bright spots. Yet the overall result of the Australian tour — a 1-1 draw against the No. 1-ranked team — was enough to lift Bangladesh to a new high. “Reaching No. 6 in Test cricket for the first time is a big achievement,” captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said after the Mackay Test. “The news would have been even better if we had played good cricket in this Test.” Australia remain No. 1 with a rating of 126, followed by South Africa, New Zealand, India and England.