Six-time champions, Dhaka Abahani Limited dropped points with Brothers Union Club as the ninth round match of the Bashundhara Kings Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football ended in a goalless draw at the Bir Shreshtho Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Saturday. Despite the day’s draw in a keenly contested match, the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Ltd, without any foreign players, maintained their second slot in the league table, securing 20 points from all nine first-phase matches, while the Gopibagh outfit Brothers Union remained at the 5th slot with 15 points from nine encounters. Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed backs spin pitches for home test matches Meanwhile, Dhaka Mohammedan SC comfortably dominated the 10-team league, securing 24 points from nine outings despite conceding the first defeat against lowly Youngsmen’s Club Fakirerpool by a 0-1 goal in their ninth match on Friday. Last season’s treble winners, Bashundhara Kings, completed the nine-match first phase league in the third slot, collecting 17 points, while the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS is in the fourth place by virtue of better goal differences, securing equal 15 points like the Brothers Union. Abahani’s national-coloured custodian, Mitul Marma, who did not concede any goals in the last six matches, also displayed his brilliance in the day’s match, saving some good opponent’s attempts and being adjudged player of the match. Ashraful Islam Rana of Brothers Union also played entertaining football in the match. In the day’s other match, Fortis FC advanced to the 6th slot in the league table, beating bottom-ranked Chittagong Abahani Limited by a 1-0 goal at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Saturday afternoon. 10th Shah Cement AKS Cup Golf Tournament begins Gambian defender Essa Jallow scored the match-winning goal for Fortis FC in the 34th minute. Fortis FC bagged 11 points from nine outings to move up to 6th place while Chittagong Abahani Limited remained at the bottom with three points from nine encounters.

Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican’s outstanding all-round contributions earned the West Indies a narrow nine-run first-innings lead against Pakistan, as 20 wickets tumbled on the opening day of the second test on Saturday, reports AP. Motie’s crucial 55, his first test half-century, rescued the visitors from a dire 54-8 to a total of 163. The left-arm spinner then claimed 3-49 to dismiss the hosts for 154 on another challenging spinning track at Multan Cricket Stadium. Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed backs spin pitches for home test matches Motie’s stellar performance overshadowed Noman Ali’s hat trick and his impressive figures of 6-41, as Pakistan’s batters faltered on their own spin-friendly surface. Warrican, who earlier scored an unbeaten 36 at No. 11, also made an impact with the ball, taking 4-43. Mohammad Rizwan (49) and Saud Shakeel (32) briefly revived Pakistan with a 68-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, both fell to Warrican while attempting risky shots in the final session, and the tail collapsed quickly before stumps. Bangladesh miss out direct qualification for Women's ODI World Cup' 2025 losing to West Indies Motie had earlier dismissed Babar Azam (1), bowled while attempting a back-foot cut, and Kamran Ghulam (16), leaving Pakistan struggling at 51-4. Kemar Roach made early inroads with the new ball, trapping Muhammad Hurraira lbw and clean-bowling captain Shan Masood. Earlier in the day, No. 9 Motie added 109 runs with the last two batters before the West Indies were dismissed in an extended three-hour first session. This followed Noman Ali’s demolition of the top order with his left-arm spin. Ali, who had been pivotal in Pakistan’s 127-run victory in the first test alongside Sajid Khan, achieved a hat trick by dismissing Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, and Kevin Sinclair in the 12th over, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to claim a hat trick in test cricket. The West Indies’ top-order batters once again struggled against spin on a crumbling pitch, as they had in the first test, where they were bowled out for 137 and 123, losing within three days. Motie, playing his 11th test, fought back with resilience. He shared a 41-run partnership with Roach (25) and followed it up with a 68-run stand alongside Warrican. BPL 2025 T20 Cricket Tournament: Top Performers Leading the Charge So Far Debutant pacer Kashif Ali removed Mikyle Louis, finding the outside edge after Kraigg Brathwaite elected to bat first. Off-spinner Sajid Khan trapped Amir Jangoo lbw for a four-ball duck, while Ali dismissed Brathwaite in similar fashion. Noman Ali’s hat trick was a memorable triple-wicket maiden over. Greaves was caught close to the wicket by Babar Azam, Imlach failed to review an lbw decision off a full-pitched delivery, and Sinclair edged to the gully, where Babar completed a stunning low catch. Four Pakistan pacers — Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, and Naseem Shah — have previously achieved test hat tricks, with Akram doing so twice against Sri Lanka in 1999. Naseem was the last to achieve the feat, against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in 2020. The West Indies made two changes for this match, bringing in Roach for the injured Jayden Seals, and debuting Amir Jangoo at No. 3 in place of the out-of-form Keacy Carty. This is the final series for both teams in the World Test Championship, with Pakistan ranked eighth and West Indies ninth. Australia and South Africa have already secured their places in the WTC final at Lord’s in June.

Bangladesh women's team narrowly missed the direct qualification for the ICC Women's 0DI World Cup 2025 losing to hosts West Indies by eight wickets in a series deciding day-night 3rd and last ODI match at the Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts Friday night  After the Friday' s  match, Bangladesh women' s team not only failed to qualify for World Cup directly, but also lost the three- match ODI series 1-2 against the Caribbeans. Bangladesh women's needed just an outright victory or no result in Friday's 3rd and last match for their direct qualification in ODI World Cup, but suffered a frustrating eight wicket defeat destroying their long charished dream. New Zealand qualified to play in the World Cup directly toppling Bangladesh by virtue of better run rate despite of securing 21 points in the Women's Championship  like Bangladesh. Women's ODI Series: Bangladesh taste maiden victory against West Indies in any format Earlier, Bangladesh Women's came close to fulfill their dream to play in the World Cup as they tasted the maiden win against West Indies in any format of cricket beating them by 60 runs in the 2nd ODI to level the three-match 1-1 last Tuesday after conceding a nine-wicket defeat in the first ODI. However, Bangladesh has an outside chance to qualify for  the eight-nation final round of the Women's ODI World Cup after playing in the six- team qualifying round with Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland and Thailand. Top two teams of the qualifying round will earn the rights to play in the eight- team final round with Australia England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and hosts India. In the 3rd and last ODI on Friday night  Bangladesh women's team batted first after winning toss and were bundled out cheaply for just 118 runs in 43.5 overs with Sharmin Akter (37l  Sobhana Mostary (25) and Fargana Hoque  (22) were the main contributors  In reply, West Indian women's easily reached their target scoring 122 runs the loss of eight wickets in 27.3 overs.

Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed says there’s no harm in preparing wickets for spinners at home to get favorable results as Pakistan eyes a clean sweep against the West Indies in their two-match test series. Spin trio Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed claimed all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s 127-run victory in the first test at Multan, which also hosts the second test starting Saturday. “If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the World Test Championship final,” Javed told reporters Friday. “The rule of test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win 2-3 tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final.” Javed said “of course” they were right "to prepare a spin pitch against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling.” Pakistan is No. 8 just ahead of last-place West Indies in the WTC standings with Australia and South Africa already into this June’s final at Lord’s. Pakistan lost 2-0 to Bangladesh at home and then trailed 1-0 against England before Javed took over the pitch preparations, drying out the 22-yard pitches in Multan and Rawalpindi with the help of industrial-sized fans and patio heaters. Australia's women win Ashes series with another T20 victory over England The engineered pitches favoured the home spinners as Pakistan recorded a 2-1 series win against England and followed it with another convincing win against the West Indies. “We think we can prepare these pitches in every center of Pakistan, and it should be as difficult to beat Pakistan here as it is to beat Australia or South Africa away,” Javed said. “People should know if they’re going to Pakistan, they will have to do something extraordinary to beat Pakistan.” The spin domination has seen Pakistan going with just one fast bowler, Khurram Shahzad, in the first test. Without naming any present day Pakistan fast bowler, Javed said Pakistan pacers have got a dip in their art of reverse swing with the old red-ball once used efficiently by the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the past. “We used to be strong on reverse swing, but now that skill level has gone down,” Javed said. “We have told our fast bowlers if you want to take wickets here, their reverse swing skill will have to go up.” The spin pitches in Pakistan have seen the home team batters struggle against quality spinners such as West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who took a match haul of 10 wickets in the first test. “If foreign players are struggling on these pitches, so are our players because they have never played on these pitches,” Javed said. "We have told them their training and practice routines will be geared towards this, and we will change domestic pitches, too.” Pakistan starts the next WTC cycle in October when it hosts South Africa for two test matches.

League leaders Mohammedan SC tasted their first defeat in their 9th match of the 10- team  Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), losing to lowly Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool by 0-1 goal at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Friday afternoon. Despite the day's maiden and shocking defeat, the traditional black and whites Mohammedan SC comfortably dominated the league in the first phase securing 24 points from nine matches With the day's well-merited and 3rd victory, Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool advanced to the 7th slot in the league table collecting nine points from as many matches. After a barren first half, Uzbek midfielder Sardor Jakmonov scored the match winning goal for Youngmen's Club in the 66th minute of the match (1-0). In the day's another match, defending champions Bashundhara Kings outplayed Dhaka Wanderers Club by 5-0 goals at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur on Friday. BPL Football: 9th round begins Friday with leaders Mohammedan taking on Youngmen’s Club Brazilian midfielder Jonathon Fernandes put the Kings ahead in the 11th minute (1-0), medio Mohammad Sohel  Rana doubled the Kings margin in the 29th minute (2-0) while defender Topu Barman scored the 3rd goal for the winners in the 38th minute to dominate the first half by 3-0 goals. Local forward Rakib Hossain and Brazilian forward Miguel Figueira added two more goals for the Kings in the 66th and 75th minutes respectively to earned a comfortable (5-0) victory. In the day's other match, coming from behind, Bangladesh Police FC beat Rahmatganj MFS by 2-1 goals at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Friday. Ghana midfielder Mamoud Oshie put Rahmatganj MFS ahead in the 25th minute while local forward  Al Amin scored twice for Police FC in the 35th and 68th minutes respectively. Federation Cup Football: Rahmatganj, Dhaka Abahani Ltd maintain all-win record beating their rivals After the day's matches, the six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited followed the leader Mohammedan  distantly collecting 19 points from eight matches, holders .Bashundhara Kings advanced to the 3rd place with 17 points,  Rahmatganj MFS went down to the 4th with their previous credit of 15 points playing nine matches each while Brothers Union Club are struggling at the 5th slot collecting 14 points from eight outings.

Since December 30, 2024, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 T20 Cricket Tournament has been spellbinding cricket fans with exciting performances. As the competition progresses towards Phase 4, standout players and teams have begun to shape the narrative. Let’s dive into the brilliance of the standout bowlers, batsmen, and teams leading the race. Bangladesh Premier League 2025 Tournaments Top 5 Batsmen To Date . Table: Top Run-scorers in the 11th Edition of BPL So Far No Batsman Team Most Run Match Highest Score Century Half Century 1 Tanzid Hasan Tamim Dhaka Capitals 420 10 108 1 3 2 Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy Durbar Rajshahi 379 10 100 1 2 3 Litton Das Dhaka Capitals 348 9 125 1 2 4 Zakir Hasan Sylhet Strikers 342 9 75 - 3 5 Graham Clark Chittagong Kings 335 8 101 1 1 The T20 cricket action has been a stage for outstanding batting displays, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim from Dhaka Capitals taking the lead. His collection is 420 runs in 10 matches, including a highest score of 108. He has one century and three half-centuries to his name. Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy from Durbar Rajshahi follows closely with 379 runs in 10 matches. His highest score of 100 and ability to deliver one century and two half-centuries underline his value. Litton Das, also from Dhaka Capitals, has 348 runs in 9 matches, with a remarkable performance of 125 runs. Apart from the century inning, he has 2 half-centuries in the remaining matches. Zakir Hasan from Sylhet Strikers has scored 342 runs in 9 matches, though without a century. He maintains a steady performance with 3 half-centuries including a top score of 75 runs. Finally, Graham Clark, an English player who played for Chittagong Kings, completes the list with 335 runs in 8 matches. His achievement also includes a half-century and the best batting delivery with a Centurion inning of 101 runs. Read more: BPL Football: 9th round begins Friday with leaders Mohammedan taking on Youngmen’s Club Top 5 Bowlers in the Ongoing BPL 2025 Tournament . Table: Leading Wicket-takers in the 11th edition of BPL Before Phase 4 No Bowler Team Wickets Match Overs Best Bowling in Innings 1 Taskin Ahmed Durbar Rajshahi 22 10 38.2 7/19 2 Akif Javed Rangpur Riders 15 7 26.5 4/32 3 Abu Hider Rony Khulna Tigers 15 8 30.5 4/44 4 Khushdil Shah Rangpur Riders 14 9 24 3/18 5 Aliss Al Islam Chittagong Kings 12 8 31 3/17 The bowlers have been equally influential in the tournament, with Taskin Ahmed of Durbar Rajshahi dominating the charts. He bowled 38 overs and 2 balls in 10 matches, securing 22 wickets with a personal best of 7 wickets against 19 runs. Akif Javed, Pakistani cricketer on behalf of Rangpur Riders is second with 15 wickets in 7 matches from 26 overs and 5 balls. He boasts a best figure of 4 wickets in 32 runs. Abu Hider Rony from Khulna Tigers also claimed 15 wickets in 30 overs 5 balls of 8 matches. His top spell was 44 runs off 4 wickets. Rangpur Riders' Khushdil Shah, a Pakistani player by origin, takes the fourth spot with 14 wickets in 24 overs across 9 matches. In an innings, he reached a maximum of 18 runs from 3 wickets. Aliss Al Islam of Chittagong Kings rounds off the top five with 12 wickets in 8 matches, bowling 31 overs. His personal best for an innings was 17 runs for 3 wickets. Read more: BPL Football: League leaders Mohammedan SC taste first defeat losing to Youngmen's Club Top 4 Teams in the 11th Edition of Bangladesh Premier League So Far . Table: Points Table Standings - Top 4 Teams Before Phase 4 of BPL 2025 No Team Match Won Lost Points Net Run Rate (NRR) 1 Rangpur Riders 9 8 1 16 1.223 2 Fortune Barishal 8 6 2 12 0.993 3 Chittagong Kings 9 5 4 10 1.045 4 Khulna Tigers 9 4 5 8 -0.148 The tournament is led by Rangpur Riders, who have won all but one of 9 matches, earning 16 points and the season's highest NRR of 1.223. Fortune Barishal holds second place with 6 wins from 8 matches, accumulating 12 points and an NRR of 0.993. Chittagong Kings sit third, with 5 wins and 4 losses from 9 matches, earning 10 points and maintaining an NRR of 1.045. Khulna Tigers round out the top 4, securing 4 wins and 8 points from 9 matches. However, their 5 losses have left them with a negative NRR of -0.148. Read more: 10th Shah Cement AKS Cup Golf Tournament begins Summary The BPL 2025’s best performers to date include batsmen Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy, Litton Das, Zakir Hasan, and Graham Clark. Sitting atop the bowling charts with the highest wickets are Taskin Ahmed, Akif Javed, Abu Hider Rony, Khushdil Shah, and Aliss Al Islam. The teams dominating the competition are the Rangpur Riders, Fortune Barishal, Chittagong Kings, and Khulna Tigers. The 2025 Bangladesh Premier League will end on February 7. It is expected that the T20 Tournament will keep the cricket fans entertained with magical performances and exciting records. Read more: BPL Cricket: Durbar Rajshahi inflict first defeat of the season on leaders Rangpur Riders

Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB) : The 10th Shah Cement AKS Cup Golf Tournament 2025 officially commenced at the Kurmitola Golf Course on Friday. The tournament, running from January 22-24 January 2025, has drawn around 650 golfers from across the country, including members of the Kurmitola Golf Club and various other golf clubs, according to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release. Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan inaugurated the tournament as chief guest, it said. Commandant of the National Defence College and Vice President of the Kurmitola Golf Club, Lt Gen Mohammad Shahinul Haque, Executive Director of Abul Khair Group, Freedom Fighter Brig Gen Shahidullah Chowdhury, Club Captain Brig Gen Mohammad Touhid Hossain, senior officers of the Bangladesh Navy, senior officials of Abul Khair Group, and relevant military and civilian officers were present at the event, among others.

Manchester United has told fans it cannot sustain its current financial losses and risks breaching Premier League rules after facing a backlash over rising ticket prices. The record 20-time English champion, which is co-owned by the American Glazer family and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, said it had lost more than 300 million pounds ($371 million) over the past three years. “This is not sustainable and if we do not act now we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP (financial) requirements in future years and significantly impacting our ability to compete on the pitch,” United wrote in a letter to fan group The 1958 and seen by The Associated Press. Supporters have hit out after United raised its lowest-priced tickets to 66 pounds ($81) partway through the season. Previously, the lowest priced ticket was 40 pounds ($49). “We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there,” United wrote. It said it did “not expect fans to make up all the current shortfall” but would look at its ticket pricing strategy to make sure it was “charging the right amount." The Premier League’s profit and financial sustainability rules (PSR) allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds ($132.5 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions such as points deductions. Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points for breaking those rules. There are also sanctions for failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations. While United reported losses last year of 113.2 million pounds ($140 million) for the year ending June 30, certain areas of spending are not included the league’s PSR calculations. Still, the club has outlined its concerns about its ability to comply with the rules. Ratcliffe, who is one of Britain’s richest people and completed a partial buyout of United last year, has overseen an extensive restructuring program. That has included cost-saving initiatives that saw staff redundancies of around 250 roles. “None of this has been easy, but we believe it is essential to restoring financial sustainability to the club which will underpin us as we work to get back to the top of English and European football,” United said. Read:Vinícius Júnior reaches 100 goals with Real Madrid as club advances in Champions League United also fired Erik ten Hag as manager in late October, just a few months after handing the Dutchman a contract extension through next season. Then, in December, the club announced that sporting director Dan Ashworth would leave by mutual agreement less than six months after taking over the role as part of Ratcliffe's overhaul. United's financial issues come at a time when it is need of improvements on the field. Last week, head coach Ruben Amorim said this was “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United” after defeat to Brighton left it 13th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than Champions League qualification. His need for funds to add to his squad could see the departure of leading players like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho during the midseason transfer window.

Australia's women had already retained the Ashes. Now they've won the series against England. The Australians won the rain-affected second Twenty20 by six runs in Canberra on Thursday to extend their 100% start to the series and move into a 10-0 lead with just one more T20 and a test match remaining. The English were set 186 to win and reached 168-4 with five balls left when heavy rain fell and no further play was possible. They were six runs short of the required score set by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Read: Women's ODI Series: Bangladesh taste maiden victory against West Indies in any format The Australians, who have won all three ODIs and the first two T20s, have held the Ashes since 2015, when they won the multi-format series on English soil.

Mid-table Durbar Rajshahi  forced League leader Rangpur Riders to concede first defeat in the seven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Cricket beating them by 24 runs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Thursday. Despite the day’s maiden defeat, Rangpur Riders maintained their top slot in the league intact securing 16 points from nine matches with eight wins and one defeat while middle rated Durbar Rajshahi are still struggling for the qualifiers with eight points from ten encounters. Sent into bat first in the day’s match, Durbar Rajshahi piled up a moderate 170 for 9 in 20 overs with middle order Yasir Ali quick-firing 60 runs off 32 deliveries hitting two four and six sixes. Later Yasir was adjudged most valuable player of the match by Cricinfo. Opener Sabbir Hossain (39), one down Anamul Haque Bijoy (34), another opener Mohammad Haris (19) were the other notable batters to reach the double figures. BPL: Rajshahi beat Sylhet as Sunzamul takes three wickets Akif Javed and Khurshdil Shah grabbed three wickets each conceding 23 and 31 runs respectively. In reply, Rangpur Riders were bundled out for 146 runs in 19.2 overs with one down Saif Hasan making 29-ball 43 runs featuring five fours and two sixes. Nurul Hasan Shohan fired a captain knock of 41 runs off 26 balls hitting four fours and two sixes, bowling all rounder  Mohammad Saifuddin  made 14-ball 23 runs including two fours and a six while and Khurhdil Shah made 13-ball 14 runs featuring a six, were the main contributors for Rangpur Riders. Ryan Buri of Rajshahi claimed four wickets 22 runs and was adjudged player of the match while SM Meherob and Taskin Ahmed took two wickets each giving away 19 and 20 runs respectively.