Ekush Tapader

The disastrous Test series against South Africa saw Bangladesh’s ability to face spinners called into question and while former left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr. emphasised the need to balance things out with more spin-friendly wickets at the domestic level, Nazmul Abedin Fahim, a mentor to many leading cricketers, shone a spotlight on the batters’ inability to face spinners on the international stage.

Bangladesh achieved a historic away Test win against New Zealand earlier this year with a relatively inexperienced squad under Mominul Haque’s leadership.

Known for his fearless batting approach, Munim Shahriar boasts a staggering 167.50 strike rate in the four matches he played for Fortune Barishal in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.

Pace, swing and bounce. At the age of 18, Ripon Mondol already has all the qualities required to be a star in the future.

The news of Ottis Gibson no longer extending his contract as the pace bowling coach of Bangladesh was confirmed on Thursday. However, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, the Caribbean coach said that he was eager to continue his work here, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) did not show interest.

Ebadot Hossain’s unbelievable spell led to something Bangladesh had never achieved in the past in New Zealand, bringing a historic milestone as the Tigers defeated the Black Caps in a Test match for the first time.

Pacer Ebadot Hossain surprisingly arrived as the leading character in Bangladesh’s emphatic Test triumph over New Zealand in their own backyard, after which The Daily Star’s Ekush Tapader caught up with a certain Sri Lankan who had a significant role behind Ebadot’s development.

Noted Indian filmmaker Srijit Mukherji was seen at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, watching Bangladesh’s match, earlier today. The director wishes to make a biopic on Shakib Al Hasan.

Bangladesh national team cricketers were granted a three-week leave at the conclusion of a five-match T20I series against New Zealand earlier this month. But despite the lack of scheduled practice sessions ahead of the Tigers’ departure to Oman next month for the T20 World Cup, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed had already started work on his bowling.

The Daily Star (DS): Bangladesh won the series against Australia and New Zealand comfortably but the batsmen struggled to score runs.  Do you think there are concerns in the batting department going into the T20 World Cup?

The Daily Star (TDS): We have witnessed a huge change in you since the lockdown last year. How did you manage to do that? What are the areas you worked on?

Abysmal failure in all three departments -- batting, bowling and especially fielding – has come to the fore more vividly than ever during Bangladesh’s recently-concluded New Zealand tour. Bangladesh were whitewashed in both T20Is and ODIs. And the thumping losses were only a reflection of Bangladesh’s failure as a unit.

The Daily Star (TDS): There has been a long break. How do you see Bangladesh’s pace unit right now?

Despite the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday deciding to allow interested players across the country to avail the board’s training facilities and resume individual practice following a four-month halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, a few players remain in a state of confusion.

On this day, 20 years ago, Bangladesh achieved a new milestone, a new dawn in the nation’s cricketing history after being recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the 10th Test-playing nation. Bangladesh had already announced its prominence in international cricket when the Tigers won the ICC Trophy -- the first major trophy for the country -- by beating Kenya in 1997. After that, Bangladesh’s triumph over Pakistan in their maiden World Cup campaign in 1999 had just made their path to being a Test-playing nation a bit smoother.

May 26, 2020 marked the 15th anniversary of Mushfiqur Rahim’s international debut for Bangladesh. The wicketkeeper-batsman revealed his regrets, points of satisfaction, desires and much more during a long conversation with The Daily Star’s Ekush Tapader.

The Daily Star (TDS): How are you spending your time back home?

On February 26, 1971, with political turmoil at its peak and the two states -- East and West -- of the then Pakistan on the verge of war, a rebellious Roquibul Hassan, the only cricketer from the East amid the 10 other cricketers from the dominating West, was cheered when he walked onto the ground with a ‘Joy Bangla’ sticker on his bat to play for Pakistan in an unofficial Test against an International XI at the Dacca Stadium.

I have been watching matches on TV since the 1996 Cricket World Cup. My love for the sport developed from watching the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Brian Lara smashing fours and sixes on the small black and white TV we had back in my hometown in Sylhet.

Is it possible that a representative national team would play two Tests at the same time against two different oppositions, that too on opposite sides of the world, on the same day?