The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s newly-appointed chairman of selectors Habibul Bashar says he wants veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to return to the country and play for at least two more years, including the 2027 ODI World Cup. The 39-year-old Shakib, who was a member of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League party, relocated to the USA after her government was toppled by a violent student uprising in 2024. The interim government barred him from representing the country. But Bashar, who took charge after the formation of a new government earlier this year, took a conciliatory tone towards the veteran.
Bashar said he is being considered for a return but it would not be during the upcoming home white-ball series against New Zealand starting April 17 as time is not enough to plan it out.
“There is not much time left before the New Zealand series and I am not sure how much cricket Shakib has been involved with. From what I know about him, he is not a guy who will come tomorrow and play the day after.
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“He needs preparation too. It’s not a place of emotion. Definitely if we are thinking about Shakib, we will think in the long-term,” Bashar was quoted as saying by ‘Cricbuzz’.
Shakib has often expressed a desire to play his last Test on home turf before calling it quits but Bashar said the celebrated cricketer still has at least two more years left in him.
“I don’t think about Shakib coming for a single series and then leaving. If we can get service from him, we will want that he provides that for a long time. In that regard, preparation is very important.
“First things first, he is definitely in the plans. You see there are talks about him in regards to the New Zealand series which is why I want him to come prepared for a longer time. I think he still has two years,” Bashar said.
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“I want him for the longer term, at least to have that plan where he can play the 2027 World Cup. So my plans are not for one series,” he added.
Bashar was a part of the national selection committee from 2011 to 2024.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Brilliant as Wales were against North Macedonia, the performance was not without its blemishes.
The visitors’ goal was alarmingly simple, with one pass from their own half splitting the Welsh midfield and defence to allow Bojan Miovski time and space in the penalty area to finish.
That was not an isolated incident during the campaign. One drawback of Wales’ enterprising style under Bellamy is the way in which it can leave them defensively vulnerable.
Group winners Belgium exposed that frailty, scoring eight goals during their two victories over Wales.
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The Belgians’ 4-2 triumph in Cardiff was the starkest illustration. Wales enjoyed plenty of possession but left an alarming amount of space behind for the likes of Jeremy Doku, who cut loose at Cardiff City Stadium.
Bosnia do not possess the same firepower as Belgium, but Wales cannot afford to gift their opponents those opportunities.
“A chaotic game will not suit us, it suits them,” said Bellamy. “It’s very important that we’re able to move the ball, wait for the openings, and then find the openings.
“And if we do look for the openings, make sure we’re compact enough because, if we don’t, we leave space.”
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Cut out the individual errors and lapses in concentration and the home side should be confident of progressing against opponents 36 places below them in the world rankings.
At home and with Bellamy’s words of encouragement ringing in their ears, Wales believe they can beat anyone.
“Bosnia are defensively well organised, very good individual players who are playing with very good teams,” said Bellamy.
“It’s what we do during the game, how we adapt. We have to be patient. We’re experienced enough to smell the game, see what’s happening during the game, to be able to react.
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“Do you know why I’m calm? Because we’re such a good team.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 24: Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates after defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day 8 of the Miami open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 24, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Coco Gauff fought her way into the semifinals of the Miami Open 2026 with a 6–3, 1–6, 6–3 win over Belinda Bencic.
Bencic, despite dealing with an injury, produced high-level tennis and pushed Gauff throughout.
After taking the first set, Gauff saw Bencic respond strongly in the second before the match was decided in a tight third set. Gauff had to recover from a breakdown before taking control late.
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“It was a tough match. Belinda is a tough player. Every time we play, it’s a long match.”
“It took a lot of running today, some falls. I’m really proud of how I fought today.”
Gauff highlighted her ability to respond under pressure as the key difference:
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“My opponent raised her level today. I was able to raise it in the 3rd.”
The win marks: her first Miami Open semifinal her third consecutive win over Bencic
Two-weight world champion Tim Bradley has predicted how a fight between David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia would go.
Benavidez has reigned at super-middleweight and currently holds the WBC light-heavyweight world title, but ‘The Mexican Monster’ is seeking honours in a third division, scheduled for a tough test against unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez in May.
Should he be successful, it is unknown whether Benavidez could be persuaded to stick around as a cruiserweight or whether he will stay true to his word and return to light-heavyweight, in pursuit of a clash with Dmitry Bivol.
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However, if he opts to remain at 200lbs, Opetaia is the man that fans will be demanding him to face, despite the fact that the Australian has been stripped of his IBF world title, after outpointing Brandon Glanton on his Zuffa Boxing debut.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hall of Fame inductee Bradley spoke of that potential clash, where he explained why he believes Benavidez would have little trouble in handing Opetaia a first career defeat.
“He [Benavidez] would have stopped Glanton, he would have served him. I understand that styles make fights, I get that. However, s**t, Benavidez’s style breaks through anything, breaks through any style. He has been in there with boxers, he was in there with [David] Morrell, that can punch, he can box, southpaw just like Jai Opetaia.
“Y’all didn’t see his last couple of fights beforehand? Y’all ain’t see his fight with [Mairis] Briedis? Bro, the dude ran out of juice, he ran out of gas and Briedis is a small dude. Benavidez trains at 200lbs and then he works his way down to 175lbs.
“He has still got that hand speed and quickness and has probably got more pop in his shots at 200lbs or at 190. At cruiserweight, he is going to be cold, he is about to beat the s**t out of Ramirez, he is about to whoop Ramirez’s a** … After that, Jai Opetaia is going to get it too.”
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Zurdo-Benavidez takes place on Saturday, May 2, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, whilst Opetaia is plotting his next move after being stripped of his IBF belt.
Next weekend’s cruiserweight clash between Viddal Riley and Mateusz Masternak has now become all the more meaningful, with the victor expected to earn a shot at the vacant IBF crown, likely against former WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Lana began in WWE as a manager and started wrestling in the latter half of her run. However, she is no longer involved in the Stamford-based promotion and is focused on other paths. One of them is exploring her time on the stage doing stand-up comedy.
Lana, aka CJ Perry, will be performing stand-up for the first time on Thursday, March 26, at The Comedy Chateau in North Hollywood, CA, with an open mic lineup at 7 PM. The show is free, but fans need to RSVP where CJ will be trying out her comic material.
Thanks for the submission!
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“Tomorrow will be my first ever Stand up Comedy show in LA !!!! Please rsvp and come out and have fun with me.” wrote CJ Perry
Perry is currently under a WWE Legends contract, though. Her husband, Rusev, is still in the company wrestling on RAW. However, CJ has confirmed to have retired from wrestling since 2021. It will be exciting to see how Perry’s future in stand-up comedy shapes up after her first show in LA.
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We at Sportskeeda congratulate CJ Perry and wish her the best for her first stand-up show.
WWE star Sami Zayn also performed a comedy show
Sami Zayn hosted a comedy show in 2024. However, it wasn’t a typical stand-up comedy event but was an extensive one with cameos. It was billed as a comedy and variety show with his monologues and chats with guests. The show, Sami Zayn & Friends, debuted at the Netflix Is a Joke festival in 2025.
Zayn then picked it up from there and did two more shows of it on his own. First around the Money in the Bank 2024 weekend in Toronto and then at the SummerSlam 2024 weekend in Cleveland.
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Coco Gauff didn’t just win her way through the Miami Open 2026. She picked up an unexpected tip along the way.
After her match, Gauff revealed that a simple fan tweet influenced her approach:
“Honestly, I saw a tweet saying I should go to the net more… I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right. I win a lot of points at the net.’”
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And she actually used it.
Coming forward more, finishing points earlier. It worked. She adjusted, and she won.
So when Aryna Sabalenka spoke to the media, she was asked about it, whether players really take advice from social media, especially at this level.
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She replied:
“Of course, I see some of the things.. but for some reason I see more negative than positive about myself.”
“So I try not to really look deep and whenever I see my picture or something about myself I go to the next one because sometimes people are just being rude and mean to all of us.”
“I feel like it’s not really worth reading and going through.”
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But she still found the humor in Gauff’s approach:
“But.. well, if she helped, it helped. We’re all different right? Thanks for telling me.. now I’m gonna be ready that she’s coming to the net ”
Manchester United lost 3-2 at Old Trafford in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final
22:17, 25 Mar 2026Updated 22:17, 25 Mar 2026
Manchester United Women’s head coach Marc Skinner wrote warmly about the respect the Reds and Bayern Munich have for each other off the pitch as the clubs forever remain intrinsically linked after the 1958 Air Disaster. However, they were guilty of showing too much respect on the pitch as they were caught cold just moments into their Champions League quarter-final tie.
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A relatively straightforward ball over the top sent Pernille Harder in on goal and she slipped the ball comfortably beyond Phallon Tullis-Joyce before many in the press box had settled into their seats. The Frauen-Bundesliga leaders were backed by a boisterous 50-100 fans from Bavaria who did not need an excuse to raise the volume but the early goal did just that.
At this stage of the Champions League, it was a tough reality check for the Reds. However, it was a start that showed their naivety at this stage. Bayern settled like a team who had been there, done it and got the t-shirt. United will get their one day.
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The Reds’ supporters responded quicker than their team as they attempted to lift their players who looked overawed after the early goal. Despite a couple of half chances for the hosts, Bayern came closest to a second when Millie Turner overhit a back pass that left Tullis-Joyce scrambling. Fortunately for her, the ball sailed out for a corner. It summed up a bad opening 20 minutes.
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And yet, as football often does, United sprung a surprise. Lea Schuller’s first meaningful run into the Bayern box saw her win a penalty for a handball that perhaps would not have been given in the WSL.
It was tonight though and Maya Le Tissier made no mistake from the spot. A confident finish from the captain.
As the game wore on, United settled and Schuller had a couple of chances as the Reds finished the first half stronger. But they were always susceptible to a mistake.
That being said, they started the second half like a side who belonged in this competition. Melvine Malard enjoyed attacking the Stretford End and had her marker Giulia Gwinn struggling.
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Her excellent piece of skill by the touchline midway through the half got Old Trafford on their collective feet. If the Reds are to progress, she will be the one who is the difference in Bavaria.
However, the Reds’ achilles heel was exposed again with 20 minutes remaining. Another through ball over the top picked out Harder who finished confidently.
Hanna Lundkvist equalised immediately but Bayern’s quality eventually wore through. Substitute Momoko Tanikawa’s goal with six minutes of normal time remaining ensured of the victory for the visitors and left United empty-handed after a gutsy performance.
This is the Reds’ first campaign in the Champions League and it showed against a well organised Bayern team. United learnt on the job at Old Trafford but still have a mountain to climb to qualify for the semi-finals.
MCG will play host to Sunday’s
Round 3 AFL game between Carlton Blues and
Melbourne Demons. The game kicks off at 3:15 pm with Melbourne Demons heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Carlton Blues vs.
Melbourne Demons
game and give you our free tips and bets.
Carlton faces Melbourne in a clash shaped by tight recent contests, with the Blues winning their last four meetings by narrow margins. Carlton returns from a bye after an unconvincing win over Richmond, still searching for consistency across four quarters. Melbourne, meanwhile, is coming off a heavy loss to Fremantle and continues to deal with an expanding injury list. Despite this, the Demons showed resilience the week prior and will look to respond. With both sides managing personnel challenges and fluctuating form, another closely fought contest is expected, consistent with their recent history.
The Edmonton Oilers have never found consistency this NHL season. They have secured wins against strong teams like the Colorado Avalanche recently, but have also suffered a shutout loss against the Florida Panthers and heavy defeats to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars. This does not paint a good picture of the team’s ability to compete against top opponents.
The same was pointed out by former NHL star Chris Pronger recently, who praised Connor McDavid but raised serious concerns about the Oilers during an appearance on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. Pronger pointed to the growing pressure on the team after consecutive deep playoff runs in 2024 and 2025 and questioned their identity.
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Pronger discussed the noise around McDavid and noted that roster moves, inconsistent performances, and unstable goaltending have left the Oilers searching for balance.
“I think there’s so much pressure on this team,” Pronger said. “They’ve gone to back-to-back finals. He’s kind of put them on the clock with respect to his contract. They’ve made a number of moves that haven’t necessarily panned out with respect to the goaltender.”
Despite having the best player in the league, Pronger stressed that individual brilliance does not guarantee team success.
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“They’re very much a team that’s kind of in flux, so to speak, in finding their game and finding their identity,” Pronger said. “… and he’s the best player in the league. But that doesn’t mean that you’re the best team in the league. And how you play together and how you work together a lot of times matter more than the singularity in how polarizing one player can be over another.”
McDavid continues to lead the Oilers with another elite season. The captain has recorded 118 points, including 40 goals and 78 assists, while crossing the 400-goal mark and 1200 points recently. His performances keep Edmonton competitive, especially on the league-leading power play.
Pronger on Oilers’ defensive commitment
Pronger focused heavily on defensive commitment. He said the Oilers must decide how badly they want to improve defensively, adding that success is not just about scoring goals.
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“Ultimately, it’s not about scoring goals. It’s about playing defense.” Pronger said.
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Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has a plus-minus rating of -18, and Jake Walman has a -12 rating. This has been part of their struggles this season.
Pronger also stressed that leadership starts with McDavid, who must set the tone with responsible two-way play.
“It always starts at the top,” Pronger said. “Your best player has to be committed to playing defense the proper way. And from there, you can move people around the board, and challenge players and hold one another accountable and push on one another to play better, whether it’s the goalie, whether it’s defense, whether it’s forwards, whether it’s collectively as a group and come together in the locker room and challenge one another to be better.”
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The Hall of Famer also questioned the team’s unity. From an outside view, he described Edmonton as “disjointed,” with players not always pulling in the same direction. He added that both coaching and management share responsibility for the current situation.
“They seem like they’re very disjointed in going in their own ways,” Pronger said. “Some of that can be coaching. Some of that can be the players. Some of that’s top down for management.”
Pronger warned the Oilers about relying on offense
Edmonton has a 35-28-9 record, and that’s primarily because of inconsistency, as they have failed to build a good win streak of over three games. Their offense averages 3.47 goals per game, and defensive struggles remain a concern.
“They look very disjointed defensively,” Pronger said. “They look at times disinterested. To me, it looks like they think they can score their way out of their problems all the time. And as we know, in the playoffs, it’s not always the case.
“And secondly, they have to get into the playoffs. They’re a bubble team right now. They’re in, but they’re a bubble team. And, as Connor McDavid said, the pillow fight in the Pacific certainly was a great line, because it’s very true when you look at how many points they have versus the East right now.”
As the playoff race tightens, the Oilers must address these gaps quickly.
Sports fans have sued online gambling sites DraftKings and FanDuel, claiming they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the “addictive” product, according to a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Tuesday, alleges DraftKings and FanDuel, with game and player data supplied by the NFL and its betting data specialist partner Genius Sports, “intentionally and defectively designed their online sports gambling platforms to turn a known addictive product into a relentless, always-on addiction-amplifying machine.”
Online sports betting has dramatically changed the gambling industry in recent years. Instead of traveling to a sports betting parlor and placing a wager before a game starts, gamblers can now place bets on their phones as the game plays out in real-time.
The lawsuit claims this new live microbetting can “hijack gamblers’ brains and keep them immersed in ceaseless betting action.”
Sports fans have sued online gambling sites DraftKings and FanDuel, claiming they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the ‘addictive’ product, according to a new lawsuit (Getty Images)
Online sports betting caused plaintiffs Christopher Sage and Terry Thompson to develop severe gambling addictions, the suit alleges. Sage lost more than $170,300 on DraftKings and FanDuel. Thompson lost $1,856,000 on the sports betting platforms.
“We filed this case because the fundamental nature of sports gambling products has changed dramatically since they were legalized in Pennsylvania in November of 2018,” Mark Gottlieb, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Independent.
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“Our clients are just two examples of sports fans and sports gamblers who have experienced substantial harm caused by these new and defectively designed sports microbetting products,” Gottlieb added.
The lawsuit claims DraftKings and FanDuel don’t just enable gamblers to place wagers anywhere and at any time, but have features “designed to drive customers toward microbetting.”
The lawsuit claims live microbetting can ‘hijack gamblers’ brains and keep them immersed in ceaseless betting action’ (Getty Images for FanDuel)
“FanDuel and DraftKings can collect and analyze detailed behavioral data about each of their customers. They then use this behavioral data to generate and market personalized gambling opportunities based on each customer’s unique wagering history and app usage,” the suit alleges.
DraftKings and FanDuel send personalized push notifications “designed to grab customers’ attention and lure them back” with these personalized gambling opportunities, according to the lawsuit.
“Within just a few years of placing their first microbets on the Sportsbook Apps, Plaintiffs nearly lost everything—their money, their houses, their business, their families, and, in Plaintiff Thompson’s case, also nearly lost his life,” the suit claimed.
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The plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial on their claims against the online sports betting platforms and the other defendants, including the NFL (Getty Images)
Sage and Thompson are demanding a jury trial on their claims against the online sports betting platforms and the other defendants. The lawsuit seeks compensation for damages and to stop the defendants from continuing the alleged wrongful conduct.
“We seek justice for our clients and hope that their lawsuit ultimately helps prevent similar harm to other sports fans and their families,” Gottlieb told The Independent.
The Independent has reached out to the NFL, Genius Sports, DraftKings and FanDuel for comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.
He will have the chance to earn a place in Tuchel’s squad for the summer tournament in North America, meaning he will be unavailable for a second successive year of village cricket for Berkshire club Binfield.
The 21-year-old skipped last season in order to focus on his recovery from injury but he is hoping to miss it for a much more positive reason this year.
“I didn’t play last summer because I was going through my injury and was so focused on that,” he said. “And I’m hoping I don’t get to play any cricket this summer either.
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“I always played throughout my childhood, like a lot of my friends who did. It’s always been a good social thing for me.
“Although I’m playing at the level I am now with my football, I’m always the same person.
“So if I was playing cricket at eight years old, even though I’m playing football now, I don’t see a reason to stop. I enjoy spending time with my mates.
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“I wouldn’t say I’m great. A decent enough village player. I was a bit of an all-rounder when I was younger. Now, I’m more of a batter.”
Hall was handed his debut during Lee Carsley’s temporary reign in 2024 but he has now rejoined a fierce battle for the left-back spot, which has seen Myles Lewis-Skelley, Tino Livramento and Nico O’Reilly contest a place in Tuchel’s side.
He has used his time away from the group as a learning mission to hit the ground running upon his return.
“I’ve always watched the England games, especially the ones in September. I always had the aim to be here in the camp now,” he said.
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“I wanted to watch and absorb the style that the team plays.
“So if I’m selected, I should have a bit more of an understanding of the way the team wanted to play. I was able to take some information in and store it.”
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