Sakeb Subhan

Bangladesh will be confronted with pressure of a different kind when they take on Sri Lanka today in the World Cup game at the Bristol County Ground. In the five World Cups they have played so far, Bangladesh were not expected to beat Test playing nations other than Zimbabwe

Mahmudullah Riyad was hitting some of the biggest sixes not just straight down the ground against spinners but also square on the leg side against pacers. At one stage he unveiled the switch hit against a spinner. The right-hander did make a connection

Lucky or not, seven is a number that should be tattooed on every Bangladesh supporter’s minds over the next month or so. Because seven is reality and rankings matter. It is the very number that Bangladeshis had rejoiced in less than two years ago at the cut-off stage for the top eight

Bangladesh are the seventh-ranked team and England are ranked number one, so it would have been overly optimistic to expect the Tigers to beat the form team in world cricket.

There was bound to be a time when expectations would meet reality, and for Bangladesh that time was yesterday at the Cardiff Wales Stadium, specifically while England ran up a monstrous 386 for six in their World Cup game. Bangladesh had been riding high, coming into the World Cup

A recurring theme of Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has been that Shakib Al Hasan has been head and shoulders above his teammates.

On the eve of their first World Cup match against South Africa on June 2, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza talked about the importance of sticking to their own game plan rather than setting a standard set mainly by hosts England of scoring more than 350. They played their own game of building partnerships and accelerating from a solid platform, scored 330 for six and won by 21 runs against South Africa.

Bangladesh are back at the scene of prior conquests, the stadium nestled in the middle of Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Now known as the Cardiff Wales Stadium, it is doubtful whether the former Sophia Gardens -- where they shocked Australia in 2005 and defeated New Zealand

Not far from The Oval, the scene of a stirring win in their World Cup opener against South Africa on Sunday, the Bangladesh team were enjoying a well-deserved rest day at their hotel yesterday.

Certain boxes have to be ticked to know that the Bangladesh team are in good fettle.

As Mustafizur Rahman ran up to bowl to South Africa number 10 Imran Tahir, with the Proteas needing an unlikely 44 runs from the last 16 balls, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s smile from his position at backward point told the story.

There was a subplot heading into yesterday’s World Cup match between Bangladesh and South Africa at The Oval. Two contrasting cricketing cultures were going to clash on neutral territory, with each winning series against the other in their own backyards over the last four-year cycle.

There was not much time for Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to celebrate an opening win that seemed unlikely when the fixtures were confirmed before he had to make his way to the post-match press conference. It was enough time for the captain to get his game face on and face the media and remind the fans that the 21-run win over South Africa at The Oval yesterday was just one game.

Early in his pre-match press conference, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza provided a guideline of what to expect by strongly asserting that South Africa were the favourites in the Tigers’ opening World Cup match at The Oval today.

That Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a special captain is known to all in Bangladesh, but yesterday, during the pre-match press conference ahead of today’s World Cup opener against South Africa, the wider world caught a glimpse of why the entire team swears by the battling cricketer and has united under him like no other.

The point of interest surrounding Bangladesh’s practice on the eve of their World Cup opener against South Africa was the status of star opener Tamim Iqbal’s left forearm and whether he would be able to play tomorrow, and the early signs as well as skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s words were encouraging.

A month of preparation in similar conditions will be tested today when Bangladesh take on South Africa in their opening match of the 2019 World Cup.

“I think we will be playing on the wicket that was played on yesterday [Thursday], which should be very good for us,” Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh said in a press conference during the team’s practice session at the venue yesterday ahead Bangladesh vs South Africa match. “At The Oval

The Bangladesh squad are now faced with a test at the eleventh hour before they open their World Cup campaign with a high-pressure match against South Africa at The Oval in London tomorrow. The test is a stern one as it involves perhaps the most important player in their batting line-up -- opener Tamim Iqbal. During practice at The Oval yesterday, Tamim sustained a painful blow to his left wrist while batting in the nets, but fortunately for the Tigers, an X-Ray later yesterday revealed no fracture.

There were many cricket legends at St. James’s Park on Wednesday’s World Cup Opening Party, but one figure attracted the most attention and was the most sought after for interviews during the mixed media zone. Sir Vivian Richards, the West Indies legend nicknamed ‘King Viv’ was pulverising