Bishwajit Roy

It took almost a year for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, Nazmul Hassan Papon, to come up with the announcement: “Our main focus is on the next World Cup, not this one. You can't change everything overnight. We are planning long-term and trying to prepare a squad for the next World Cup.”

When the International Cricket Council (ICC) unanimously gave Bangladesh full membership and made the country the tenth Test-playing nation in June 2000, the immediate reaction from then Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury was that it would inspire Bangladesh's cricketers to strive harder towards their goals.

Bangladesh are all set to play their second and final Test of the two-match series against West Indies at Gros Islet in Saint Lucia, starting from Friday.

Proper grooming is crucial because all basic traits are absorbed during that budding phase, cricket experts remind, especially after national players miserably fail in terms of decision-making on the field. Bangladesh’s poor first-class cricket structure has often been identified as the main culprit behind the country’s struggles in five-day matches since its elevation to Test cricket in 2000.

There was not any significant difference between hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in terms of international experience as the two subcontinental rivals locked horns in a two-match Test series within the past two weeks.

Former Bangladesh captain turned national selector Habibul Bashar did not hesitate to give Bangladesh team ‘full marks’ for their efforts under trying conditions in the Chattogram Test against Sri Lanka that ended in a draw on Thursday.

“I firmly believe, you will see a different Mushfiqur [Rahim] in this series and he will return amongst runs with big scores.” It was on the opening day’s play of the Chattogram Test when the ‘Guru’ of Bangladesh batting stalwarts -- Nazmul Abedeen Fahim -- made the prophecy about one of his favourite students, with whom he had a special session before the start of the series.

How good is Najmul Hossain Shanto as the number three batter, a position that consistently demands the widest range of skills?

Right now, the ubiquitous buzzword in our cricket circuit is ‘mindset’. It seems all paths lead to that particular word in discussions about the problems surrounding the Bangladesh men’s national cricket team.

Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman said that Bangladesh now have a very good pace bowling unit for which the team management can easily make a separate work plan for three formats.

The Daily Star (DS): Your return to Test cricket after almost a year. Please share the experience with us.

What kind of girls are they, playing cricket like boys? This was the kind of question that reverberated 40 years back in a society that typically had condemned the unconventional. Even to this day, however, this kind of disdainful and condescending mentality rears its head in society despite strides made by women in various fields.

Bangladesh cricket set a unique example in regards to dealing with a player’s mental health. When a player wants to skip an international commitment citing a mental health issue, it deserves utmost attention and the highest levels of sensitivity.

There are still many who got nostalgic when they reminisce about those days of the country’s premier 50-over competition, which was characterised by excitement, drama and suspense. To them, there was no shortage of stories to tell.

Will the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Shakib Al Hasan be able to reach a respectable long-term solution to the ongoing chaos?

What comes next? Will Shakib Al Hasan ultimately tour South Africa or will he only be available for the Test series? Does the team management have any failsafe mechanism in place if the premier all-rounder ultimately sticks to skipping the series?

Who would not love to captain his side? It is something that a lot of players dream of. We often hear players say, “It’s a dream come true to captain the side.”

Bangladesh have their backs against the wall following a poor display in the shortest format of the game and they will be desperate to gain something positive from the two-match

Any comparison of the two teams’ current form and squad depth ahead of the first of the three-match T20I series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium would lead to the conclusion that Pakistan are well ahead of the hosts.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken some initiatives in the aftermath of the national team’s abysmal performance in the T20 World Cup, where the Tigers’ nightmare started with a defeat against Scotland in the first round before ending with defeats in all five Super 12 matches.