Samsul Arefin Khan

A penchant for opting for a safe approach once again forced Bangladesh onto the backfoot on the opening day of their series-deciding second and final Test against South Africa in Chattogram yesterday.

Former South Africa captain Ashwell Prince is currently working as the batting coach of his country. The 47-year-old had previously worked with Bangladesh as a batting consultant from August 2021 to February 2022, but resigned from his position with nine months still left on his contract.

Bangladesh will look to bounce back in Chattogram during the series-concluding second Test against South Africa, scheduled to start today, in an attempt to avoid a series defeat against a SENA country on home soil after 14 years.

The opening round of the National Cricket League (NCL) 2024-25 witnessed some notable performances from both the batters and bowlers, but it was Rajshahi Division opener Sabbir Hossain who stood out with his first-class career-best 150 off 139 balls against Khulna Division during his side’s second innings at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

At stumps, however, the Tigers were relieved bunch, having reduced the visitors to 140 for six, thanks to Taijul Islam who became the fastest and the second Bangladesh bowler, after Shakib, to take 200 Test wickets.

Cricketing activities took centre-stage for the first time in three days in Mirpur yesterday as both Bangladesh and South Africa national cricket teams completed intense training sessions ahead of the opening Test of the two-match series, scheduled to start on October 21.

Former Australian speedster Shaun Tait is the head coach of Chittagong Kings for the upcoming 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), scheduled to start on December 27. The 41-year-old, who was one of the quickest bowlers in the world in his prime time, previously played for the Kings in 2013 and also worked as Chattogram Challengers’ bowling coach in 2022. Tait was present during the players’ draft on Monday and spoke to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan after the event. Here are the excepts:

Bangladesh’s all-format pacer Shoriful Islam witnessed a few ups and downs this year due to injuries. The 23-year-old pacer hurt his finger during a warm-up match before the ICC T20 World Cup. Although he had recovered and was available for selection from the second match, he ended up warming the benches for the whole tournament. After average stints in LPL and GT20 Canada following the World Cup, Shoriful was brilliant in the opening Test against Pakistan but missed the second one due to a groin injury. The left-arm pacer wasn’t picked for the India Tests to heal up completely for the three-match T20I series against the same team. Before leaving for India with the rest of the T20 squad, Shoriful spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about his topsy-turvy year. Here are the excerpts:

Bangladesh team have taken arguably their best-ever preparation ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, starting on October 3, with a good number of international fixtures, a domestic T20 tournament and long training camps, highlighting the ambition of achieving success in the global meet.

Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to call it quits in T20Is has created a massive vacuum in Bangladesh’s spin bowling department in the shortest format, one that would soon spread to the other two formats as well as he is set to retire from all forms of international cricket in the matter of months.

Over the last two years, young leg spinner Rabeya Khan has emerged as a permanent member in Bangladesh women’s team squads in white-ball cricket. Consistent performances with the ball and the ability to score runs down the order has earned the 19-year-old the stamp of approval from her skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and head coach Hashan Tillakaratne. Before the team’s departure for the T20 World Cup in the UAE, Rabeya spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan where she opened up about her bittersweet journey in cricket and what she hopes to achieve in the upcoming tournament. Here are the excerpts:

The news of premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s retirement plans came as a bolt from the blue for his childhood coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who had no prior knowledge of his best student’s decision before the Bangladesh cricketer himself officially announced during a press meet in Kanpur yesterday.

Bangladesh women’s team are all set to leave for the UAE tomorrow to partake in the upcoming ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to run from 3–20 October, after having suffered a winless drought in the last four instalments. Bangladesh head coach Hashan Tillakaratne, in an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, discussed his team’s overall preparation and the challenges that await them, among other things, after the Tigresses underwent an official photoshoot at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The excerpts from the interview are as follows:

Although he could somehow escape from a burning car, Pant suffered multiple serious injuries, and it took him 14 months to return to competitive cricket through Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.

The emergence of players like Taj and Disha just before the mega event has come at the expense of veterans in Rumana Ahmed and Salma Khatun.

In the pre-match press conference ahead of the opening Test against India in Chennai yesterday, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked whether their historic 2-0 away series victory against Pakistan recently has added some pressure on the team as part of heightened expectations from the fans and experts.

Expectations for the Tigers have risen significantly, with people hoping for a repeat of similar performances on Indian soil, which has traditionally been a challenging venue, particularly in the longer format.

Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp said that premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had told him during the Pakistan series this month that the eye issue that has been of concern to the cricketer as of late is no longer ‘a problem at the moment’.

Coaches and selectors believed that Jaker Ali’s call up for the India Tests was very well-deserved, saying his dedication and adaptability in crisis situation could be an asset for the team in the tough tour.

Reflecting on his experiences, Liton acknowledged the pressure that comes with the role, appearing to be coming into his own.