Bishwajit Roy

Few understand Bangladesh’s persistent batting woes better than Ashraful.

If entertainment value and visibility are benchmarks for attracting sponsors and club interest, then our women footballers have already made a strong case.

There are games that thrill, and then there are Test matches that sear themselves into memory.

Players have spoken publicly about the need for proper nutrition, functioning gyms, better training grounds, and a stable domestic league.

Yet, despite the individual brilliance, murmurs of doubt persisted over Bangladesh’s approach, particularly their intent, or the lack thereof, in pursuing a win.

If there were still doubters of Test cricket's enduring magic in the age of T20 fireworks, South Africa’s thrilling five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia offered the most poetic rebuttal.

Faruque Ahmed ascended to the presidency of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after the July uprising, with the onus of reforming the board from the inside. But his tenure ended in a little over nine months before the reform initiative could even begin.

“If we can’t stick to our planning even against lower-ranked sides, how can we expect growth in Test cricket? I’m not against offering spin-friendly conditions, but why against Zimbabwe? Why did we lose confidence after one loss?”