United News of Bangladesh

Ticket sales for the Sylhet phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will begin on Sunday, December 21. Fans are now able to purchase seats exclusively through an online platform, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced. The tickets, which go on sale from 4:00 pm, will be available only via the official website, www.gobcbticket.com.bd. No physical tickets will be sold at stadium booths, marking a fully digital approach to ticketing for the Sylhet leg of the tournament. Prices for matches at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium range from BDT 200 to BDT 2,000, depending on seating category. All grandstand seats—Upper East, Upper West, Lower East and Lower West—are priced at BDT 2,000. Tickets for the Club House (Upper) cost BDT 500, while the Shaheed Abu Sayed Stand is priced at BDT 250. The Shaheed Turab Stand and Green Gallery or Green Hill areas are set at BDT 200 each. A separate Club House “Zero Waste Zone” has been priced at BDT 600. The release of tickets comes as the BCB confirmed that the tournament’s opening ceremony will be held on a smaller scale in Sylhet, rather than in Dhaka as initially planned. The board revised its original plan due to security concerns. The 12th edition of the BPL will be played across three venues—Sylhet, Chattogram and Dhaka.

New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway made history by becoming the first opening pair in Test cricket to score centuries in both innings, putting the Kiwis in a commanding position against the West Indies in the third and final Test. Latham scored 137 and 101, while Conway added a second-innings 100 to his first-innings 227. Their partnership of 323 runs in the first innings contributed to a record 515-run total for an opening pair in a single Test match. Conway also joined an elite group of just 10 batters in Test history to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same match. Previous achievers include Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara. Earlier, the West Indies were bowled out for 420, giving New Zealand a first-innings lead of 155 runs. Latham, Conway, Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46) then guided the hosts to 306-2 before declaring, setting the visitors a daunting target of 462 for victory to level the series. At stumps, West Indies had reached 43 without loss, with John Campbell scoring two off 50 balls and Brandon King contributing 37.

The Ashes balance remained delicately poised at lunch on the final day of the third Test, with Australia needing just three more wickets to retain the urn, while England required 126 runs to keep the five-match series alive. Australia began Day 5 requiring four wickets, with England resuming on 207-6 and still facing an imposing target of 435 — a total that would demand a record-breaking fourth-innings chase. By lunch, England had battled to 309-7, adding 102 runs during the session but losing Jamie Smith for 60. Two sessions remained. Will Jacks led England’s resistance through a disrupted morning marked by rain delays and an injury to Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. Despite rolling his ankle early in the day and visibly struggling to run, Jacks remained unbeaten on 38 from 120 balls, sharing the crease with Brydon Carse, who was on 13 not out. Tension grew inside the ground as England supporters sang and chanted while their team edged closer to an unlikely escape. Rain briefly halted play when England was 241-6 and still needed 194 runs, but the match resumed and the session was extended by 30 minutes to compensate for lost time. Jacks and Smith added 91 for the seventh wicket, cutting the target to 150 before Smith attempted an aggressive shot and was caught off Mitchell Starc. Smith had earlier struck boundaries off consecutive deliveries from Starc and Pat Cummins to register his seventh Test fifty, finishing with 60 off 83 balls. Carse joined Jacks with the score at 285-7. Starc claimed his first wicket of the innings — his 20th of the series — continuing a strong Ashes campaign following standout performances in Perth and Brisbane. Australia suffered a setback when Lyon injured his right hamstring while fielding and was ruled out for the remainder of the match. The veteran spinner pulled up while chasing a ball to the boundary and left the field with assistance. England, having lost the first two Tests, must win in Adelaide to stay in contention. Australia needs only a draw to retain the Ashes. England has not won a Test in Australia since January 2011 — a drought spanning 5,462 days. Since then, Australia has dominated home Ashes series, and now stands on the brink of another triumph. The highest successful fourth-innings chase in Test history remains West Indies’ 418 against Australia in 2003, though England has chased targets above 370 twice against India in recent years. Source: AP 

Travis Head scored an unbeaten half-century to guide Australia to 119 for two in its second innings Friday, a lead of 204 at tea on Day 3 of the third Ashes cricket test against England. The Australians went in to bat after dismissing England for 286 just before lunch on Day 3. Ben Stokes inspired a revival in England’s Ashes campaign in the morning session with a record 106-run ninth-wicket stand alongside Jofra Archer. Their partnership helped cut Australia’s first-innings lead to 85. Stokes walked off the field yelling at himself and shaking his head after being bowled for 83 by Mitchell Starc, bringing an end to a defiant, 198-ball innings that dragged his team back ino the contest. Australia lost the wicket of Jake Weatherald, adjudged lbw to Brydon Carse in a decision he should have reviewed, to reach lunch on Day 3 at 17-1. Manus Labuschagne (13), well caught at ground level by Harry Brook in the slips off Josh Tongue's bowling, was the only wicket to fall in the middle session when Australia added 102 runs. Head scored 68 from 94 delivieres, including six boundaries and a six, and shared an unbroken 66-run stand with Usman Khawaja (27 not out). England's revivalAfter losing the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane by eight wickets and allowing Australia to post 371 in the first innings here, England's chances of keeping the series alive seemed remote when Stokes went to the crease on Day 2 with the total at 71-4. But he batted for almost two full sessions in the heat and was 45 not out from 151 deliveries by stumps Thursday, sharing a pivotal stand with No. 10 Archer after England was on the verge of collapsing at 168-8. He resumed Friday with England at 213 for eight, still 158 behind. Australia wanted to clean up the last two wickets quickly but Stokes and Archer, who took a five-wicket haul when England was bowling, dug in. Stokes stepped down the wicket to Scott Boland for a driven boundary to bring up the 50 partnership off 89 balls, then raised his half-century with a single off 159 deliveries. It was his slowest 50 in test cricket — his 37th — but vital for his team. Then the England pair started counterpunching against the old ball, with Archer lofting veteran spinner Nathan Lyon's half-volley for six over long-on. Stokes hits a perfect cover drive to the boundary off Boland in the 73rd over, trying to accumulate as many runs as possible before the new ball arrived. When it did, Archer was lucky to survive on 48 when Starc beat the edge and somehow missed the stumps. Archer took a single off Cummins to reach his first test half-century off 97 balls, bringing England's deficit under 100. But the innings ended relatively quickly after Starc bowled Stokes with a delivery from over the wicket that angled back. The Stokes-Archer partnership was the highest ever for the ninth wicket for England at Adelaide. England is capable of chasing a big target in the fourth innings, chasing 370-plus against India twice in the last three years, so Bazball won't be completely dispensed with despite Stokes' stoic first innings.  

Bangladesh pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman will return home for eight days during the Indian Premier League to play a limited-overs series against New Zealand.  Mustafizur was signed by Kolkata for 9.20 crore rupees at the IPL auction, the highest price ever paid for a Bangladeshi player. However, he will not be available for the full tournament, which runs from March 26 to May 31. New Zealand are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in April for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. Mustafizur becomes most expensive Bangladeshi at IPL auction BCB’s cricket operations chief Nazmul Abedin said Mustafizur would return to Bangladesh specifically to play the ODI series. Bangladesh’s decision is driven by qualification concerns for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Only the top nine teams in the ICC rankings by February 15, 2027, will earn direct entry. Bangladesh are currently ranked tenth. Nazmul dismissed concerns that switching from the T20 intensity of the IPL to ODIs could be difficult for Mustafizur, suggesting the opposite might be true.    

Sometimes, even legends need a moment to adjust. Nathan Lyon did not just take a wicket in Adelaide on Thursday morning against England. He crossed a line that had stood for nearly two decades — and did it with a delivery so perfect that it briefly unsettled one of Australia’s greatest fast bowlers in the commentary box. Lyon’s dismissal of Ben Duckett early on the second day of the Adelaide Test carried history with it. With that ball, the off-spinner moved past Glenn McGrath to become Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, behind only Shane Warne. For McGrath, who was on commentary duty for the BBC, the moment arrived with uncomfortable familiarity. Lyon had already drawn level with McGrath’s tally earlier in the over, when Ollie Pope fell cheaply. Two balls later, Duckett faced what many off-spinners spend a career chasing: a delivery that pitched on a teasing length, drew the front foot forward, spun sharply past the bat and clipped the off stump. Duckett stood still, briefly confused, before walking off. In the commentary box, Adam Gilchrist summed it up simply: Duckett looked “bewildered.” McGrath, momentarily, looked no less so. Cameras caught him lifting his hands to his head, then half-rising from his chair as if to throw it aside, before stopping himself. The reaction was theatrical, but the smile that followed told the fuller story. Records are meant to fall, and Lyon had earned this one properly. For context, McGrath had held that position since retiring in 2007, finishing with 563 wickets from just over one hundred Tests. Lyon surpassed him in his one hundred and forty-first match, having spent months stuck on the same tally amid selection frustrations and limited opportunities, especially in day-night Tests dominated by pace. His return in Adelaide was decisive. Two wickets in his first over, history rewritten, and a reminder that Test cricket has its own sense of timing.

Alex Carey celebrated a memorable hundred at his home venue while Usman Khawaja chipped in with 82 after a late recall, guiding Australia to 326 for eight at stumps on the first day of the third Ashes test on a sweltering Wednesday. England found some momentum through Jofra Archer, who claimed 3-29, including two wickets in three deliveries shortly after lunch. Offspinner Will Jacks added 2-105, removing Australia’s two top scorers, as England edged the day in batting-friendly conditions. Carey anchored the innings with a series of productive stands — 91 with Khawaja, who replaced Steve Smith at the eleventh hour, 59 alongside Josh Inglis, 26 with Pat Cummins and a vital 50 with Mitchell Starc — keeping the run rate near four an over. His innings ended just before stumps on 106, deceived by a slower ball from Jacks. Starc, player of the match in the first two tests, continued his fine run and was unbeaten on 33 at the close. With temperatures climbing past 35°C and forecasts nearing 40°C for Day 2, bowlers faced punishing conditions. A record Adelaide Oval crowd of 56,298 spurred Carey on. “A solid day’s cricket,” he said. “Scoring a hundred here in front of home fans and family was really special.” Carey, a central figure in the contentious 2023 Ashes stumping of Jonny Bairstow, said post-innings he understood the scrutiny that comes with elite sport. Later drama followed when England unsuccessfully reviewed a caught-behind appeal on 72; technology providers later admitted an operator error. Steve Smith missed the match due to ongoing dizziness and nausea, allowing Khawaja to return on the eve of his 39th birthday. Australia, already 2-0 up after wins in Perth and Brisbane, saw early wickets fall before Khawaja and Carey steadied the innings. Both teams wore black armbands in tribute to victims of a deadly antisemitic attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, with flags at half-staff and a pre-match ceremony marking the tragedy. Source: AP 

Usman Khawaja made a dramatic return to the Ashes, steadying Australia at 94-2 after the opening session of the third Test against England on Wednesday. Khawaja was rushed into the playing XI moments before the toss as a replacement for Steve Smith and walked in after Australia lost two wickets in quick succession. The experienced opener survived an early scare when dropped on 5 and went on to remain unbeaten on 41 at the interval. He added an unbroken 61-run partnership for the third wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, who was 19 not out, after Australia slipped from 33 without loss to 33-2 in the space of six balls. Smith had captained Australia to convincing wins in Perth and Brisbane in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, sealing an eight-wicket victory in the second Test and a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. England must win in Adelaide to keep alive its hopes of regaining the Ashes. Khawaja missed the second Test due to a back injury and, on the eve of his 39th birthday, appeared close to Test retirement after initially being left out of the squad. His situation changed abruptly when Smith was ruled out with nausea and dizziness. Mustafizur becomes most expensive Bangladeshi at IPL auction After Cummins won the toss and chose to bat in his return from injury, openers Travis Head and Jake Weatherald made a solid start before Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse struck in successive overs. Khawaja settled after early pressure and capitalized on a dropped chance, adding 36 runs after the reprieve as Australia closed a steady opening session. Players wore black armbands and flags flew at half-staff to honor victims of a deadly antisemitic attack in Sydney, with pre-match tributes held at the Adelaide Oval. Source: AP 

Bangladesh left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman became the most expensive Bangladeshi player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Tuesday after Kolkata Knight Riders secured his services for 9.20 crore rupees at the IPL auction. Mustafizur, who had a base price of 2 crore, attracted strong interest from multiple franchises, with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders engaged in a bidding contest before Kolkata emerged victorious. The final price surpassed the previous record for a Bangladeshi player at the IPL auction, set in 2009 when Mashrafe Mortaza was signed by Kolkata for $600,000 — equivalent to roughly 5.45 crore at current exchange rates. The signing marks Mustafizur’s sixth IPL franchise. He previously represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. With Kolkata, he adds another chapter to a career that has made him one of the most sought-after overseas pace options in the league. Mustafizur made his IPL debut in 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad and played a key role in their title-winning campaign, taking 17 wickets in 16 matches, including a best of three for 21. Across eight IPL seasons, he has played 60 matches and taken 65 wickets, with a strike rate of 21.2 balls per wicket. He has registered six three-wicket hauls and nine instances of taking two wickets in a match. His most productive recent season came in 2016 with Hyderabad, where he claimed 17 wickets in 16 matches.  

Bangladesh’s under-19 team rewrote the record books on Saturday with a landmark chase in the Asia Cup, overhauling a target of 284 to defeat Afghanistan by three wickets in Dubai. No side in the tournament’s 36-year history had ever chased down a total of that size at under-19 level. Bangladesh did so with seven balls to spare, riding a commanding opening stand and holding their nerve through a tense finish at the ICC Cricket Academy ground. Afghanistan, sent in to bat, posted 283 for seven, anchored by a polished century from Faisal Shinozada. The batter struck 103 from 94 balls, his third hundred against Bangladesh in youth one-day internationals, before departing in the 33rd over. Afghanistan added 108 runs after his dismissal to set what appeared an imposing target. Bangladesh’s reply was shaped by a fluent opening partnership between Jawad Abrar and Rifat Beg. The pair added 151 runs in 26.4 overs, giving the chase early momentum. Rifat fell for 62, but Jawad carried on, mixing control with power and keeping the asking rate in check. He was dismissed for 96, four runs short of a century, after striking nine fours and six sixes in a 112-ball innings. A brief wobble followed as wickets fell in quick succession, bringing pressure back into the contest. Captain Azizul Hakim and Kalam Siddiki steadied the innings, and despite further losses late on, Bangladesh stayed within reach. The equation was reduced to 15 runs from the final 18 balls, and after a late dismissal, Shahriar Ahmed calmly nudged the winning run to seal a historic victory.