Samsul Arefin Khan

As the tournament gets underway at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday, controversies continue to surface despite repeated assurances of a smoothly run event.

Bangladesh face a tough Group A alongside five-time champions India, New Zealand and the USA in the ICC Under-19 World Cup, running from January 15 to February 8.

At the trophy ceremony, participating players expressed relief but also lamented the absence of colleagues.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is again relying on domestic tournaments and a short preparation camp instead of international fixtures to prepare the women's team for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers – repeating the approach taken before this year's Women's World Cup in India, which it later admitted was a mistake.

Known primarily for his bowling, Mymensingh Division’s Abu Hider Rony produced a sensational batting display in this year’s National Cricket League (NCL), amassing 421 runs in just seven innings at an average of 105.25. The 29-year-old smashed 32 sixes, struck two centuries, and maintained a staggering strike rate of 116.94 alongside taking 12 wickets.

An injury during the NCL T20 nearly ended Mukidul Islam Mugdho's entire domestic season. But the pacer not only fought his way back to the field, but also played a pivotal role in Rangpur Division's title win in the red-ball NCL, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 29 scalps in just four matches and was adjudged the player-of-the-tournament.

After a first-class career spanning nearly two decades, domestic stalwart Shamsur Rahman Shuvo has retired from red-ball cricket following the recently concluded 27th National Cricket League (NCL). Interestingly, he had not planned to step away this season, but a particular dismissal during the tournament offered unexpected clarity. Finishing with 9,602 first-class runs, Shamsur reflected on his journey, satisfaction, disappointments, his views on Bangladesh’s domestic system, and his future plans in an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan. The excerpts are as follows:

The 27-year-old, who bypassed traditional age-level pathways, recently gained attention with a strong showing at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar.

The players' auction returned to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after 12 years yesterday and its comeback was not without surprises as top-order batter Mohammad Naim fetched the highest price among all local players and some young up-and-comers earned bigger bucks than the veterans.

Last year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) introduced the T20 iteration of the National Cricket League (NCL) to expose domestic players to competitive T20 cricket and help Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchises identify local talent.

The 36-year-old, who played just three Tests for Bangladesh between 2013 and 2014, never received a second opportunity despite consistently performing in domestic cricket.

Bangladesh once again let themselves down in the pursuit of a multi-team trophy as the 'A' side suffered heartbreak in the Super Over against Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup Rising Stars in Doha, Qatar on Sunday. Despite the defeat, Bangladesh 'A' head coach David Hemp remained positive about the team's overall performance and their journey throughout the tournament. He shared his reflections in a conversation with The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan.

When Mushfiqur Rahim debuted for Bangladesh back in 2005 at the age of 18, Dav Whatmore was the head coach of the Tigers. On the occasion of Mushfiqur’s 100th Test, the 71-year-old former Australia batter talked to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan and shared his observation about Mushfiqur’s illustrious career. The excerpts are as follows:

Being thousands of miles away from home did not stop Ireland batter Harry Tector from rejoicing in his country’s recent 3-2 win over Hungary in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He was even more excited with the prospect of taking part in the next ICC World Test Championship and hoped it would lead to the resumption of red-ball cricket back home. Tector said all this and more in an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan.

In an interview with The Daily Star, Linu shared insights from her time in the Athletes Commission and suggested solutions.

Even after years of representing the country, most women cricketers cannot afford to enjoy the comforts that male counterparts take for granted.

Roston Chase, who is a familiar face across all three formats for the Caribbean side and also their Test skipper, recently talked to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan on the recent and upcoming events, including the two-tier system in Test cricket and the T20 World Cup.

When a team need 65 runs off 47 balls with seven wickets in hand while chasing a modest 150-run target to stay alive in a series, composure -- not urgency -- is what’s required.

Chattogram, a regular host of international fixtures and the ongoing Bangladesh-West Indies T20I series, has long been one of the country’s main cricketing centres.

The former West Indies cricketer, who previously visited Bangladesh as a player for the West Indies and in the Bangladesh Premier League, is now relishing his new role as a commentator in the ongoing white-ball series between the two sides.