Abdullah Al Mehdi

Usually, when a new Test captain is appointed, the first focus is on the direction he wants to take the team. But Bangladesh’s newly instated captain is yet to speak about his plans for the team or the brand of cricket he wants to see it play.

Spin coach Rangana Herath is conducting a four-day spin camp with 32 spinners in order to strengthen the spin-bowling pipeline. It became apparent that there was a lack of spinners around the periphery of the national team when Bangladesh played the recent Dhaka Test against Sri Lanka with four front-line bowlers despite Shakib Al Hasan being there. Mosaddek Hossain came in as a batter who can bowl and the burden of majority of the overs fell on Taijul Islam and Shakib.

“He has a deeper understanding of his game and that is making the difference,” Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, a long-term mentor to Mushfiqur Rahim, said about one of his favourite students while talking to The Daily Star yesterday.

The first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka ended in a draw, as expected due to the nature of the wicket, a flat surface which showed little wear and tear over the course of five days.

Hometown hero Tamim Iqbal was a class apart at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday and the most remarkable aspect of his innings was the necessary poise and comfort he displayed during his 133 run-knock in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

“It’s always tough when you are injured but I tried to adapt,” Nayeem Hasan said with a smile that did not altogether conceal his boyish charm during the press conference in Chattogram yesterday.

Shakib Al Hasan and a few others raised a hand in the air directed towards the sky during the practice session yesterday, pointing out the rain clouds but by then the cloud of Shakib’s unavailability had left the side.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's High Performance (HP) team's scheduled tour of Ireland had been pushed to next year due to the host board's international commitments, while the ongoing financial crisis in Sri Lanka had seen the SLC unable to host Bangladesh HP this year as well.

Bangladesh paceman Taskin Ahmed left for England today to get an assessment of the back injury he incurred during the series against South Africa. Taskin’s injury saw him sit out of the second Test in South Africa and he was subsequently ruled out for the upcoming Test series at home against Sri Lanka, slated to begin with the first Test at Chattogram from May 15.

Since the onset of the pandemic late in 2019, the cricketing world have adjusted to the protocols suggested by health officials to curb the spread of the virus during international series and Bangladesh have been no different in that regard.

Test cricket is a game of aggression, a game where mindset, technique and mental strength become equally important over five days.

After a few overs had been bowled in the third session, wicketkeeper Liton Das was captured by the stump mic telling Mehedi Hasan Miraz ‘don’t give away runs’.

While Bangladesh fans are allowing themselves a rare moment of joy after the Tigers’ historic ODI series triumph in South Africa, the focus yesterday turned sharply back to the domestic circuit for all the wrong reasons.

Bangladesh mounted a terrific effort in getting their very first victory -- a 38-run win -- in South African soil against the Proteas during the first ODI at Centurion yesterday and a pivotal tactical blow was enforced by star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who outdid the ploy that South Africa coach Mark Boucher and captain Temba Bavuma had set Bangladesh up for.

Whether to focus on the batting line-up’s form and ability to counter South Africa’s pacers or to focus on their own pace battery’s performance on South African soil is what may boggle the Bangladesh think-tank most going into the first ODI at Centurion today.

Bangladesh men’s cricket team made a giant leap in their cricket fortunes more than two decades ago when they defeated Pakistan at Northampton in the 1999 cricket World Cup. Former national captain Mohammad Ashraful likened the Tigresses’ victory against Pakistan today to that match in 1999 and was hopeful that bigger achievements will follow the women’s team’s triumph if their domestic cricketing structure is taken care of.

Bangladesh assailed an Afghan side known for their T20 prowess in the first of the two-match T20I series at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla and the margin of victory will surely bring some relief in the Tigers’ camp before the final T20I on March 5.

The T20 World Cup in UAE last year demonstrated that whatever the Bangladesh think-tank had planned going into the mega-event did not bear fruit or lacked in execution, culminating in the debacle.

“We are becoming seniors too, right?” Liton posed the question as an answer at the press conference after his 136-run knock in the second ODI. Such words reflected his confidence, momentum and growing responsibility but also showcased the changing nature of the team’s dynamics.

“We don’t ever think about whether a player is young or a senior. Whenever we play, we try to contribute as members of the team,” Afif