United News of Bangladesh

Captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 86 to steer South Africa to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over the West Indies in the opening match of their three-game Twenty20 international series on Tuesday. Markram’s 47-ball knock featured nine fours and three sixes. He put on 83 runs with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who scored 44, and later added an unbroken 93-run stand with Ryan Rickelton as South Africa chased down the target, reaching 176 for one with 13 balls remaining. Yousuf questions ICC governance: ‘Cricket must be ruled by principles, not influence’ Earlier, left-arm spinner George Linde delivered a match-winning performance with the ball, claiming 3 for 25 to earn the player-of-the-match award. Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch also contributed, taking two wickets each, as the West Indies were restricted to 173 for seven after South Africa won the toss and chose to field. Shimron Hetmyer was the top scorer for the visitors, hitting 48 off 32 balls with four fours and three sixes. He shared a 74-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Rovman Powell, who remained unbeaten on 29. The second match of the series will be played on Thursday in Centurion.

Abhishek Sharma blasted 84 off 35 balls to power India to a commanding 48-run win over New Zealand in the first T20 of the five-match series on Wednesday. Riding on Sharma’s eight sixes and five fours, India posted 238-7, the third-highest T20 total against New Zealand. Captain Suryakumar Yadav added 32 off 22 balls, while Rinku Singh finished unbeaten on 44 off 20 deliveries to provide the late surge. After being sent in, India lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8) early, but Sharma counterattacked and raced to a 22-ball fifty. He shared a rapid 99-run stand off 47 balls with Yadav as India crossed 100 inside nine overs. Yadav fell in the 11th over, and Mitchell Santner (1-37) then helped slow India’s momentum. Ish Sodhi struck in the following over to remove Sharma, and India slipped to 185-6 in 15.4 overs. Hardik Pandya scored 25 off 16 balls, while Shivam Dube and Axar Patel made 9 and 5 respectively. Singh, however, held firm at the end and accelerated in the final overs to lift India to a daunting total. Kyle Jamieson (2-54) and Jacob Duffy (2-27) took two wickets each for New Zealand. BPL Qualifier: Rajshahi defend 165 to knock out Sylhet, will face Chattogram in final In reply, New Zealand’s chase stumbled early as Devon Conway fell for a two-ball duck and Rachin Ravindra made 1. Tim Robinson scored 21 before Varun Chakravarthy (2-37) dismissed him in the seventh over, leaving the visitors at 52-3. Glenn Phillips kept the chase alive with a 78 off 40 balls, adding 79 off 42 deliveries with Mark Chapman, who scored 39 off 24 balls. Phillips reached his fifty off 29 balls and benefited from a few fielding lapses before he was eventually caught off Axar Patel in the 14th over. Despite Daryl Mitchell’s 28 off 18 balls and Santner’s unbeaten 20 off 13, New Zealand finished on 190-7, falling well short of the target. Sylhet Titans elect to field against Rangpur in BPL eliminator The series serves as preparation for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, beginning Feb. 7. The second match will be played in Raipur on Friday.

The three-match T20 series between Bangladesh and Pakistan begins Sunday evening, with the first game scheduled to start at 6 pm at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The remaining two matches will be played at the same venue on July 22 and 24. Both teams have completed their preparations over the past few days, and fans are now waiting for the on-field contest between Litton Das’s Bangladesh and Agha Salman’s Pakistan. Supporters who want to enjoy the match from the stands can purchase tickets online. Prices range from Tk 300 for the eastern gallery to Tk 3,500 for the international lounge. For those unable to attend in person, the matches will be broadcast live on television and streamed online. In Bangladesh, T Sports and Nagorik TV will air the matches live. Captains speak of lofty aims as Bangladesh and Pakistan resume T20 rivalry Along with these, the T Sports app and Tapmad app will offer live streaming for mobile viewers. Cricket fans outside Bangladesh can also follow the action. In Pakistan, A Sports and Ten Sports will broadcast the matches, with the Tamasha app offering live streams. Viewers in North America can watch on Willow TV, while fans in Africa can tune into SuperSport. In the Middle East and North Africa, Cricbuzz will provide streaming coverage.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 15-member national cricket team for the ensuing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh on Tuesday. Salman Ali Agha has been retained as captain to lead the Pakistan T20I team in Bangladesh tour, said a PCB media release on Tuesday. The three-match T20Is series between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played on July 20, 22 and 24 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. 15-member squad for Bangladesh series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufyan Moqim Tanvir Islam stands tall in his second ODI Team management: Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Muhammad Hanif Malik (batting Coach), Shane McDermott (fielding Coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Ejaz (analyst), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media manager), Irtaza Komail (security manager), Dr. Wajid Ali Rafai (doctor) and Muhammad Ehsan (masseur)end  

Shadab Khan delivered a notable all-round performance, and Hasan Ali bagged five wickets as Pakistan began their T20I series vs Bangladesh with a 37-run win at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday night. After opting to bat first, Pakistan overcame a shaky start to post a formidable 201 for 7 in their 20 overs. Skipper Agha Salman (56 off 34) and Shadab Khan (48 off 25) led the charge with quickfire knocks, supported by Hasan Nawaz’s explosive 44 off 22 balls. Despite early strikes by Shoriful Islam and Mahedi Hasan, Pakistan recovered from 5 for 2 to dominate the middle overs. Bangladesh’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs, with leg-spinner Rishad Hossain proving expensive, conceding 55 in his four overs. First T20: Pakistan recover from early loss of 2 wickets against Bangladesh in Lahore Shoriful picked up two wickets but lacked consistent support. Chasing a stiff target of 202, Bangladesh showed promise early on through Tanzid Hasan’s brisk 31 and captain Litton Das’s 48 off 30 balls. However, the innings faltered after Litton’s dismissal at 100 in the 12th over. The middle and lower order collapsed under pressure, with only Jaker Ali (36 off 20) offering resistance. Hasan Ali was the best bowler for the hosts, claiming a match-winning 5 for 30 in 3.2 overs, including key wickets at the death. Shadab added two wickets and two catches to his batting exploits, earning him the Player of the Match award. Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 in 19.2 overs, handing Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The three-match T20I series between hosts Pakistan and touring Bangladesh begins on Wednesday (May 28) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The evening match between two teams will kick-off at 9 pm Bangladesh time. Bangladeshi sports channel T- Sports and Pakistani sports channel  Ten Sports and A Sports will telecast all  the matches live. Liton Das -led Bangladesh team will try their best to come back in the series forgetting their frustrating 1-2 series defeat against ICC Associate member and hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the middle of this month despite winning the first match comfortably. BPL Football : Dhaka Abahani Ltd finish runners- up outplaying Brothers Union Club by 3-0 goal Bangladesh will play their remaining two T20 matches against Pakistan on May 30 and June 1, also at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The two teams faced each other on 19 occasions where Pakistan won 16 times and Bangladesh won the rest three matches. Bangladesh national team never beat Pakistan team since 2016 and Pakistan beat Bangladesh by five wickets in their last match in the T20 World Cup in Adelaide, Australia in 2022. Bangladesh Pacer Mustafizur Rahman and opener Soumya Sarkar missed the series due to injury and all rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz,and Syed Khalid Ahmed replaced them in the squad. Pakistani celebrated bowler Shaheen Afridi given rest in the Bangladesh series while former captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were not considered for series.

Left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem starred as Zimbabwe was routed for its lowest Twenty20 total of 57 and Pakistan romped to a series-clinching 10-wicket win on Tuesday. Muqeem, playing in only his seventh T20, surpassed fast bowler Umar Gul’s Pakistan record of five wickets for six runs with an even more impressive 5-3 in 16 balls. Zimbabwe was bowled out in just 12.4 overs and Pakistan openers Saim Ayub, 36 not out, and Omair Bin Yousuf, 22 not out, cruised to 61 without loss in only 5.3 overs. They have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with the final game scheduled for Thursday. Zimbabwe touched a new low after electing to bat, losing 10 wickets for 20 runs after openers Brian Bennett (21) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (16) provided a decent start of 37 runs in four overs. Fast bowler Abbas Afridi dismissed Marumani and uprooted the off stump of captain Sikandar Raza. When Bennett couldn’t cope with a sharp, short delivery from Haris Rauf and top-edged to deep square leg, Zimbabwe slipped to 40-3. Muqeem baffled the middle order with his googlies and leg breaks as he claimed the wickets of Ryan Burl and Tashinga Musekiwa in his first over and removed Wellington Maskadza and Richard Ngarava in his second over with his turning deliveries. In a first, Bangladesh book Youth World Cup Hockey place; beating Thailand 7-2 in last match He needed four more balls to finish off Zimbabwe when Clive Madanda top-edged to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha in the slips. Zimbabwe’s previous lowest T20 total was 82 against Sri Lanka this year at Colombo. Pakistan won the preceding ODI series 2-1, but rested all of its frontline players, including white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan for the the T20 series.  

Bangladesh beat Ireland by 77 runs in the second T20 Wednesday in Chattogram to win the series with one match to spare. Put in to bat first, the Tigers Bangladesh scored 202 for three after the match was reduced to 17 overs per side due to rain. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar scored 124 runs in just 9.2 overs in the first wicket stand. Litton smashed 10 fours and three sixes to score 83 off 41 balls before falling to Ben White in the 12th over. The wicketkeeper-batter Litton hit fifty off 18 balls, the fastest fifty by a Bangladeshi in T20s. He broke the 20-ball fifty record of Mohammad Ashraful in 2007. Talukdar, too, played a free-flowing knock of 44 off 23 balls before being caught by Mark Adair off Ben White. After that, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy continued to pile on the runs. Shakib struck three fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 38 off 24 balls. For Ireland, White was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 28 runs in his four overs. Adair also managed to pick up a wicket but conceded 52 runs in his four overs. Read more: Shakib becomes leading wicket-taker in T20s Chasing 203, Ireland failed to offer any resistance against Bangladesh's quality attack. The in-form Taskin Ahmed picked up the wicket of Ireland captain Paul Stirling off the first ball of the innings. After Taskin's first wicket, Shakib bagged five wickets in his first three overs and returned the figures of five for 22 in four overs. With this, he became the highest wicket-taker in T20s, surpassing New Zealand's Tim Southee. Shakib now has 136 wickets in the format in 114 matches while Southee has 134 in 107 matches. After Shakib's bowling spell, Taskin took two more wickets and took three for 27 in four overs. Curtis Campher hit an unbeaten fifty off 30 balls for Ireland. Both teams will now compete in the solitary Test in Dhaka, starting on April 4.  

Bangladesh won the first of the two-match T20I series against hosts UAE by seven runs Sunday night in Dubai. Put in to bat first, the Tigers scored 158-5. Chasing 159, UAE batted well but fell short of seven runs. Chirag Suri scored 39 off 24 balls and kept the UAE's hopes alive. Aayan Afzal Khan scored 25 off 17 balls. Shoriful Islam bagged three wickets, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also picked up as many wickets. Earlier, Afif Hossain smashed an unbeaten 77 off 58 balls to guide Bangladesh to 158-5 against the hosts. The Tigers lost three wickets in the powerplay.

Captain Rohit Sharma struck 46 not out off 20 balls to power India to a six-wicket win over Australia and level their T20 series Friday. Sharma's blitz led India to 92-4 after Australia scored 90-5. The second T20 was reduced to eight overs a side after a wet outfield delayed the start for 2 1/2 hours. Bowlers were limited to two overs each. Sharma struck four fours and another four sixes as India chased down Australia's total with four balls to spare. Chasing 91 off 48 balls in a power shootout, Sharma and Lokesh Rahul, who scored 10, put on 39 runs off 17 balls for the first wicket. India collapsed to 55-3 in the space of 10 deliveries. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck a triple blow to send back Rahul, Virat Kohli (11) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) in quick succession and take 3-16. Sharma was in ominous touch, though. He powered through with a 22-run partnership off 14 balls with Hardik Pandya (9) as India edged closer to the total. Dinesh Karthik then smashed 10 runs off two balls and the series was level with one match left. Read: IND vs AUS 2022: 6 key statistics to know before the T20I series Put in to bat, Matthew Wade was the star of the Australia innings with 43 not out off 20 balls. Aaron Finch's 31 off 15 launched the visitors even as Cameron Green (5) was run out cheaply. Spinner Axar Patel dismissed Glenn Maxwell (0) and Tim David (2) at a cost of only 13 runs, and Jasprit Bumrah returned to international cricket by castling Finch with a near-perfect yorker. Australia were down to 46-4 in five overs when Wade took over. He smacked four fours and three sixes to give them a challenging total. The third and last T20 is on Sunday in Hyderabad, where 20 people were injured on Thursday in a stampede for tickets.