United News of Bangladesh

Tanzid Hasan hit his maiden Test century on Friday as Bangladesh took a commanding 88-run lead over Australia at tea on the second day of the first Test in Darwin. Bangladesh reached 286 for 3 at tea, with Tanzid’s 101 off 197 balls playing a key role in putting the visitors firmly in control after Australia were bowled out for 198 on Thursday. Tanzid reached 100 from 188 balls, pushing Nathan Lyon to long-off for a single. He was out soon after for 101 from 197 balls, with eight fours and a six. It was only Tanzid’s second Test, but he played with little sign of being overawed by Australia’s attack. He resumed on 32 not out after Bangladesh had finished the first day on 96 for 1, 102 runs behind Australia’s 198. Tanzid and Mominul Haque put on 102 for the second wicket before Mominul fell for 49. Their partnership came four runs short of Bangladesh’s highest second-wicket stand in Australia, the 108 between Habibul Bashar and Hannan Sarkar in Cairns in 2003. Tanzid reached his fifty from 102 balls, hitting five fours. He needed only 86 more balls for his second fifty, adding three fours and a six. He drove well, played confidently off the back foot and twice took on Beau Webster, including a six down the ground. There was one let-off. Tanzid was on 62 when Steven Smith could not hold a chance at slip Smith had described the pitch as “tricky” after Australia were bowled out for 198 on Thursday. Bangladesh’s batters have so far offered little evidence of that, with Tanzid, Mominul and Najmul Hossain Shanto all batting comfortably.  

The heads of six Arab soccer federations expressed their “full support” and “confidence” in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan. The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, with four of the signatories being FIFA council members. “We, the undersigned leaders of our respective football associations, express our full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide,” the statement read. “We deeply appreciate Mr. Infantino’s sustained efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions and strengthen the game’s role in bringing people and communities together.” The statement said the signatories “look forward to continuing our close cooperation with him towards a stronger and more prosperous future for world football, expanding opportunities and further enhancing Arab football’s contribution to the global game.” Infantino is facing a revolt after his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. He withdrew the $20 billion proposal after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA, which has warned of a boycott of all FIFA games and events. UEFA teamed up with CONCACAF — the confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean — and the Asian Football Confederation — and issued an open letter Monday saying Infantino’s plan was a “fundamental breach of trust” and described it as “deception.” And on Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland said in a statement it has withdrawn its support for Infantino to be re-elected as FIFA president in March, saying “recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.” The soccer federations in England and Wales did the same last week, while Northern Ireland said it was backing UEFA's stance. New Zealand Football, which is part of the Oceania confederation, issued a statement Friday local time saying it had withdrawn its support for the candidature of Infantino and was seeking an independent review of steps taken to develop the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. New Zealand soccer's governing body said it “formed the view that decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased division within international football, and that an independent review is required to restore confidence and trust.” Schism in Asian bloc over Infantino support By expressing support for Infantino, Qatar and Lebanon aligned against the Asian Football Confederation. Infantino’s official Instagram account previously has posted letters of support from several member federations, including Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The four FIFA council members among the signatories were Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida, Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritanian Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya. The other two were Lebanese Football Association president Hashem Haidar and Moatasem Gafar, president of the Sudan Football Association. Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and seemed sure to be re-elected unopposed next year in Morocco. FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward.

Just a week ago, Bangladesh were bowled out twice in an innings defeat by a Cricket Australia XI, raising plenty of questions about how they would cope when the real Test began. A start like this would have been difficult to imagine. Bangladesh dismissed Australia for 198 on Thursday, then reached 96 for 1 by stumps on the opening day of the first Test in Darwin. They have already erased almost half of Australia's total and still have their middle order to come. Hasan Mahmud set up the day with a career-best 6 for 55, while Ebadot Hossain and Taskin Ahmed took two wickets each. Australia, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, were never able to build a substantial innings on a surface that had about 4 millimeters of grass at the start of play. Jake Weatherald and Travis Head fell to Hasan in the first 14 overs, and Marnus Labuschagne was out for 1 to Ebadot. Australia were 74 for 4 at lunch, with Steven Smith the only batter offering sustained resistance. Smith made 71 from 109 balls, but Australia's innings fell away after his partnership with Alex Carey had taken the score to 129. Hasan returned late in the innings to remove Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Smith and Nathan Lyon, completing his six-for as Australia were bowled out in 53 overs. Bangladesh then made the most of their opportunity. Shadman Islam fell for 20 after adding 36 with Tanzid Hasan, but Australia struggled to make another breakthrough. Tanzid and Mominul Haque put on an unbeaten 60 for the second wicket, seeing Bangladesh through the final 15.4 overs without a further wicket. Tanzid finished on 32 not out from 67 balls and Mominul on 35 from 49. Bangladesh scored at four runs an over against an attack featuring Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. There is a long way to go in the Test, and Australia will have plenty of opportunities to recover. But after the tour-match defeat last week, Bangladesh could hardly have asked for a better first day.

Hasan Mahmud took six wickets as Bangladesh bowled Australia out for 198 on the opening day of the first Test in Darwin on Thursday. Hasan finished with 6 for 55 from 17 overs, taking six of Australia’s last eight wickets after returning to the attack late in the innings. He removed both openers early, then came back to break Australia’s lower order. Jake Weatherald made 23 before edging Hasan to Litton Das behind the stumps. Four overs later, Travis Head was bowled for 22 after chopping a length delivery back onto his stumps. Marnus Labuschagne fell to Ebadot Hossain for 1, leaving Australia 61 for 3. Cameron Green was then caught behind off Taskin Ahmed for 13, but Steven Smith and Alex Carey steadied the innings. Smith made 71 from 109 balls, with seven fours and a six. He and Carey added 55 for the fifth wicket before Carey was bowled by Ebadot for 19. Taskin removed Beau Webster for 12, but Hasan returned with Australia 152 for 6 and quickly worked through the tail. Pat Cummins edged behind for 9, before Mitchell Starc nicked a full delivery angled across him for 1. Smith, who had reached his half-century from 76 balls, charged Hasan and skied a catch to Litton for 71. Hasan completed his six-for by dismissing Nathan Lyon for 7, who top-edged a pull to midwicket. Australia were all out for 198 in 53 overs. Taskin finished with 2 for 55 and Ebadot took 2 for 39.

Paris Saint-Germain retained the UEFA Super Cup for a second consecutive year after beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday, with Désiré Doué scoring the decisive second-half goal in the traditional curtain-raiser to the European soccer season. Doué put PSG ahead in the 61st minute after running onto a pass from Ousmane Dembélé. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a video review overturned the decision and awarded the goal. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had given PSG the lead in the 20th minute with a powerful strike before Villa teenager Brian Madjo equalized with a volley. The 17-year-old striker was making his competitive debut for the club just days after receiving clearance to play following a dispute with FIFA over his registration. The victory marked the first of a potential six trophies for PSG this season. The French champions became the first team since Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017 to win the Super Cup in consecutive years. The UEFA Super Cup is an annual match between the reigning Champions League winners and Europa League champions. Somali referee makes history The match in Salzburg, Austria, was officiated by Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred by the United States from refereeing at the World Cup shortly before the tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials alleged that Artan had links to terrorist organizations but did not provide evidence. UEFA selected Artan, who was named Africa’s best referee last season, to officiate the Super Cup. His appointment came amid growing tensions between European soccer’s governing body and FIFA. The dispute has intensified, with UEFA leading efforts to remove FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his recently abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup. Artan became the first non-European referee to officiate a UEFA Super Cup. PSG start season with another trophy PSG, which won five trophies last season, has already added another title and could claim a second trophy in the 2026-27 campaign when it faces Lens in the Trophée des Champions on Sunday. The match pits France’s previous season’s league and cup winners against each other. Doué was among the PSG players who only returned to training Monday after the World Cup, but coach Luis Enrique handed him a starting role. The 21-year-old repaid the faith by scoring the winner. Doué found space behind Villa’s defense after receiving Dembélé’s pass and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner. The assistant referee raised the offside flag, but VAR showed that Villa right-back Matty Cash had kept Doué onside. Referee Artan awarded the goal following the review, prompting Doué to celebrate with a punch in the air. Kvaratskhelia was PSG’s most influential player in the first half. He opened the scoring after cutting in from the left and unleashing a powerful rising shot into the near corner. Teenager Madjo shines on debut Villa’s Brian Madjo made an impressive competitive debut. The powerful teenager was born in north London, has played three friendly matches for Luxembourg and has since opted to represent England. Madjo joined Villa from French club Metz in January, but FIFA initially blocked his registration because its rules restrict international transfers involving players under 18. Villa appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the appeal last week, clearing him to make his debut as the youngest player to appear in a Super Cup. Madjo repeatedly troubled PSG’s experienced center-back pairing of Willian Pacho and Marquinhos. He came close to scoring several times before eventually finding the net when he met John McGinn’s cross with a volley into the roof of the net. Shortly before scoring, Madjo had forced his way past Pacho and struck the post. The defeat was Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s fourth consecutive loss in the Super Cup. His previous defeats came twice while managing Sevilla and once with Villarreal.

Bangladesh are set to qualify directly for the 2027 ODI World Cup after Afghanistan’s win over Ireland strengthened their position in the ICC ODI rankings. The qualification list will not be official until the rankings cutoff on Sept. 30. But with less than seven weeks to go, Bangladesh are in the top eight and cannot realistically be overtaken. The top eight teams in the ODI rankings on Sept. 30, excluding the two host nations, will qualify directly for the World Cup. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified as co-hosts. Afghanistan secured a place in the top eight by beating Ireland by three wickets in Belfast on Sunday. The result left Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the eight direct-qualification spots. Bangladesh are therefore on course to avoid the qualifying tournament and go straight into the World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. Their place will be confirmed after the Sept. 30 cutoff. West Indies, meanwhile, will have to take the longer route. The two-time world champions are ranked 10th and cannot break into the top eight even if they win their two remaining ODIs against India before the cutoff. They will have to play in the World Cup Qualifier in February and March next year. It will be the third consecutive World Cup cycle in which West Indies have had to go through the qualifiers. They failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup after finishing fifth in the Super Six stage, missing the tournament for the first time in their history. That failure also kept them out of the 2025 Champions Trophy, a tournament they have not played since 2013. The 2027 Qualifier will include West Indies and Ireland, the two lowest-ranked non-host Full Members, along with teams advancing from World Cup League 2 and the Qualifier Playoff. The qualification route has also changed. The Qualifier winner will advance directly to the second round of the World Cup, while the teams finishing second through fourth will enter a Super Series. The winner of that series will also advance to the second round. Bangladesh, barring a late change in the rankings, will not have to take that route.

Soccer authorities in Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean, and Asia have accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of a "fundamental breach of trust" over his recently abandoned plan to sell an interest in the World Cup to private equity investors. In an "open letter to the football family" released Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC said that breaking trust through deception and placing an individual above the collective represented a failure of duty. UEFA governs soccer in Europe, CONCACAF oversees the sport in North, Central America and the Caribbean, while the AFC is the governing body for Asian soccer. The letter was signed by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, AFC President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani and the general secretaries of the three continental governing bodies. "Football is the world's greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution," the letter said, adding that the sport belongs to its players, fans, clubs, member associations and institutions responsible for protecting its future. The statement came as Infantino faces growing opposition following the failure of his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. "It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him," the letter said. It added that the decision to take a joint stance was made out of responsibility to the sport and not lightly. Infantino received some support outside soccer, with U.S. President Donald Trump defending the FIFA president in a social media post Monday night. "FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino," Trump wrote, praising him for presiding over what he described as the most successful World Cup ever. UEFA had previously threatened to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions, despite FIFA abandoning the plan and apologizing for the controversy. Norway's soccer federation has called for Infantino to resign, while England's Football Association has withdrawn its support for his re-election next March. "Football's strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honored now," the letter said, calling for leadership that serves football rather than seeks to control it. Last Wednesday, FIFA said it had apologized for mistakes made in connection with the failed plan. It also said senior officials at a crisis meeting in Morocco had "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino's presidency. However, the meeting itself has drawn criticism from the three continental federations. "FIFA's own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco," UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC said. "No FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present." The federations said FIFA needed to go beyond acknowledging that mistakes had been made. They criticized FIFA for treating the controversy as a communication failure rather than a failure of judgment, saying the attempt to sell an interest in the World Cup represented a "fundamental breach of trust" with the institutions FIFA is meant to serve. In a statement released Saturday, FIFA defended Infantino against what it described as a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine his leadership of the organization.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will consult the Indian government before deciding whether the national team will travel to Bangladesh for a six-match limited-overs series next month, according to India Today. India are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is. The first ODI is set for September 1 in Dhaka, with the other two on September 3 and 6. The T20Is are scheduled for September 9, 12 and 13. The Indian team is due to arrive in Dhaka on August 28. But the BCCI has not yet confirmed whether the tour will go ahead. BCCI officials told the media that the board will approach the government for guidance and permission before making a decision. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has already written to the BCCI about the tour, and the two boards remain in regular contact, the source said. The issue comes as relations between Bangladesh and India remain strained. Earlier this year, Bangladesh withdrew from the T20 World Cup after the BCCI removed Bangladesh all-rounder Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL following security threats. Bangladesh then asked the ICC to move its matches to another venue. When that request was rejected, the BCB withdrew the team from the tournament. Relations appeared to improve after Bangladesh's change of government following the national election. Tensions rose again after India allowed former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted in Bangladesh and remains in India, to hold a news conference in Delhi. The India tour was originally scheduled for August 2025. The two boards later agreed to move it to September 2026, citing international scheduling and logistical considerations.

Travis Head is open to continuing as an opening batter for Australia after making a successful move to the top of the order during the Ashes. Head had been a middle-order regular in Test cricket until Usman Khawaja’s injury in the first Ashes Test in Perth forced a change. Head had experience opening in white-ball cricket and had also done the job in Tests against India and Sri Lanka, scoring 321 runs at an average of 45.85. He made an immediate impact in Perth, scoring 123 off 83 balls on a difficult surface. He added two more centuries during the series and finished with 629 runs, the most by any batter. Still, Head does not regard himself as a traditional Test opener. “I might have opened in 10, 12 of them,” Head told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it would suggest that I'm not an opening batter, a true opening batter, in terms of what Australian cricket is known for.” The Australian batter said his game was suited to the role but acknowledged that opening brought different demands, particularly against the new ball. “I know that I've still got to work continuously hard at the new ball. I know I'm going to make mistakes. I'm very comfortable with where my game is at,” he added. Khawaja’s retirement has left Australia with an opening spot to fill, and Head’s Ashes performance has made him a strong candidate. He is also Australia’s leading run-scorer in the current World Test Championship cycle, with 853 runs at an average of 53.31. But Head said his focus is less on his own numbers than on helping Australia win. “I'd love to score hundreds, I'd love to be in the runs column all the time, but at the end of the day I'd just love to contribute to winning Test matches,” he said. Australia, who lead the WTC standings, will begin a two-Test series against Bangladesh in Darwin on August 13. Their schedule also includes tours of South Africa and India, a home series against New Zealand and next year’s Ashes in England.

FIFA has defended its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the world football governing body. FIFA issued the statement Saturday, a day after British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported questions surrounding an exit payment made by UEFA to a female staff member who worked with Infantino when he was secretary general of European football’s governing body. UEFA confirmed that a “departure payment” had been made to the employee and said it was “in line” with the regulations in place at the time. Infantino spent 16 years working at UEFA before being elected FIFA president. In its Saturday statement, FIFA accused Infantino’s critics of seeking to weaken his authority and remove him from office without following due process. “It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” FIFA said. It added that those who lack the support of FIFA’s member associations should not try to achieve through allegations, insinuations or misinformation what they cannot accomplish through the organization’s established democratic processes. FIFA also said some reports had included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” that should not be presented as facts. “Change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA’s president or the institution he was elected to lead,” the statement said. Infantino has faced strong criticism after details emerged of his plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity firms. UEFA and two other continental confederations — North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation — rejected the proposal. Infantino received support from FIFA’s management board last Wednesday following a meeting in Morocco, and he apologized over the process. However, UEFA’s threat to have its 55 member associations boycott FIFA competitions until the plan was dropped remained in place. UEFA said Thursday that the announcement “changes nothing.” Regarding the departure payment, UEFA said it “was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time.” The organization added that the rules have since been tightened and now “reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organization.”