“Comparing the way associate teams like the USA, Canada, Papua New Guinea have played, I feel that Bangladesh have regressed in T20s,” Ashraful told The Daily Star.

“I always dream big. I dream of becoming champions. It’s my personal thinking, I like to dream big,” Soumya said in a video posted on social media by the BCB today.

Every metric indicates a clear dearth of ability alongside a lack of intent in the Bangladesh team when it comes to T20s.

“We are not thinking about what has happened before. We know how capable we are, we have to be brave and execute our plans.”

Bangladesh are heading into the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup with their most varied bowling attack in recent memory as their arsenal ticks almost all the boxes but questions remain on how the resources will be used in the USA and the Caribbean.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials Jalal Yunus and Gazi Ashraf Lipu were not keen on entertaining skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s accusations that substandard pitches at home had primarily contributed to the Tigers' dismal performance in Twenty20 Internationals.

The match, which was supposed to begin at 9:30 pm Bangladesh time, was the first of two ICC mandated warm-up games for the Tigers

We distance ourselves from the sport, stop watching the games, and wish that the news of the results doesn’t reach us. But to remain unaffected is not a choice we can make.

“Of course, as a bowler I want to see the title ‘highest wicket-taker’ besides my name,” the leg-spinner said in a video posted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on social media today.

More than a year into his contract, Hathurusingha got to see both sides of the coin. In 2023, Bangladesh whitewashed defending champions England, and Afghanistan won a series against Ireland at home and claimed their maiden T20I win over New Zealand in the BlackCaps’ backyard. But less than a year since enjoying their best ever run in the shortest format, the Tigers spiralled down to their lowest point, displaying a severe lack of continuity.

Could the Tigers spiral down further? The omens would suggest a very bleak answer for fans of a cricket-crazy nation.

Afif Hossain has been one of the most fortuitous cricketers in the national fold since his debut in February 2018.

“During bad times, you shouldn’t overthink. When you are in a bad phase, the more you think about it, the worse things will get for you,” Liton said

Bangladesh will take on the USA today in the first ever Twenty20 International between the sides with the Tigers eyeing the game as an opportunity to take in the Texan conditions ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.

"I don’t want to perform like I usually do. In the World Cup, I want to perform better,” Mahedi said in a video posted by the BCB on social media today

“We should win against South Africa and Sri Lanka,” said Mashrafe after a press conference on the Bangabandhu Gold Cup International Kabaddi tournament

Of the nine teams that have managed to play all the editions of the T20 World Cup since its inauguration in 2007 (Bangladesh, West Indies, India, Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and South Africa), the Tigers are the only side to have never qualified for the semifinal of the tournament.  

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha heaped praises on the Tigers’ chosen 15 who will represent the country in the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. 

“The start of the USA v Bangladesh T20I series scheduled for May 21 is currently in doubt after a major storm system ripped through the Houston area on Thursday,” Penna wrote on X

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is going into the upcoming T20 World Cup as Tigers’ key player in what could be his final bow in T20’s showpiece event.