A little over a year ago, all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin inadvertently exposed the sorry state of the players' pipeline in Bangladesh when he told the media, "To be honest, there are 20-25 players in Bangladesh who are capable of playing international cricket… Opportunities will come if I can stay fit."
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials are considering adding some overseas flair in the country's first-class competitions – National Cricket League (NCL) and the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) – a move that has already caused some controversy, and brought forward arguments both for and against it.
English power-hitting coach Julian Wood is no stranger to Bangladesh cricket, having coached Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) sides Chattogram Challengers and Sylhet Sunrisers before. But his forthcoming stint in the country will be different as for the first time he will be working with the national side for a three-week camp on power-hitting from August 10 to September 3.
As a former Bangladesh captain with experience at the ICC, the BCB president felt compelled to intervene.
Captaincy, however, might have influenced his recent innings -- particularly the 76 in the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, the highest score by a Bangladesh T20I captain.
The 29-year-old allrounder -- with 80 international matches under his belt -- opened up about the issue on how he processed the explosive remark made by the chief selector recently.
Called back into the ODI squad, the 30-year-old returns with greater responsibilities to bear.
It was unclear to reporters present at the Kanpur Green Park Stadium yesterday what was halting the third day’s play of the second Test between Bangladesh and India from getting on to the field.
Shakib Al Hasan came, he saw, and he conquered, in his own way.
India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is 38. Yet he appears to be just easing into the process of refining his art, ball by ball. His delivery that beat Bangladesh batter Mominul Haque on Day 4 of the first Test in Chennai yesterday was so belligerent that it almost defied any explanation.
When he arrived in Chennai for the first Test against India yesterday, Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud’s Test career was three matches old. From an unknown entity to earning the appreciation of the proud cricket-loving fans of Chennai, Hasan has certainly created a mini ripple.
“Actually, Shakib’s [Al Hasan] batting, he is not in rhythm,” Bangladesh selector Hannan Sarkar said at the press conference in Mirpur after announcing a 16-member squad for the upcoming India Tests this month.
After the successful Pakistan tour, the programme's value has finally come to the limelight, especially in how players talked about the benefits of their preparation.
Bangladesh’s Test win at Mount Maunganui against the then World Test champions New Zealand in 2022 would certainly go down as a historic achievement in the Tigers’ history. But even Mominul Haque, the Tigers’ skipper back then, believes that winning a series away from home evokes a very different kind of feeling within the team than what a one-off win produces.
If going against the grain is a sought-after trait when achieving a backs-to-the-wall turnaround, Liton mythically overcame his performance issues in Rawalpindi.
Compared to his bowling, Miraz’s batting talents are often downplayed. But yesterday, with Bangladesh teetering on the brink on 26-6, the 26-year-old showed his class.
Bangladesh’s women’s side are slated to play the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, scheduled to begin on July 19, with an eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup at home in October. The Tigresses, however, have a lot to work out in the meantime as they suffered a slump in recent times, with batting being their main concern in series losses to Australia and India at home. Head coach Hashan Tillakaratne talked about how the Tigresses can recover from this slump, and use their spin advantage and their target in the Asia Cup during an interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:
