Defending champions Fortune Barishal stole the limelight in the players’ draft event of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 by securing the services of six of the 12 Category A cricketers from the domestic players list by drafting in Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah Riyad and Rishad Hossain yesterday.

Captain Ben Stokes was named in the England team for the second Test against Pakistan starting in Multan on Tuesday after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Durbar Rajshahi picked Taskin Ahmed in the first call while Liton Das and Mahmudullah were roped in by Dhaka Capitals and Fortune Barishal respectively in the players’ draft for the 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) currently taking place at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka today.

Steve Smith's short-lived stint as a Test opener came to an end Monday with confirmation he will drop down the Australian batting order against India next month, while all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out of the series.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head were Monday ruled out of Australia's home one-day series against Pakistan next month, but Pat Cummins returns as captain after missing their recent England tour.

The third T20I between Bangladesh and India on Saturday in Hyderabad was a dead rubber, with the hosts already up by 2-0 in the series. From a Bangladeshi perspective, the main point of interest in the match was whether the Tigers could put on an improved showing, especially on the batting front.

On Friday, on a visit to the First Lancer Ground in Hyderabad’s Syed Nagar area, the hub for cricket in the locality, this correspondent came across Jayed Khan, a young fast bowler with dreams of making it big as a cricketer.

It rained in Hyderabad yesterday afternoon, a day before the third and final T20I between Bangladesh and India, but soon it ebbed away giving way to sunshine, although not for very long.

Mahmudullah Riyad, the last of Bangladesh’s long-serving five pillars still active in T20Is, will bid adieu to the format today as Bangladesh look to restore some pride against India in the third and final T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Low strike rates and an inability to clear the ropes more frequently have long been Bangladesh’s stumbling blocks in the shortest format.

Bangladesh are all but out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after suffering a demoralising eight-wicket defeat to former champions West Indies in the two teams’ penultimate Group B match in Sharjah on Thursday.

Bangladesh will take on India in the second T20I in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium today in a must-win match which is set to be the penultimate outing in the format for veteran Mahmudullah Riyad, who announced he will be retiring from the format at the end of the three-match series.

Salman Agha knocked a fiery half-century to foil England's fightback on Tuesday, as Pakistan reached 515-8 at tea on day two of the opening Test in Multan.

Bangladesh have played 177 T20Is and Mahmudullah Riyad has been part of 140 of them. The veteran cricketer is now expected to announce a decision to bring the curtain down on his T20I career.

New Zealand know all about the challenge that awaits them in Sharjah on Tuesday at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, when they will take on the reigning champions Australia.

Captain Shan Masood scored his first century in four years to lift Pakistan to 233-1 at tea on the opening day of the first Test against England on Monday.

Sanath Jayasuriya was appointed Sri Lanka cricket head coach on Monday, replacing Chris Silverwood who quit following the country's early exit from the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day of the first Test against England in Multan on Monday.

"We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in the team meeting, we just walked the talk," said Suryakumar.

When Shanto was asked in the press conference whether the brand of cricket Bangladesh play is not good enough, he said: “I won’t say it is bad, but I think we are a better team than this. We have not been doing well in this format for a while but I don’t believe we are this bad.”