United News of Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has said Shakib Al Hasan will only be able to resume his national career if he comes back to the country and faces the legal cases pending against him. Speaking on a cricket podcast this week, Tamim — who is preparing to contest the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election — was asked about Shakib’s chances of returning to the national side. The two men, once close teammates, have been seen on opposite ends of the country’s cricket and political landscape. Shakib confirms move to US Minor League, joins Atlanta Fire Shakib, who was an MP of the Awami League government toppled in last year’s July uprising, has been living abroad since and faces multiple cases, including a murder charge. “He’s an active cricketer, he’s a Bangladeshi cricketer,” Tamim said. “If he is fit, training, and the selectors feel he deserves a place, of course he can return. But bringing him back isn’t in my hands — there are legal matters involved.” Tamim stressed that the board cannot intervene in court case. “To play for Bangladesh, he must first come back, train with the team, and fight his cases in court. That’s the reality. I won’t hide it. This is his country and his career. What he chooses to do is up to him,” Tamim added.  Shakib, now 38, has not played for Bangladesh since 2024. His uncertain future continues to hang over the team at a time of political upheaval and transition in cricket administration.

Bangladesh claimed victory over England by 50 runs to avoid a whitewash at home in the third and final match of the three-match ODI series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday. Premier all rounder Shakib Al Hasan hit a breezy 75 to guide the Tigers' innings and then scalped four wickets to help the hosts recover some morale after losing the first two matches and the series. With his fourth wicket, Shakib became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 300 or more wickets in ODIs. Winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal elected to bat first. However, his decision backfired as Litton Das was dismissed for a duck in the very first over. Tamim himself couldn't last long as he was caught by James Vince off Sam Curran after scoring just 11 runs off 6 balls. But Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the ship with a patient knock of 53 off 71 balls. In the third wicket stand, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shanto added 98 runs, helping the hosts recover from the early damage. However, Shanto lost his wicket while running late for a single. Read more: Shakib reaches 300 ODI wickets Mushfiqur ended up on 70, while Shakib made 75 runs off 71 balls with seven fours. Bangladesh posted a total of 246 for all wickets in 48.5 overs, riding on their batting effort. Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, and Mehdiy Hasan Miraz failed to do well in this match. For England, Jofra Archer scalped three wickets while Sam Curran and Adil Rashid took two wickets each. In reply, England's openers, Jason Roy and Phil Salt, got off to a good start, adding 54 runs for the first wicket. But Shakib struck thrice in quick succession, removing both openers and James Vince, reducing England to 55 for 3. Sam Curran and Jos Buttler then put up a fight with a partnership of 47 runs. However, Mehidy Hasan Miraz ended Curran's resistance as he was caught for 23 runs. Buttler then fell lbw to Taijul Islam for 26, and England's hopes of a victory were all but over. Chris Woakes was the only batsman who showed some resistance in the late order with a fighting knock of 34 runs off 46 balls. However, he was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman in the 44th over, and England were eventually bowled out for 196 runs in 43.1 overs. Shakib was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, finishing with figures of 4 for 35 in his 10 overs. Ebadot Hossain and Taijul Islam also picked up two wickets each. Read more: Bangladesh Bat First in 3rd ODI vs England in Bid to Avoid Clean Sweep The teams will now face each other in a three-match T20I series. The first match will be played in Chattogram on March 9, while the last two matches will take place in Dhaka on March 12 and 14.  

To maintain their unbeaten ODI series record at home, Bangladesh chose to bowl first against England at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka Friday. The hosts suffered a defeat in the series opener in Mirpur Wednesday, which England won by three wickets, thanks to Dawid Malan's brilliant century. With a win under their belt, England are now eyeing to clinch the series with one match left to play on March 6 in Chattogram. Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal expressed disappointment at his team's batting performance in the first match, as only Najmul Hossain Shanto managed to score a fifty. Tamim said the team could have posted 20 to 30 more runs to avoid the defeat. In the second match, he hoped to see better efforts from the batters. Bangladesh fielded an unchanged playing XI, while England made two changes, bringing in Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood, and resting Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes. Bangladesh playing XI Tamim Iqbal (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Taijul Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman England playing XI Jason Roy, Philip Salt, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Jos Buttler (w/c), Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, and Mark Wood    

Dawid Malan took centre stage as England clinched a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first ODI of their three-match series. The southpaw showcased his impeccable form, scoring his fourth ODI century. Also, this was Malan's second consecutive ton in the ODIs. After the match, Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said his team should have put at least 30-35 more runs on the board to make things tougher for the tourists. He also bemoaned losing quick wickets in the middle overs. Read more: Bangladesh fight back as Shakib, Taijul scalp wickets Chasing 210, England lost their openers to Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam. And at the 38.5-over mark, they had lost seven wickets and still needed 49 runs to win. All eyes were on Malan, who was the only recognised batter left for the tourists. But with Adil Rashid's composed batting, they put on an unbeaten partnership of 51 and sealed the match for the visitors. Bangladesh's Taijul Isalm, who played his first ODI at home in three years, managed to bag three wickets but conceded 5.4 runs per over. Also, Mehidy Hasan Miraz scalped two wickets.