From a team that only ever tried to ‘spin to win’, Bangladesh have now evolved into a pace-centric attack heading into the ICC World Cup in India.

As the 13th edition of the ICC ODI World Cup kicks off in Ahmedabad today, it is time we took a dive into what makes cricket so special to so many people around the world.

An important figure behind Sri Lanka’s emergence as a cricketing force in the world, Hashan Tilakaratne is someone who possesses vast knowledge about the game. The former Lankan captain, who was an integral part of the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan side, has been in charge of the Bangladesh women’s team since November 2022. During an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi, the 56-year-old talked about the mindset and the relationship a coach needs to have with the cricketers, the recipe for success in the World Cup, and his expectations from the Tigers ahead of the mega event in India.  

From being brutally trolled on social media at the beginning of his career to becoming the mainstay of Bangladesh’s batting line-up in recent years, Najmul Hossain Shanto has come a long way as a cricketer. The 25-year-old, who is set to play his maiden ODI World Cup, will definitely play a crucial role for the Tigers in the mega event in India. The in-form batter opened up about his game, and expectations from the showpiece event along with a few other topics during an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin. The excerpts of the interview are given below: 

The Bangladesh team will play their second warm-up match against England today before moving to Dharamsala, where they will play their first match of the World Cup against Afghanistan on October 7.

Off-spinner and all-rounder Mahedi Hasan has put his ability to bowl with the new as well as the old ball to good use in recent contests as his consistency coupled with guile has earned him a place in Bangladesh’s World Cup squad.

A career switch is never easy and for a former cricketer, who has played at the highest level for their country, it is probably even more difficult.

Bangladesh ODI captain Shakib Al Hasan gave his opinion regarding Tamim Iqbal’s exclusion from the World Cup squad in an exclusive interview with T Sports, aired last night.

Bangladesh team on Wednesday departed for India's Guwahati to play the ICC Cricket World Cup, hoping to put behind the drama that has unfolded back home following the exclusion of veteran opener Tamim Iqbal from the India-bound squad.

Finally, when the dust settled yesterday night after almost 24 hours of speculation and rumorus, it was revealed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) did not include seasoned campaigner Tamim Iqbal among the 15 selected to represent the country in the 13th edition of the World Cup, to be played in India from October 5 to November 19.

With September 28 being the cut-off date to submit the final squad for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup in India, the national selectors are expected to announce the Bangladesh squad for the mega event soon.

"Our batting [has] deteriorated in the last six months. It is going downwards, so we have to rectify quickly," skipper Shakib Al Hasan had remarked after the Super Four game against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh assistant coach Nic Pothas, who looks after the batting side of things, joined the Tigers in a two-year contract and his first assignment was the series against Ireland in England. As far as Shakib is concerned, the appointment of Pothas is yet to bear fruit.

Four days after screenshots of Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s misogynistic social media posts went viral, Bangladesh Cricket Board faced the media yesterday, but could only offer what amounted to a mere apology on the player’s behalf. 

Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib has told BCB that he regrets his Facebook posts while claiming that neither his posts were aimed to hurt anyone nor he is against women. 

Riyad was dropped following the series against England in March this year after his failure to produce the goods with the bat. His fielding had also come under scrutiny, even from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon.

A Bangladeshi cricketer was embroiled in controversy Monday over misogynistic social media posts condemning working women, just days after making a brilliant international debut.

Bangladesh batter Mahmudullah Riyad scored a 39-ball 26 in a practice match between Bangladesh Tigers and a team comprising of players from the Asian Games squad at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Thursday. 

The reality exposed in the ongoing Asia Cup for Bangladesh has certainly compelled Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the team management to only hope that their best players will be available for the upcoming World Cup in October.

Bangladesh team management has already shifted their focus to the upcoming home series against New Zealand as the Tigers' hopes of making it to the Asia Cup final are all but over following defeat against Sri Lanka in their second Super Four match in Colombo on Saturday.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha lamented the decision to allocate a reserved day for the India-Pakistan match only, the 54-year-old expressed while speaking at the pre-match press conference of the Asia Cup Super Four encounter between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Saturday in Colombo.