Mushfiqur Rahim has officially retired from international cricket, marking the end of an era. Former captain and longtime teammate Tamim Iqbal shared an emotional midnight message following Mushfiq’s retirement announcement. “Today, a man retired with whom I’ve shared a journey of almost 20 to 25 years,” Tamim said in a heartfelt video message. “No status can truly express what I feel for him. From U-15 cricket, I’ve witnessed how hard he worked. He has pushed himself beyond limits, enduring more than any player possibly could.”

After playing two friendly matches against the UAE, the Bangladesh national football team returned home on Monday morning. Following their arrival, the squad met with Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal to discuss their performance. In the meeting, Awal stated, "The matches revealed our weaknesses. We will focus on intensive training ahead of the Asian Cup Qualifiers in June. If we qualify, we will compete in the 2026 Asian Cup. The next two years are packed with fixtures, and I hope the team continues to play consistently."

Regarding their goal-scoring performance, forward Afeeda Khandakar noted that the UAE players had fatigued towards the end, providing Bangladesh with scoring opportunities. However, the team failed to capitalize, with only Afeeda managing to score in one of the matches.

Despite the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ending over a month ago, former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has yet to receive his full salary. Out of his $100,000 contract, he has only received $19,000. Frustrated with the delay, Afridi has emailed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), highlighting that his contract stipulated full payment during the tournament. He accused Chattogram Kings of failing to honor their commitment. The franchise, however, claims that delays were due to health issues and assures that the payment will be settled soon. Afridi expressed disappointment but remained silent to protect Bangladesh’s cricketing reputation.

The Dhaka Premier League (DPL) faced disruption on its opening day. The match between Prime Bank Cricket Club and Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club was paused for almost 30 minutes due to a scuffle. In a critical moment, Irfan Shukkur was run out after trying to take a run during Fahad Hossain’s innings. This led to a confrontation between players, and the match referee, Akhtaruzzaman Shipar, threatened to suspend Talha Zubair. The game resumed after a brief break.

Pakistan has appointed a new local coach to lead their team. The announcement comes as the team gears up for important international matches. In the FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month, Argentina will face Brazil and Uruguay. Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, has already named a 33-player preliminary squad, which includes star forward Lionel Messi. The team will take on Uruguay in Montevideo on March 22, and will host Brazil in Buenos Aires on March 26. Lisandro Martinez has been excluded due to injury, but the squad remains largely intact, with Scaloni fielding a fully-strength team for the upcoming qualifiers.

Ahead of their FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month against Brazil and Uruguay, Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni has named a 33-man preliminary squad, including star forward Lionel Messi. Argentina will face Uruguay on March 22 in Montevideo, followed by a match against their eternal rivals Brazil on March 26 at home. Lisandro Martínez has been excluded from the squad due to injury, but nearly all other key players have been included, making it a fully-strengthened squad for Scaloni.

The Bangladesh cricket team has returned home after a disappointing campaign in the Champions Trophy. The squad failed to win a single match, securing just one point due to rain. The team landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11 PM on Friday. With no time for rest, the players will soon participate in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League (DPL). Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat against India due to top-order batting failures, preventing them from putting up a strong total. Despite the bowlers’ efforts, the team struggled in subsequent matches as well, failing to reach a competitive score.

Kabaddi is not just Bangladesh's national sport for no reason. Nepal had no chance against the home team in the five-match series, which Bangladesh won 4-1. In the final match, Nepal was defeated by a margin of 45-27 points. Bangladesh had already secured the series in the fourth match at Paltan Maidan with a 3-1 lead. The players celebrated their victory by crushing Nepal by 18 points. Captain Mizanur Rahman was named both the match and series MVP, while Nepal’s captain Roka Magar was the best raider. Bangladesh’s Roman and Nasir were jointly awarded Best Catcher.

Mohammad Ismail, the country’s fastest man, will not represent Bangladesh at the World Indoor Athletics Championship in Nanjing from March 21-23. Instead, the country’s representative will be Zahid Raihan. The Bangladesh Athletics Federation sent Raihan’s name to the World Amateur Athletics Federation on Wednesday night. Raihan, a ten-time national champion in the 400 meters, recently regained his title in the 100 meters at the National Championships. Ismail, however, expressed his disappointment, as he was left out. The Federation stated that Zahid was chosen due to his international success, and only one athlete can be sent due to financial constraints.

Bangladeshi competitors from the Martial Arts Foundation won 15 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals at the 12th ISKDJ International Karate Cup 2025, held in Sri Lanka on February 22-23. The team secured third place overall in a competition featuring around 2,000 athletes from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Palestine, and Sri Lanka. Under the leadership of coach Sajjad Hossain, ten Bangladeshi athletes participated in the event.

Bangladesh will play their final match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan today. Rumors have surfaced that this could be the final ODI appearance for senior players Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. When asked about the speculation, assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin dismissed the rumors, saying, “I have no knowledge of this. If you’ve heard it, you can write it in your papers.” Addressing whether the duo should be given a farewell match, he stated, “It’s not about being given an opportunity; players must earn their place in the XI.”

After 29 years, Pakistan is hosting an ICC tournament and is leaving no room for security risks. Over 12,000 police officers have been deployed in Rawalpindi alone.

However, frustrations over excessive duty hours and non-compliance with orders have led to the dismissal of over 100 security personnel.

A senior Punjab police official confirmed that many officers assigned to protect foreign teams were either absent or refused to take responsibility. Consequently, strict disciplinary actions were taken, leading to their dismissal.

Four months after winning the SAFF Championship, the Bangladesh women’s football team returns to international action. They will face the United Arab Emirates in a friendly match tonight at 9:30 PM Bangladesh time. Over the past four months, the team has faced internal turmoil, with captain Sabina Khatun, Rituparna Chakma, Sanjida Akter, and 18 other players staging a rebellion against British coach Peter Butler. As a result, Butler has assembled a team of young players led by Afida. A second friendly match is scheduled for Sunday.

After multiple postponements, the South Asian Games (SA Games) are finally set to take place in Pakistan after five years. According to a decision made in a meeting of the South Asian Games Federation in Lahore on Tuesday, the event will be held from January 23 to 31 next year.

Bangladesh Olympic Association’s Deputy Secretary General, Ashikur Rahman, and Executive Member, Sirajuddin Alamgir, attended the meeting. The games will be hosted across three cities—Lahore, Islamabad, and Faisalabad. A wide range of sports, including football, hockey, athletics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, handball, cricket, and archery, have been approved for the competition.

Mahmudullah will be part of Bangladesh’s playing XI for today’s match against New Zealand. The all-rounder has been actively participating in practice sessions in Rawalpindi, including a fitness test. Back in Cardiff, it was Mahmudullah who guided Bangladesh to a victory over New Zealand, securing a spot in the Champions Trophy semifinals. Can Mahmudullah once again lift Bangladesh from the edge of defeat? Though he missed the game against India due to injury, he is now fully fit and ready to play against New Zealand. As a result, Soumya will be making way for him.