Bangladesh's recent ICC World Test Championship series triumph over Pakistan has helped a host of their red-ball stars make big gains on the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings.

“I never feared or doubted for a moment that we would not win.”

The Bangladesh cricket community has come together in shock and outrage following the horrific murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Dhaka. The young girl, a class two student, was raped and killed allegedly by her neighbour, Sohel Rana, in a crime that has sent ripples of grief across the nation.

Litton Das scored a sublime century under immense pressure in the first innings and backed it up with a vital fifty in the second as Bangladesh completed their first home Test-series whitewash with a 78-run victory in the second Test in Sylhet on Wednesday.

Pakistan pacer Khurram Shahzad struck a crucial blow in the opening hour after trapping Shanto lbw for 15 off 46 deliveries.

Litton played a magnificent knock of 126 amid a batting collapse to rescue Bangladesh from a difficult situation.

Litton rated his latest innings as “totally different”, having had no established partner to share the load.

A successful review that saved Shoriful Islam from an lbw dismissal, followed by hamstring cramps and a drinks break, prolonged the delay before Litton finally regained strike and punched a delivery through the covers for four to reach the milestone.

“I said before that the lower order has responsibility and we want that they have some output with the bat. There was space today [to make contributions], but it was failure once again,” Litton said flatly, underlining his disappointment.

Bangladesh completed their highest-ever run chase in T20Is in the series opener against New Zealand in Chattogram on Monday, but skipper Litton Das insisted the wicket was far from easy to bat on.

On whether the team has moved past the disappointment of missing out on the global stage, the captain suggested a shift in mindset has already taken place.

Bangladesh sealed a 2-1 series win over New Zealand in Chattogram today, following a 55-run victory in the third and series-deciding ODI. Along the way, the Tigers set a number of records:

As it stands, Bangladesh cricketers and their fans seem to share one defining trait -- an almost stubborn tendency to cling to hope.

Bangladesh suffered a crushing 128-run defeat (DLS) in the rain-interrupted second ODI against visitors Pakistan in Mirpur yesterday.

In Litton’ last eight ODI innings, he has yet to reach double figures, prompting the rethink. Simmons believes the move benefits both the player and the team.

Bangladesh have brought Litton Das and Afif Hossain back into the ODI fold for the upcoming series against Pakistan, starting on March 11, as middle-order failures saw Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan Sohan get dropped.

Batter Afif Hossain has returned to the ODI setup while T20I captain Litton Das also made his comeback as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan at home, starting on March 11.

It seems as if nothing happening on the pitch is significant enough to overshadow the events unfolding off it.

Any question regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7, is apparently putting the players in an uncomfortable position -- something that was reflected in T20I skipper Litton Das’ reaction on Tuesday.

Bangladesh Premier League action returned to the field on Friday as the Dhaka leg started with a decent crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.