Nabid Yeasin

The role of a coach, especially in developing any individual player, often remains in the shadow of all the uproar created by the outcome of his impact. It is only when the tutee acknowledges the mentor’s hard work that his overall impact in the game is truly reflected.

Players often stress the importance of “execution of plans” ahead of any series or game. While carrying out the chalked-out plan is vital, it is paramount to formulate the right set of plans beforehand. The latter is something that should be orchestrated by the team management with clarity in mind, and that is precisely where the Bangladesh team management has failed miserably in recent times.

There could be no argument that the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium was a dull affair.

The current situation and primary aim of both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka remain almost indistinguishable as they embark on a two-Test series, the first of which starts today at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

With praises for his work pouring in from two of the colossal figures of Bangladesh cricket in Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, former national skipper and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Khaled Mahmud has recently been enjoying a joyous period in his professional career.

Bangladesh’s five-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the second ODI at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday meant that the Tigers lost the three-match series with a game left to play.

Records need not be pointed out to show that Bangladesh are yet to make big strides in the longest format of the game compared to their achievements in limited-overs cricket. When compared to other Test-playing nations, that gap only becomes more prominent.

Test cricket is a different ball game -- a common saying that was yet again proved yesterday when West Indies registered an unlikely-yet-fully-deserved win against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

While not very auspicious, the picture was also not ominous for Bangladesh at the end of Day One of the first Test against the West Indies at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday.

The name James Anderson is almost synonymous to Test cricket. His iconic yet smooth bowling action while donned in the all-white of England is what cricket lovers and enthusiasts immediately picture when they hear or read Anderson’s name.

Concentration, focus and not letting the guard down -- these perhaps are the most precious attributes for a batsman in Test cricket. And all of these were certainly on display from Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies Test skipper, during the first day of the three-day warm-up match against the BCB XI at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram yesterday.

Bangladesh were clear favourites to win the three-match ODI series against a depleted West Indies side. And so they did. The Tigers swept the series 3-0, winning all the matches convincingly.

Both dusk and dawn exhibit exactly the same illumination. But, at opposite ends of the horizon, one beckons darkness and fear while the other greets sunshine and hope.

A fluke or just a good day at the office may see a minnow defeating a powerhouse once in a while but for a team to win any major trophy requires long-term planning and proper execution.

From Shoriful Islam’s pace, bounce and swing with the new ball and his effective yorkers with the old one that left batsmen rooted to the ground at the death to Parvez Hossain Emon’s audacity to smash the fastest T20 hundred by a Bangladeshi to help chase down a 221-run total to Shamim Hossain’s breathtaking fielding, the recently concluded Bangabandhu T20 Cup showed the youngsters’ prowess throughout.

Shakib Al Hasan’s return to cricket after serving a year-long ban was expected to be the most discussed topic among fans and media. And so it proved from day one, when he was officially allowed to be reinstated in cricketing activities on the morning of October 29.

“I hope many more girls in our country will focus more on playing cricket and work on their fitness in order to achieve something for their country after seeing my performance or Jahanra’s [Alam] performance,” Salma Khatun said after helping Trailblazers win the Women’s T20 Challenge for the first time.

Today marks 20 years of Bangladesh’s Test journey. And when the Naimur Rahman-led Tigers, donned in the all-white jersey for the first time, stepped onto the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on November 10, 2000, to face Sourav Ganguly’s India, cricket lovers rejoiced at the start of what they hoped would be an enthralling journey.

“Maybe give the guys a bit of breathing space,” said Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo in a virtual conference on Thursday, urging the media not to “harshly judge” players over a few days of cricket in the ongoing intra-squad BCB President’s Cup.

“I had got out a couple of times to balls bowled outside off stump. So I decided not to play the cover-drive. They were bowling consistently outside the off stump, and I decided to leave all those balls,” were the words of the great Sachin Tendulkar after he played an unbeaten 241-run knock without a single drive through the off side during the Sydney Test of India’s 2004 tour.