Mitchell Starc made South Africa pay for a dropped catch with a vital fifty on Friday as Australia set the Proteas 282 to win the World Test Championship final at Lord's.

The defending champions already have a 218-run lead with two second innings wickets in hand and resume on Friday looking to add more to make South Africa’s task even harder.

Currently ranked 10th in the ICC ODI rankings -- their lowest position in two decades -- Bangladesh are in need of a turnaround, and Miraz hopes the team can rise from this slump and see the Tigers transform into a settled ODI side within a year.

Legend has it that death threats from disgruntled samurai warriors were behind Japan's first cricket match in 1863 and the sport has battled for recognition in the baseball-mad country ever since.

Is BCB building a team for the future, or simply reacting to the present?

Australia captain Pat Cummins said the World Test Championship final against South Africa was a good advertisement for Test cricket despite hurtling towards a likely finish within three days.

Australia captain Pat Cummins starred with the ball and Alex Carey made valuable runs following a dramatic collapse as the holders retained the advantage in the World Test Championship final against South Africa on Thursday.

Bangladesh’s cricketing narrative has rarely followed a smooth arc. It has often flowed between flashes of brilliance and extended stretches of inconsistency.

The milestone also marked a historic moment for the game, as Cummins joined teammates Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in the 300-wicket club-- the first time in Test history that three bowlers with 300-plus wickets featured in the same XI.

Australia captain Pat Cummins produced a sensational spell of four wickets for just one run as the title-holders seized control of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's on Thursday.

The first thing that greets the eyes in the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) official website is the Bangladesh squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, a tournament that concluded over three months ago.

All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been named the ODI captain of Bangladesh for the next 12 months, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed on Thursday.

Legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram saluted on Thursday the "effort" of the artist who created a statue of him that has spawned scorn on social media.

South Africa fought back at the start of the second day of the World Test Championship final against Australia but had captain Temba Bavuma dismissed before going to lunch on 121-5, still trailing by 91 runs.

Bangladesh Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to lead the side for at least a year and has emphasised the importance of knowing the duration of his tenure in order to prepare with a long-term objective, part of which will be to do better in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

The two-day intra-squad practice match between BCB Red and BCB Green began in Mirpur yesterday in humdrum fashion as instead of a large media contingent with cameras capturing even the minutest action, which is usually the case, there was hardly anyone present, creating an eerie environment that did not go unnoticed.

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada was left thinking of what might have been even though he took five Australia wickets as bowlers dominated Wednesday's first day of the World Test Championship final at Lord's.

But at stumps South Africa had slumped to 43-4 in reply, a deficit of 169 runs.

Kagiso Rabada took five wickets as South Africa dismissed Australia for 212 after tea on Wednesday's opening day of the World Test Championship final at Lord's.

Referencing other high-profile players like Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock, Sammy noted, “It’s out of our control.”