ICC Cricket World Cup

‘I lost to myself’

One of the recurring themes of Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has been the disappointing performance of the one batsman most fans would have been looking at to set the biggest stage alight for the Tigers.

Third Eye / Let the emotional override subside

Bangladesh’s World Cup ended with a crushing defeat against Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday. It was an anticlimactic finish to an otherwise fantastic run by the Tigers in the showpiece event that had started brilliantly for them with a fabulous victory against South Africa

Pondering on what ifs

There’s no point in head scratching or pondering on ways to turn back time, it’s done. Bangladesh have exited the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and boarded their flight back home from England yesterday.

‘We get down during partnerships’

“Fielding, it has been a concern all of my career. When there is a partnership, we get down,” Mashrafe said. “This is the part that a player can change. I think we really need to improve fielding.”

‘Feel sorry for Shakib’

“I should talk about Shakib; he has been absolutely beautiful. Batted at three, did what he could do. I feel very bad for Shakib,” Mashrafe said after the match. “The tournament he had, he deserved to be in the semifinal. Really feel sorry for him. I think it was one

‘The plan is to go home’

“My future plan is obviously going home from here, and I will have a rethink,” was the anticlimactic answer delivered with a straight face. Mashrafe had said before that he did not want to think about his future during the World Cup and would go home and discuss with his family about his future.

Tigers fail to pounce again

Shakib Al Hasan said before the match yesterday that one of the disappointments of Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign so far has been their fielding efforts. He may have been hoping that the match to follow -- the Tigers’ last World Cup game against Pakistan at Lord’s -- would be an exception

Tigers ‘taking in’ history

Dead rubber or not, if cricket is one’s profession then not much motivation is needed to be pumped up about a match at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Bangladesh have been eliminated from the race to the 2019 World Cup semifinals, but from the expressions

‘No such thing as a dead rubber’

“Firstly, Bangladesh versus Pakistan at Lord’s, the beautiful Lord’s... there’s no such thing as a dead rubber,” Rhodes said during the pre-match press conference yesterday. “Both teams are desperate to beat each other. We certainly are. I’m pretty sure they are. They’ve got a lot to play for as well.

July 4, 2019
July 4, 2019

A new level and a just result

To say it was the morning after a night of shattered dreams would be too dramatic. After exactly a month of chasing a target that seemed to move farther away with each strained step, Bangladesh’s semifinal hopes came to an end in a 28-run defeat to India in their

July 4, 2019
July 4, 2019

All’s well that ends well: Saifuddin

All-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin could have been a hero during Bangladesh’s 28-run defeat against India at Edgbaston on Tuesday had he not been stranded at the non-striker’s end when Jasprit Bumrah bowled the No. 10 and No. 11 batsmen.

May 26, 2019
May 26, 2019

‘An important chance to adjust’

Mehedi Hasan Miraz has only recently become a vital member of Bangladesh’s ODI squad, with his off-spin often used to stifle the opposition’s rate of scoring in the middle overs and also, at times, with the new ball. The effervescent 21-year-old proved his value in Bangladesh’s recent triumph

May 23, 2019
May 23, 2019

Cricket World Cup: Brands expect higher TV sales

Television brands and retailers are expecting good sales in the run up to the ICC Cricket World Cup, which is all set to begin in England and Wales on May 30. Cricket fans in Bangladesh will be glued to TV sets to watch live their beloved national team compete with the big teams in the sport’s

May 23, 2019
May 23, 2019

‘350-plus totals will be tough to chase’

In the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, we take a look back on World Cups past through the eyes of Bangladesh’s former World Cup stars. Akram Khan had featured for the nation’s inaugural World Cup campaign in 1999 and another time after that in the 2003 edition. Akram, who is national selector

May 23, 2019
May 23, 2019

‘We have the players to score big’

For followers of the Bangladesh cricket team, their triumph in Ireland was of course a welcome boost ahead of their World Cup campaign in the United Kingdom, but it was also pleasantly surprising because of the way the Tigers made stiff chases. Such scoring has not surprised head coach Steve Rhodes

May 21, 2019
May 21, 2019

‘It would be a dream come true’

In the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, we take a look back on World Cups past through the eyes of Bangladesh’s former World Cup stars. Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu was one of the first players to dream that one day, Bangladesh would play at the ICC Cricket World Cup. He was the Tigers’ first ODI captain

May 21, 2019
May 21, 2019

Fun and positivity driving Tigers

Not far removed from their maiden multi-team trophy won on September 17, the sense of positivity was palpable throughout the Tigers’ three-hour practice session at the Leicestershire County Cricket Club yesterday.

May 21, 2019
May 21, 2019

Bowled by a beamer and a bumpy coach

“C’mon guys, yesterday was a holiday… it’s back to work today,” was batting consultant Neil McKenzie’s rallying cry to the Bangladesh players as he and Ryan Cook started fielding practice at the Leicestershire County Cricket Club ground yesterday morning. Not just the Tigers

May 8, 2019
May 8, 2019

Tigers’ World Cup Stripes: Ashraful’s World Cup anecdote

In the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, we take a look back on World Cups past through the eyes of Bangladesh’s former World Cup stars. Undoubtedly one of the most talented cricketers to have emerged in Bangladesh’s cricket history, Mohammad Ashraful has singlehandedly led Bangladesh to numerous victories.