Samsul Arefin Khan

Amid the handful of foreign stars featuring in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), former England batter Alex Hales is definitely one to look at.

The Sylhet phase of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) gets underway today at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium with organisers aiming to make it a bigger success both on and off the field than the opening phase in Dhaka.

Although local batters flourished in the high-scoring opening phase of the ongoing 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in Dhaka, which concluded on Friday, most batters of the national T20I team struggled to get going, something they would be hoping to change in the upcoming Sylhet phase.

Fans were treated to high-scoring matches, while off-field drama surrounding ticketing issues added intrigue to the tournament’s opening day.

In previous years, star cricketers like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, and Imran Tahir, who are generally seen ruling the franchise tournaments across the world, featured for different BPL franchises but this year, none of these players will be playing in the country’s sole franchise-based T20 tournament.

In an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, Stephen Eskinazi opened up on his cricketing journey and revealed that his international cricket aspirations revolve solely around England.

In a conversation with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan on Wednesday, the pace sensation opened up about the flying start to his Bangladesh career and what he plans to achieve in 2025. The excerpts are as follows: 

Five U-19 cricketers including skipper Azizul Hakim Tamim and pacer Iqbal Hossain Emon, who were part the Asia Cup winning squad in the UAE, featured in the just-concluded National Cricket League T20 held in Sylhet, showcasing notable performances that caught the eyes of the franchises.

The 31-year-old opener yesterday talked to The Daily Star regarding women’s Test future as well, among other things.

The back-to-back ODI series defeats to West Indies and Afghanistan have come as a big reality check for Bangladesh, who seemed to have lost their way in the 50-over format ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in February-March next year.

Last year, Bangladesh not only had a decent campaign in the inaugural U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, but they also produced players like Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter, Dilara Akter and Rabeya.

Bangladesh U-19 team head coach Naveed Nawaz spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan after the successful campaign, shared insights on their performance in the event and the plans going forward.

The recently-concluded three-match WT20I series against Ireland marked the end of a forgetful year for the Bangladesh women’s team, which witnessed an extraordinary downfall in their performance in both white-ball formats compared to the preceding year.

Jaker has already scored fifties in each of the three Tests he has played, becoming only the second Bangladeshi after Mominul Haque to achieve such a feat.

Although three and a half years have passed since then, the Tigresses are yet to feature in the game’s elite format.

The workload management of Nahid Rana, Bangladesh’s fastest bowler, will be key in the coming days to keep the 22-year-old away from burnout and injuries, experts have said. 

Showcasing a spirited display, Nigar Sultana Joty’s team put aside all the pre-series fears.

For more than five months, pace bowler Anamul Haque had to patiently wait for an opportunity to play a professional game.

Experienced Bangladesh batter Sharmin Akhter Supta made a sensational return to the national side as she struck a career-best 89-ball 96 in the Tigresses’ record 154-run win over Ireland in the first of three ODIs in Mirpur yesterday. Had she not been caught at mid-off while trying to ratchet up the scoring rate in the latter stage of the innings, Supta could have become only the second Bangladeshi woman batter to score an ODI hundred after Fargana Hoque, who scored both the ODI hundreds for Bangladesh. Playing her first international game since July 2023, she also had cramps while fielding which forced her to leave the ground. After the match, the 28-year-old batter talked to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan regarding her comeback, preparation, and yesterday’s match-winning knock. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

Head coach Rajin Saleh represented Sylhet for nearly 20 years but never won the NCL as a player.