Samsul Arefin Khan

From Mushfiqur Rahim’s majestic hundred in the opening Test to Liton Das’s resilient ton and the pacers’ lethal performance in the series-deciding second Test, there were a number of heroes who played pivotal roles in Bangladesh’s maiden Test series victory over Pakistan.

South African fast bowling legend Allan Donald has been heavily credited for his role in Bangladesh’s pace revolution during his tenure as the team’s pace bowling coach from March 2022 to November 2023. The 57-year-old, who resigned after the ICC World Cup in India, is still a big supporter of the Tigers and keeps in touch with the Bangladesh pacers. On Monday, Donald spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan over the phone from Johannesburg, where he expressed immense pleasure at seeing his former pupils doing so well in Pakistan. Here are the excerpts:

The ‘A’ team head coach Mizanur Rahman Babul pointed out several positives from his side's recently concluded tour of Pakistan.

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed made an instant impact on his return to Test cricket after 14 months as he came up with a sensational bowling performance on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi yesterday.

Bangladesh should keep their focus on getting a positive result from the series-deciding second Test against Pakistan and play according to their strength rather than concentrating on the opposition squad, cricket experts opined on Wednesday.

The newly-elected Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed has called a board of directors’ meeting on Thursday where among several key issues, holding the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in scheduled time is likely to be discussed.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s batting coach David Hemp spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, shedding light on their convincing win and what they hope to achieve in the following match

Bangladesh’s pace bowling coach Andre Adams spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, shedding light on their convincing win and what they hope to achieve in the following match.

Left-handed batter Shadman Islam can claim himself lucky to be part of the opening Test against Pakistan as he hasn’t been the first-choice opener of the Bangladesh Test team in recent years.

Bangladesh fast bowling coach Andre Adams spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about the Tigers’ chances in the Pakistan series and shared his observations about the pacers.

Bangladesh’s lacklustre Women’s Asia Cup mission ended on Friday with a humiliating 10-wicket defeat to India in the semifinal, a drubbing that could be the precursor to more such embarrassments in the forthcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at home.

Pacer Abu Hider Rony sees his call up to the High Performance Unit for the tour to Australia as a lifeline for his international career and believes it can open a path for him to make a comeback to the Bangladesh side after a lengthy gap.

Former Olympian and current BKSP shooting coach Asif Hossain Khan admitted the harsh reality of Bangladesh’s chances in the Olympics, but he was hopeful that if these athletes can deliver their best individual performance in the meet, they can count their participation differently.

"I think the series is a great opportunity for me. Not only this series, wherever I play, I think the opportunity for the national team will come if I do well. I always try to perform, be it NCL, BCL or Premier League," said Akbar.

The kind of spin Rishad produces can be an asset for the Bangladesh Test team, who have often found wanting in away series due to a lack of variety.

The veteran fast bowler returned to the national setup after a year-long gap.

The batting coach of the Tigers sheds light on team’s preparation and chances for the upcoming away Test series in Pakistan.

If I can’t share my learnings with my players, all my experiences will be of no use. I will try to share the things that I have learnt from my playing and coaching days. The more I can do that, the better

The leggie grabbed 14 wickets in seven matches in competition, finishing as Bangladesh’s most successful bowler in the competition, and joint third overall in the tournament.

'As the hosts, we want to see our team go all the way. But honestly, we also have to consider the strengths of our team and of our opponents.'