United News of Bangladesh

The stage is set for the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, with both Australia and South Africa announcing their playing elevens ahead of the much-anticipated clash. Pat Cummins will lead a near full-strength Australian side aiming to defend their 2023 title. In contrast, South Africa are chasing their maiden WTC crown, having reached the final after a run of seven straight wins in the second half of the cycle. The Proteas have backed Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram to open, while Wiaan Mulder slots in at No. 3. Temba Bavuma captains the side, with Tristan Stubbs and David Bedingham adding firepower in the middle. England sweeps T20 series against West Indies The experienced Kagiso Rabada leads the bowling attack, joined by Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. Australia have recalled Josh Hazlewood, who missed large parts of the summer due to injury. He joins Cummins, Starc, and Lyon in a seasoned attack. Marnus Labuschagne has moved to the top alongside Usman Khawaja, with Cameron Green returning as a specialist batter at No. 3 after recovering from a back injury. Beau Webster retains his spot as the all-rounder following strong recent form. This is South Africa’s first WTC Final appearance, while Australia are hoping to become the first back-to-back champions since the tournament’s inception in 2019. Cricket's Hall of Fame inducts Dhoni, Mir, Smith, Amla, Hayden, Vettori and Taylor Playing XIs: Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins has etched his name in cricket history by becoming the first player to achieve hat-tricks in two consecutive T20 World Cup matches. Cummins joins Brett Lee as the second Australian to record a hat-trick in the tournament. Lee achieved the feat against Bangladesh in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Read more: South Africa unbeaten at T20 World Cup after win over England, West Indies defeats US by 9 wickets. Cummins claimed his first hat-trick against Bangladesh in their opening Super Eights match. Remarkably, he replicated this achievement just three days later against Afghanistan, dismissing Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, and Gulbadin Naib across the 18th and 20th overs. With these two hat-tricks, Cummins joins an elite group of bowlers who have achieved the feat twice in T20 internationals, including Lasith Malinga, Tim Southee, Mark Pavlovic, and Waseem Abbas. This unique accomplishment draws parallels to the legendary Wasim Akram, who accomplished consecutive hat-tricks in Test matches against Sri Lanka in 1999. Read more: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh suffer another thumping defeat to India

Australia's cricket captain, Pat Cummins, has been honoured with the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Thursday. Cummins, a charismatic leader, demonstrated exceptional performance throughout the year, achieving big team victories, including the ICC World Test Championship Final and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. BPL 2024: Sylhet phase begins Friday Under Cummins' influential captaincy since late 2021, Australia triumphed in crucial encounters, reclaiming the Ashes and securing a historic sixth World Cup title. Overcoming tough competition, Cummins outshone fellow nominees— his compatriot Travis Head, and India’s batting superstar Virat Kohli, and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. Shoaib Malik's BPL 2024 Campaign Abruptly Ends In ODIs, Cummins delivered crucial bowling spells. His leadership shone brightest in the World Cup final against India, where strategic bowling changes and field placements stifled the opposition. Cummins' masterful decisions limited India to 240 runs, and Australia comfortably chased down the total, securing their record-breaking sixth World Cup title. Shakib Al Hasan diagnosed with retinal condition in left eye Cummins concluded the year on a high note with a stellar 10-wicket haul in the Test series against Pakistan.

The relentless pace bowling of Australians Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins dismissed India for its lowest-ever score of 36 runs in a test innings as the home team recorded a thumping eight-wicket victory with more than two days to spare in the first cricket test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.