Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said today that it is the team’s bad luck that they miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan when required most.

The scenic and tranquil backdrop of the BKSP did not provide the much-needed time in the middle in Bangladeshi conditions that the Sri Lankans had sought on the first day of their two-day practice match against Bangladesh XI yesterday.

Bangladesh batting coach Jamie Siddons urged the media to back experienced Mushfiqur Rahim, who has been going through a lean patch with the bat in recent times.

Shakib’s chances of featuring in the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting from May 15, will depend on his recovery and fitness.

As Dhaka experienced heavy rain during midday, the first day of the two-day practice match between BCB XI and Sri Lanka had to be called off at BKSP today.

Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said his team wants to bring good tidings from Bangladesh to his country, which is going through severe economic and political crisis.

Having witnessed the ups and downs at the budding stage of his career, Najmul Hossain Shanto has been able to show a fair bit of consistency for Bangladesh in Test format recently.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) revealed today that Argentina games are most in demand when it comes to the number of ticket applications submitted by Bangladesh fans for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

A return to the national side is a redemption opportunity for any cricketer. And after an interval of one year, off-spinner Nayeem Hasan expressed his desire to bowl with greater patience as he was drafted into the squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

It will be a teacher coming up against a few of his students when Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Newaz comes up against his former students Shoriful Islam and Mahmudul Hasan Joy as the Tigers’ series against Sri Lanka nears.

Right now, the ubiquitous buzzword in our cricket circuit is ‘mindset’. It seems all paths lead to that particular word in discussions about the problems surrounding the Bangladesh men’s national cricket team.

The Daily Star (DS): Do you think the time has come for Bangladesh to regularly win Test matches at home?

Sri Lanka cricket team arrived in Dhaka this afternoon. The players and officials reached the Bangladesh capital at around 12:30pm today and headed straight to the team hotel. 

The Daily Star (DS): You did reasonably well in the Test series in South Africa, picking up eight wickets in two Tests.

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim watches over the shoulder of his tutee, Mushfiqur Rahim, as the batter prepares at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud came down heavily on pacer Mustafizur Rahman regarding his reluctance to play Tests. 

Sri Lanka’s newly-appointed coach Chris Silverwood wants his batters to score more freely and his fast bowlers to breathe fire early in their spells as he seeks to add a touch of flair to their performance.

The Daily Star (DS): What challenges have you set for yourself on your second stint in Bangladesh?

Since the onset of the pandemic late in 2019, the cricketing world have adjusted to the protocols suggested by health officials to curb the spread of the virus during international series and Bangladesh have been no different in that regard.

Dimuth Karunaratne will lead Sri Lanka's 18-man squad in Bangladesh for the two-match Test series starting next week, selectors said Wednesday.