To see glory from such close quarters is a pleasure unto itself. Some of us are lucky to hear Stuart Law break into a broad smile while walking into the dressing-room to join the team song Aamra Korbo Joy. The former Australian cricketer said in an interview to this newspaper only a few days ago ... Read more
Sports
Impossible is nothing
Mushfiqur Rahim’s men introduced a new Bangladesh to world cricket by reaching the final of the Asia Cup after beating Sri Lanka in the must-win game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Bangladesh beat a team like India and South Africa to book their place in the second round of the 2007 World ... Read more
Best already, even better it may get
Days like yesterday, when Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka to reach the Asia Cup final for the first time in history, transcends the limitations of sport. To understand the importance of such an achievement, one not only needs to appreciate the travails of the Bangladesh cricket fan, but also the peculiarities of life in Bangladesh. People ... Read more
Bowling well done
It was the forty-third over, Bangladesh were bowling and there were six fielders inside the thirty-yard circle. That image alone summed up Bangladesh’s fielding effort against Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. Bangladesh had to win the match to go through to the Asia Cup final for the ... Read more
Tigers’ date with destiny
Bangladesh’s crunch match against Lanka today The Tigers have plenty of motivating factors today in their bid to upstage Sri Lanka for a place in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Thursday. The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will be the scene of history since this tournament has never been one for the underdogs. Bangladesh have ... Read more
Onus on batsmen
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium curator Gamini de Silva has won a lot of praise from all except one section of the cricket community over the past week: the bowlers. It has been a barren existence for the likes of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Abdur Razzak and even Shakib Al Hasan, none having topped three wickets ... Read more
Tendulkar meets PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described batting genius Sachin Tendulkar as the pride of this subcontinent. She made the remark when the world’s most prolific batsman met her at her official residence Gono Bhaban on Sunday evening. Hasina greeted Sachin for his 100th international century. After the meeting, Tendulkar told reporters that it was a great ... Read more
‘Not here to do any favours’
Sri Lanka has no stake in today’s Asia Cup match. This simple statement may send the wrong message to their opponents; Bangladesh. But if the Tigers heed the words of Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene they should get a clearer picture about how serious Lankans are about the match even though they have already been ... Read more
The Fantastic Five
The Bangladesh players enjoyed a break yesterday after their stunning 5-wicket win over world champions India on Friday evening that opened up the Asia Cup. After Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim’s exploits were documented immediately after the game, The Daily Star Sport’s Bishwajit Roy and Mohammad Isam spoke to the five architects who helped the ... Read more
Sachin the day after
Sachin Tendulkar felt relief yesterday after achieving the long awaited 100th international hundred in India’s 5-wicket loss to hosts Bangladesh in the Asia Cup on Friday. “I have to admit I was relieved. This is now out of the way and I can start a new chapter. It was possibly the toughest phase of my ... Read more
Twin-ton up India’s easy win
Indian batsmen in Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli got homelike conditions to put aside their dismal tour of Australia as they made an emphatic start in the Asia Cup with a 50run victory over Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Usually the focus was on master batsman Sachin Tendulkar when Mahela ... Read more
My casual batting cost Tigers: Nasir
Bangladesh all-rounder Nasir Hossain admitted that his casual attitude cost him his wicket against Pakistan in their opening game of the Micromax Asia Cup which ultimately led to the Tigers’ downfall. Nasir made 47 and was involved in a fabulous 89-run sixth-wicket stand with Sakib al Hasan, which raised the hopes of the hosts of ... Read more
Kohli the real deal
It was Virat Kohli’s 19th century which eventually went on to become his fourth double-century in ODI cricket. Don’t be surprised as more accurately it was his tenth ton yesterday though it was for the nineteenth time that the Delhi batsman had added a century-stand for India. The Asia Cup game against Sri Lanka was ... Read more
Focus on pace
India take on Sri Lanka today Sri Lanka have every reason to employ three pace bowlers at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium when they take on defending champions India in the Asia Cup today. On Sunday, Bangladesh used Shahadat Hossain alongside Shafiul Islam and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza against Pakistan. Though two of the three seamers weren’t ... Read more
Tamim was actually thanking Akram
A mini collapse in the middle-order can still be covered and the innings resurrected if the top three play out more than twenty overs. What Bangladesh did wrong on Sunday was they did not finish with a flourish, and it resulted in the 21-run loss to Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener. The majority of ... Read more
Smoke and mirrors
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president AHM Mustafa Kamal on Monday broke his silence two days after his return from abroad but he turned up only to provide some pointless answers to the recent burning issues and controversies surrounding him. Everybody was expecting some clear explanations from the BCB boss regarding some issues
Tigers fall at the death again
It was another case of ‘so near yet so far’ for the Tigers as they failed to put an end to their long drought against Pakistan, going down by 21 runs after putting up a brave fight in the Asia Cup opener at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. It could so nearly have ... Read more
How long must we sing this song?
And it happens again. Only the harshest of hearts would not have broken a little at the sight of Shakib Al Hasan standing with shoulders slumped by his shattered stumps, a defeated man after trying so hard to yet again pull off a victory single-handedly. What happened at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday in the ... Read more
Tamim makes his point
Tamim Iqbal successfully drowned out the noise that was surrounding him like a traffic jam on a busy weekday in Dhaka. He figured a way out of the rut through the 20th ODI half-century, though the Tigers lost the game to Pakistan by 21 runs in the Asia Cup opener yesterday. The left-handed opener was ... Read more
Tigers’ chance to prove
Misbah counts Shakib as ‘main man’ in Asia Cup opener today Regardless of all the controversies and the high-profile arrivals, the focus has returned to the field and a largely dry win column, as Bangladesh have the Asia Cup opener today against an opponent they haven’t conquered in almost thirteen years. The hosts take on ... Read more