Abdullah Al Mehdi

As things stand, the broadcasting rights are still difficult to sell and franchises do not have a share of tickets which hinders branding.

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is entering a new chapter in his life as he is contesting in the national polls from Magura-1. For Shakib, cricket will have to take a backseat for a while. Still new to his political career, he was not keen on some of the hard questions on both politics and cricket. However, during an interview with Abdullah Al Mehdi of The Daily Star, Shakib did say things that somewhat contradicted his original stance about not featuring in the next ODI World Cup and the national team captaincy issue, which gained steam as of late with many suggesting a change in leadership, especially since Najmul Hossain Shanto did bring promising results in his short stint as an an interim skipper.

Having secured the Awami League nomination from Magura-1 for the January 7 national election, Bangladesh’s most famous cricketer has turned his focus to the political field.

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra did not exactly hit the ground running on his international breakout but went on to become one of the standout performers in his debut World Cup, setting records in his own way. The 24-year-old had a quiet tour of Bangladesh, not getting a game in the Test series but he has been keeping a keen eye on things. As he spoke with Abdullah Al Mehdi of The Daily Star after the recently concluded second Test, he discussed the Kiwi side's atmosphere, a terrific maiden World Cup, the Mirpur wicket, and more.

The biggest facet, and also a noticeable one, of this World Cup has been top-order carnage that has not only allowed teams to put on huge scores batting first but also made it more important than ever for top-order batters to assert their dominance in their approach of chasing down the big targets thrown at them.

It was a momentous occasion for Bangladesh when a bunch of young guns clinched the U-19 World Cup in 2020, beating a strong opponent such as India who are known for producing young talents in bulk.

It was a curious innings from Shakib Al Hasan in March last year against South Africa that led Bangladesh to a momentous win in the first ODI of the bilateral series at Centurion. During a 64-ball 77,

A rivalry is many things but, most crucially, from a sporting sense, it sets off the sparks that gets the attention, pulls in the crowds and becomes a topic of discourse.

Loneliness during bad patches in top-level cricket often does not come into the spotlight. It is an issue Virat Kohli had spoken about recently.

Bangla Tigers is like an incubator for hatching not just cricketers who have surpassed the High Performance level, but also for those struggling for form or requiring preparation for an upcoming series.

Is this really a new Bangladesh?

Firsts are always special. Most bowlers come on to the international stage having already bagged five wickets in a domestic game, but that was not the case for Hasan Mahmud. The 23-year-old bagged his first fifer, not just on the international stage, but overall, in the third ODI against Ireland.

Rain was in the offing at Sylhet and it rendered any outfield activities impossible yesterday for the Tigers who perhaps thankfully took the opportunity to take in the relaxing day from the team hotel.

Towhid Hridoy was shaped by unfortunate long before his first international appearance for Bangladesh national team. In 2013, a ‘fake’ cricket academy in Banasree embezzled money from him deceitfully. His family suffered as they had to mortgage land for a young Hridoy to join that academy but his career faced early setback. Batting with the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim yesterday, Towhid showcased his own talent. He talked to The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi on facing deceit when pursuing cricket, and support of his family through difficult times. He also talked about batting with Mushfiqur Rahim yesterday and gave his opinion on Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s comment during the BPL regarding his national team call up.

In overcast conditions mimicking the ‘English weather’, the Tigers went about their practice session at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium yesterday with individuals looking to build on the confidence from the England series as they geared up for the ODI series against Ireland, slated to begin today.

Bangladesh put in a massive effort with the ball to come back into the game after being put under the cosh before batters showed an approach that signaled the coming of a new Bangladesh in the T20I format,

The way Bangladesh’s bowlers thwarted England from getting a big score was commendable, but how did the Tigers’ chase go? It was a complete chase, done with a coolness that displayed the exuberance of youth, with left-handed Najmul Hossain Shanto leading from the front.

England were looking forward to a challenge but for newly-arrived Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, it will be the first step on a journey to the 2024 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.

“Shakib! Shakib,” Tamim Iqbal called out. “Who? Me?” Shakib Al Hasan gestured after someone brought it to his attention. Soon the ace all-rounder converged on the centre wickets to speak to Tamim and coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

Things happened as if in a frenzy yesterday evening