Nabid Yeasin

What was missing in the BCB President’s Cup in the first two matches was found to some extent in the third match of the 50-over tournament between Najmul XI and Tamim XI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

Despite England’s five-year unbeaten record in home series coming to an end when Australia’s Mitchell Starc swept Adil Rashid for a boundary at Old Trafford in the third ODI on Wednesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would still have been proud of what they achieved this summer -- cricket’s first summer in a bio-secure bubble.

For a board that has been stressing on the importance of players’ safety and putting their health issues above all since the start of the pandemic,

Young Bangladesh opener Saif Hassan tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. But did that change any plans in proceedings for other cricketers? The simple answer is no. Players yesterday again resumed individual training at different BCB facilities across the country following a few days’ gap after a few members of the support staff had displayed coronavirus-like symptoms.

Barcelona and Lionel Messi -- the two names have always been synonymous and the 33-year-old left-footed genius had limitless moments of greatness with the Blaugrana.

Historically, Bangladesh have been reliant on spin, especially in the longest version. While having spinners bowl the lion’s share of the overs in a Test innings is the norm, there have also been instances of the Tigers taking the field with only specialised spinners and no pacers in the bowling attack.

“I cannot say what the result would have been but had Shakib [bhai] been with us in the tour, he surely would have impacted the game differently,”

Since the postponement of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) in mid-March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, uncertainty is all that has swirled around Bangladesh cricket.

Is cricket in Bangladesh really as glamorous as it seems? Those who harbour the notion that a career in cricket will always offer a glorious life will be dumbfounded when they dig deeper into the matter.

“It is just boring spending time at home. How much longer can one sit idle at home?,” Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Akbar Ali chuckled as he wondered when he could return to the field and hone his batting and wicketkeeping skills.

The world now can sense the return of cricket following the coronavirus pandemic that had halted proceedings since March. Top-level cricket already returned at Old Trafford on June 23 when the visiting West Indies played an intra-squad warm-up match ahead of their three-Test series against England, scheduled to start from July 8. Pakistan, who are due to play three Tests followed by as many T20I against England in August, have already reached the country and are currently undergoing a 14-day mandatory quarantine before playing intra-squad practice matches. Even Sri Lanka had resumed training earlier in June.

There is no denying what the world has endured in the past few months will leave a lasting impact. That is also true of the country’s cricket, which like other sports has been halted since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the new normal very much in mind, sporting activities have slowly started to resume around the world. That is not yet the case for Bangladesh, one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but with the resumption of cricket on the horizon.

“Football, like life in general, I think will never be the same,” Lionel Messi told Spanish daily El Pais as he discussed La Liga’s impending return to action after the coronavirus pandemic earlier this week. Messi’s words hold true not only for football, but all sport, and some would say life in general, in the post-pandemic era.

The brightest of stars do not always need clear skies to draw attention and make their presence known to the world. Such can be said about Shakib Al Hasan, undoubtedly the brightest star of Bangladesh cricket, as the premier all-rounder also does not always necessarily need to be involved in a cricketing activity to hog the spotlight.

In these times, while being held prisoner at your own home behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, one may try to find

I am widely unpopular among my friends, family and colleagues for remembering things. And hence, as I take my turn to reminisce about the first live match that I watched, I could just barely recall some flashes of the day Bangladesh took on England on March 5, 2010 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, my hometown.

After a lousy day at office or school, navigating all the chaos around the city and bearing long hours of traffic, the one thing that people try to find peace in at the end of the day is seeing their favorite club or team playing the game they love. Sport is not only a source of entertainment but also kind of an escape from reality for most people.

Bangladesh stand on the brink of a rare moment going into today’s encounter against Zimbabwe in the second and the final T20I of the two-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

It was a fitting end to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s reign as captain and the inspirational leader, who did a lot of head-scratching over the years while trying to find the perfect opening partner alongside automatic pick Tamim Iqbal,