Shabab Chowdhury

If you are a left-handed top-order Bangladesh batter, you would not like the sight of Afghanistan’s left-handed pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi steaming in at you with the new ball.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed has made a meal manoeuvring the removal of national team head coach Chandika Hathursingha.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his inclusion, the 38-year-old was named in the 15-member squad announced for the upcoming three-match T20I series against India, starting in Gwalior on October 6.

Amid Bangladesh’s continued top-order failure in Test cricket in recent times, one character that might have escaped wide scrutiny is Mominul Haque, who these days bats at number four position – one of the two most crucial batting positions in Test cricket.

Bangladesh seamer Mohammad Saifuddin does not always make things easy for himself whenever he speaks to the media.

Now, will the BCB finally demand accountability from Hathurusingha or will they maintain the status quo as raising questions will bring them directly into the firing line?

A significant mismatch on paper was the theme for Bangladesh ahead of their T20 World Cup Super 8 fixture against Australia in St. Lucia and the Tigers could do very little to overturn the notion with their on-field display on Friday.

Bangladesh are not accustomed to seeing what leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is dishing out in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic will have to channel all his expertise into masterminding the game of his life to plot the downfall of Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday.

More than a year into his contract, Hathurusingha got to see both sides of the coin. In 2023, Bangladesh whitewashed defending champions England, and Afghanistan won a series against Ireland at home and claimed their maiden T20I win over New Zealand in the BlackCaps’ backyard. But less than a year since enjoying their best ever run in the shortest format, the Tigers spiralled down to their lowest point, displaying a severe lack of continuity.

Afif Hossain has been one of the most fortuitous cricketers in the national fold since his debut in February 2018.

Sure, Saifuddin has dished out glimpses of his talents with bat and ball in domestic competitions but can those sparks of promise in lower-quality contests be used to solidify faith in the 27-year-old heading into the T20 World Cup in June?

The right-handed opener’s lengthy string of failures has most definitely begun to eclipse the sunshine provided by the few glimpses of sparkling performances which had ample promise to make him a potential world-beater.

Enthralling first-leg semifinals in the Champions League have left the fate of the return legs in greater anticipation and in edge-of-the-seat poise, with Borussia Dortmund upstaging Kylian Mbappe’s PSG in Germany and 14-time winners Real Madrid snatching a draw against Bayern Munich away from home.

In the series, the pacers excelled in the first two phases of the innings – the first and second Powerplays - and this success shielded them from getting tested in the most happening phase of play, aka the death overs.

With the Premier League taking a week-long break following a jam-packed festive season schedule, attention has turned to the English FA Cup, with a headline fixture third round fixture between record 14-time winner Arsenal and eight-time champions Liverpool today at the Emirates Stadium. 

The Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) media committee chairman Tanvir Islam Tito yesterday seemed to have fortified the board's apparent confusion in identifying elements causing the national team's World Cup fiasco with a baffling statement pointing at the media.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was expected to erect a plan that would streamline a path for the Tigers to reach their dream semifinal in the ongoing ICC World Cup when he was reappointed to the helm for a second time in January.

Liverpool legend Ian Rush hung up his boots in 2000 after 356 goals to his name, of which 346 came with the Merseyside club -- making him the all-time highest goal-scorer for The Reds, a record that still stands today. It was at Anfield where he won two Champions Leagues, five Premierships, and three FA Cups. In an interview with Shabab Chowdhury of The Daily Star, the legendary striker discussed all things Merseyside yesterday.

Lionel Messi on Wednesday put an end to speculation about a romanticised Barcelona return after he announced his intention to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as a free agent.