BCB announces 14-man squad The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday named a 14-member Bangladesh team for the forthcoming Asia Cup, leaving out Tamim Iqbal. Chief selector Akram Khan said last night that BCB chief AHM Mustafa Kamal cut Tamim from the national team. “Tamim Iqbal was dropped by [BCB president] Mustafa Kamal. He was in ... Read more
cricketer
Imrul dazzles to level series
Opener Imrul Kayes continued his good form with a scintillating half-century as Bangladesh A shared the honours in the T20 series against the visiting England Lions with an 11-run victory in the second and final game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Riding on Imrul’s 62, the home side posted 166 for six ... Read more
Good and bad news for BPL
Icons get $210k It was a mixed day for the Bangladesh Premier League as an international cricketer turned down the chance to play the competition’s inaugural season. At the same time, the proposed link with a major television channel could boost the Twenty20 tournament. West Indies captain Darren Sammy has put his own country’s domestic ... Read more
Bangladesh A up 2-1
Bangladesh A regained the lead in the five-match series after they defeated England Lions by 75 runs in the third one-dayer at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday. The victory ensured a 2-1 lead for the home side with two games to play in Sylhet on January 16 and 18 respectively. It was ... Read more
Mash’s wait almost over
If you want to know how painful it is for a cricketer to be a mere spectator for almost an entire year, you can ask pace spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. It has never been a smooth journey for the ‘Narail Express’ because of persistent injuries since his international debut in November 2001 against Zimbabwe. The ... Read more
First-class not BCB’s first priority?
Friday’s cancellation of the National Cricket League matches is just the tip of the iceberg in Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) continuous disregard for the first-class game. During the first part of the 2011-12 season, the BCB scheduled the NCL into two parts (split by the Eid-ul-Fitr break in mid-November), both of which had domestic international ... Read more
Shakib, a cut above
It was always going to take a very special cricketer to replace a man of Jacques Kallis’s stature. The South African is already regarded as a legend of the game with his unparalleled record with the bat and ball in all formats. By sheer number, Kallis has defeated competition for his throne and has kept ... Read more
Another accolade for Shakib
Shakib Al Hasan yet again brought up some respect for the struggling Bangladesh cricket team as he became the number-one ranked all-rounder in the Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings, an ICC press release said on Thursday. His outstanding achievement came at the moment when critics raised their vocal high following Bangladesh’s calamitous performance in longer ... Read more
From safety to defeat
Pakistan win Test series 2-0 An unlikely resistance came from Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain on the fifth and final day but their efforts were not good enough for Bangladesh to save the second Test against Pakistan and sign off the year on a bright note yesterday. Pakistan made a clean sweep by winning all ... Read more
Mushfiq takes the blame
The tendency to take risks in a stable position has hurt the Tigers once more though skipper Mushfiqur Rahim owned up to his error in judgment after the seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the second Test. “Of course I will take the blame. If I didn’t get out, we could have batted 30 minutes more. ... Read more
Misbah was waiting for new ball
Pakistan were waiting for the new ball that they never needed to break the resistance of Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim, said skipper Misbah-ul Haq after a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second Test on Wednesday. Nasir and Mushfiq denied Pakistan any wicket on the fifth morning and threatened to kill
Pakistan on top despite Sakib’s heroics
Sakib al Hasan became the first Bangladeshi to hit a century and take five wickets in an innings in the same Test but his efforts look like being in a losing cause after Pakistan seized control of the second Test. All-rounder Sakib followed his first-innings 144 with the bat by snapping up six for 82 ... Read more
Fifth-time lucky Sakib
It was almost inevitable in some stages of Sakib al Hasan’s career. He created at least four opportunities in the past, came close on two occasions and missed it agonisingly. But anyone with the slightest idea of his capability as an all-rounder knew Sakib would get a five-for in an innings and a century in ... Read more
It’s just not part of game
In cricket, the common phrase is that catches win matches but Bangladesh provided an example in the ongoing second Test of how catches can also cost a side a match too. The joy of the home side of taking all 10 Pakistani wickets was short-lived as they lost five wickets for 114 runs in the ... Read more
Pakistan had full faith in bowlers
Pakistan had little doubt that bowlers could take them to an winning position if they could get a sizeable total with the bat, all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez said after fourth day’s play in the second Test on Tuesday. Two wickets each from Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema ripped the heart out of Bangladesh’s batting order as ... Read more
Tigers let Pakistan off the hook
Bangladesh paid the price for poor fielding by allowing Pakistan to claw their way back in the second Test as the visitors closed in on a first innings lead reaching 292-3 on the third day on Monday. Taufiq Umar made the most of Bangladesh’s sloppy fielding to score his seventh Test century which took Pakistan ... Read more
Win still an option for Pakistan
Pakistan opener Taufiq Umar did not rule out the chance of a win in the second Test match against Bangladesh after his seventh Test century brought them close to a first innings lead on Monday. The left-hander scored 130 from 256 balls to help Pakistan reach 292-3 at the end of fog-shortened third day in ... Read more
Nazmul can’t wait for another seven years
Bangladesh paceman Nazmul Hossain said it would be too much of a pain for him if he is needed another seven years to play a Test again after he was made to wait that long by the selectors for his second Test. Nazmul was by far the best among the three pace bowlers Bangladesh picked ... Read more
Shakib brings respectability
Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh expand upon their strong base during the second day’s play of the second Test against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. The day ended with Pakistan on 87-1 after bad light stopped play. In all, 26 overs were lost on the day after the morning session began ... Read more
The sign of a complete all-rounder
Sakib al Hasan proudly announced himself as a complete all-rounder after his 144 runs in the first innings that guided Bangladesh to a respectable 338 against Pakistan on Sunday. Sakib had started his career as a batsman who could bowl but gradually turned into Bangladesh’s main strike bowler with his left-arm spin that often turned ... Read more