Samsul Arefin Khan

Pacer Rana’s return to the field was far from easy.

While Ireland had recently beat England and Sri Lanka, the hosts are winless this year and last played a 50-over match in March.

The 23-year-old tops the run charts in the ongoing NCL with 567 runs in eight innings, averaging 81, including his maiden double century and consecutive centuries.

Even after 24 years since Bangladesh's first Test, the persistent problems of poor batting and substandard wickets in the domestic circuit, evidenced in the National Cricket League’s (NCL) fifth-round fixtures, highlight why the national team continues to struggle in the red-ball format.

Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, chairman of BCB's umpires' committee for the last three years, in an interview with The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan, expressed his concern regarding the recent increase in code of conduct violations by players in the ongoing National Cricket League while also admitting umpiring errors that have led to such a rise. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

While talking about Bangladesh cricket, many often lament that despite being a Test nation for around two-and-a-half decades, the country has failed to cultivate a domestic cricket culture. This assertion, however, is not quite true.

Mahmudullah Riyad fell in the nervous nineties for the first time in his international career, but not before the veteran smashed a brilliant run-a-ball 98 to propel Bangladesh to 244 for eight in the series-deciding third ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah yesterday.

"In this World Cup, it’s going to be a bit different. There are a couple of all-rounders in the team. It all depends on how these players respond against stronger teams," said Naveed.

David Hemp has been Bangladesh's batting coach for the past eight months, with 14 months remaining on his contract, but now faces criticism after recent batting failures against India and South Africa.

When Bangladesh finished Day 2 of their second and series-deciding Test against South Africa in Chattogram at 38 for four in their first innings on Wednesday, doubts seeped in whether the Tigers would be able to survive the entire third day with their remaining 16 wickets in both innings.

It seems the Bangladesh national cricket team is on a mission to break all sorts of records in Tests, well, at least the ignominious ones. They hit a new low yesterday when they conceded an innings and 273-run defeat to South Africa in the second and final Test to suffer a 2-0 clean-sweep in Chattogram.

Like Bangladesh batters failed to keep their shape on Day 2 of their second Test against South Africa in Chattogram yesterday, the Tigers’ spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed also was unable to maintain his neutral narrative when he attended the press conference following the day’s play.

Bangladesh’s struggle in Tests, compounded by poor fan engagement and stadium conditions, raises questions about Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) commitment to fostering a strong cricket culture.

A penchant for opting for a safe approach once again forced Bangladesh onto the backfoot on the opening day of their series-deciding second and final Test against South Africa in Chattogram yesterday.

Former South Africa captain Ashwell Prince is currently working as the batting coach of his country. The 47-year-old had previously worked with Bangladesh as a batting consultant from August 2021 to February 2022, but resigned from his position with nine months still left on his contract.

Bangladesh will look to bounce back in Chattogram during the series-concluding second Test against South Africa, scheduled to start today, in an attempt to avoid a series defeat against a SENA country on home soil after 14 years.

The opening round of the National Cricket League (NCL) 2024-25 witnessed some notable performances from both the batters and bowlers, but it was Rajshahi Division opener Sabbir Hossain who stood out with his first-class career-best 150 off 139 balls against Khulna Division during his side’s second innings at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

At stumps, however, the Tigers were relieved bunch, having reduced the visitors to 140 for six, thanks to Taijul Islam who became the fastest and the second Bangladesh bowler, after Shakib, to take 200 Test wickets.

Cricketing activities took centre-stage for the first time in three days in Mirpur yesterday as both Bangladesh and South Africa national cricket teams completed intense training sessions ahead of the opening Test of the two-match series, scheduled to start on October 21.

Former Australian speedster Shaun Tait is the head coach of Chittagong Kings for the upcoming 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), scheduled to start on December 27. The 41-year-old, who was one of the quickest bowlers in the world in his prime time, previously played for the Kings in 2013 and also worked as Chattogram Challengers’ bowling coach in 2022. Tait was present during the players’ draft on Monday and spoke to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan after the event. Here are the excepts: