Sakeb Subhan

“Has he played any four-day cricket?” was the slightly irritated answer from head coach Chandika Hathurusingha yesterday when asked

When Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played his heroic hand to club 44 in 29 deliveries to help Bangladesh score 75 crucial runs in the second ODI against England on Sunday, it was cause for joy for the home fans, not just because it put the Tigers back into the match and the series, but also as it bucked a recent trend of mediocrity.

In the 14th over of Bangladesh's chase yesterday, Sabbir Rahman hit a well timed pull that for all money seemed to be sailing over the

If the Bangladesh team management were looking for some answers ahead of the three-ODI series against England, the 14-

It took three attempts, but a so-far misfiring Bangladesh team finally came good with most of the departments clicking in the

Tamim Iqbal became the first Bangladesh batsman to score seven ODI centuries in yesterday's third ODI against Afghanistan which the

There was a reason why Bangladesh fans were so eager for the ODI series against Afghanistan and England to start, and that

In the immediate aftermath of a humbling defeat at the hands of Afghanistan, the image that immediately comes to mind is of

As Afghanistan's Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi were calmly resisting everything the Bangladesh bowlers were throwing at them during 144-run second-wicket partnership, it was hard to tell that the team doing the catching up were the overwhelming favourites coming into the three-match series.

The past week was a busy one in the world of sports with the start of the Euro 2016, continuation of the Copa America Centenario and records set in local hockey.

The sporting week that ended Sunday was one made poignant by the passing of the People's Champion, Muhammad Ali. That was swiftly followed by Novak Djokovic galloping away from the chasing pack by winning the French Open for the first time and in the process creating a host of records. For these and much more, read our weekly sports review.

It will be fair to say that Bangladesh cricket has not seen the likes of Mustafizur Rahman in its short history. It will be a little more contentious to say that the world has not seen a bowler like him in recent times.

“I want to be a medical doctor working for the disadvantaged like my dad. I do have to keep bringing everything

It was bound to happen. The mercury in two cricket-mad nations had been bubbling to breaking point and on Thursday, much like a

It will be a hard ask to find a more indomitable section of people than a Bangladesh cricket crowd.

Amid the euphoria of Bangladesh's ascension to the Asia Cup T20 final there was the less auspicious development of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan being fined half his match fee and receiving an official reprimand for breaching Level 1 of the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) code of conduct during the five-wicket victory over Pakistan on Wednesday.

The similarities were uncanny, the possibilities either too cruel or poetically just. The actor and his nemesis were the same, as were the stage and situation, give or take a wicket here and a run there.

Perhaps the most jarring aspect of seeing this Bangladesh bowling attack, be it in T20Is or ODIs, is the sense of inevitability that they will give a good account of themselves. The lynchpin of the pace attack, Mustafizur Rahman, was out through injury but it did not seem to be a big problem as Taskin Ahmed ran in to deliver the first ball of the virtual Asia Cup T20 semifinal against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

When Bangladesh and Pakistan lock horns in their Asia Cup T20 tie at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today, both will be

Mohammad Amir has had a chequered return to international cricket. He is recovering from a sordid past that was his own making, and