Category: CRICKET

In their Test history, Zimbabwe had never chased down a target of more than 162 runs. So, to win the Sylhet Test against Bangladesh, the visitors had to make history. And they did — chasing down a target of 174, the Rhodesians set a new record. Battling through Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s spin, Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series under the leadership of Craig Ervine.

With this win, Zimbabwe tasted victory in Test cricket after four years. Their last Test victory came against Afghanistan in the UAE during the 2020–21 season. As for beating Bangladesh, it had been a long seven-year wait. Zimbabwe had last defeated Bangladesh back in November 2018, also in Sylhet. Since then, Bangladesh had won all three encounters between the two sides.

In the first Test against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh had been hoping to set a lead of 300 runs after the second innings. However, on the fourth day, a terrible batting collapse saw the Tigers bowled out for just 255. This left Zimbabwe needing 174 runs for victory. Chasing the target, Zimbabwe’s top-order resilience eventually saw them make history with a 3-wicket win.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has increased player salaries in its new central contract. At the beginning of last month, a board meeting approved enhancements to the payment and benefits of national team cricketers.

This year, players will receive Tk 2 lakh per T20 match, Tk 3 lakh per ODI, and Tk 6 lakh per Test match. Although there was a proposal to raise match fees last year, the board ultimately decided to introduce performance bonuses instead.

Despite a relatively light international schedule in 2025, the increase in match fees means national players’ income from salary and match fees will exceed Tk 2 crore.

Even former Test captain Mominul Haque, who is only under a red-ball (Test) central contract, is expected to earn over Tk 1 crore from salary and match fees alone.

In 2026, Bangladesh’s international cricket calendar is set to become much busier. As a result, contracted players’ earnings from salaries and match fees could surpass expectations. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), Bangladesh is scheduled to play 8 Tests, 20 ODIs, and 12 T20Is in 2026.

In addition, the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026. Bangladesh is guaranteed four group stage matches, and if the team advances to later rounds, players’ earnings could break all previous records.

With the increased match fees, a player who participates in all matches in 2026 could earn nearly Tk 2 crore from match fees alone. On top of that, some players will have the opportunity to earn an additional Tk 1 crore from annual salaries.

Beyond these, there’s also potential for substantial income from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Dhaka Premier League (DPL), and various overseas franchise tournaments.

Once upon a time, former world No. 1 all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was the only Bangladeshi cricketer to surpass the Tk 5 crore mark in annual earnings. Now, it’s time for his successors. If players like Taskin Ahmed and Najmul Hossain Shanto remain fit and active in both international and domestic cricket, reaching the Tk 5 crore income mark may no longer be a dream—it could become reality.

Towhid Hridoy showed disrespectful behavior toward Bangladesh’s first ICC Elite Panel umpire, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, during a Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match. Following this inappropriate conduct, Hridoy made further careless comments to the media, resulting in a two-match suspension for the national team cricketer.

However, when his team, Mohammedan, appealed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the punishment was reduced. His two-match suspension was cut down to one. After serving the reduced suspension, Hridoy returned to play in the DPL Super League. But in the process of reducing his suspension, BCB ended up changing one of its own rules.

According to the BCB’s Code of Conduct, players receiving 4–7 demerit points were to be suspended for 2 matches. Hridoy had received 7 demerit points and was suspended accordingly. However, upon appeal, 4 demerit points were removed, which lowered his suspension to one match.

Additionally, the Code of Conduct states that 8–11 demerit points warrant a 4-match suspension, 12–15 demerit points lead to a 6-match suspension, and 16 or more result in an 8-match suspension.

But mid-tournament, BCB changed the rules. Under the new Code of Conduct, players with 4–7 demerit points will now face only a 1-match suspension. For 8–11 demerit points, the suspension is now 3 matches. Similarly, 12–15 points result in 5-match bans, and 16 or more lead to a 7-match suspension. As a result, Hridoy’s suspension was reduced from 2 matches to 1.

The mid-tournament rule change has sparked considerable controversy. Many are viewing this with suspicion—was the rule change made simply to benefit Mohammedan? This question is being raised strongly within the cricketing community.

On the opening day of the first Test of the two-match series in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe delivered a brilliant all-round performance. After bowling out the hosts for just 191 runs, they came out to bat in the final session and scored 67 runs without losing a wicket.

The first day in Sylhet clearly belonged to Zimbabwe, with the Southern African nation excelling both with the bat and the ball.

The match began at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, with Bangladesh winning the toss and opting to bat first. However, they suffered early setbacks, losing both openers for just 32 runs.

Former captain Mominul Haque and current skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto tried to steady the innings, putting together a 66-run stand for the third wicket.

Later, middle-order batsman Zakir Ali Anik showed some resistance, forming a 41-run partnership with Hasan Mahmud for the eighth wicket.

Thanks to the efforts of Mominul (56), Najmul Hossain Shanto (40), and Zakir Ali Anik (28), Bangladesh managed to post 191 runs in 61 overs.

For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani and Wellington Masakadza each took three wickets. Victor Nyauchi and Wesley Madhevere claimed two wickets apiece.

In response, Zimbabwe came out to bat in the final session and confidently reached 67 runs without losing any wickets in 14.1 overs. At the end of Day One, Zimbabwe trail Bangladesh by 124 runs but have all ten wickets in hand.

Based on the proceedings of the opening day, Zimbabwe is clearly in a stronger position compared to Bangladesh in the Sylhet Test.

The popularity of the short-format T10 cricket is growing rapidly around the world. In line with this trend, a new 10-over franchise league is set to launch in Canada.

The T10 league has been approved under the leadership of former Indian star Yuvraj Singh, as part of the ‘Canada Super Sixty’ initiative. A total of 1,135 male and 235 female cricketers from 34 countries have registered to take part in the league. Although the number of Bangladeshi players registered hasn’t been specified, the names of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tanzid Tamim have been mentioned.

According to reports, both star and emerging players from various countries have submitted their names for the draft of this eight-team league. The list includes players such as Finn Allen, Sikandar Raza, Naseem Shah, Alex Hales, Shamar Joseph, Jason Roy, Keshav Maharaj, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee, Jimmy Neesham, Azam Khan, Lungi Ngidi, Rilee Rossouw, Chris Lynn, Jason Holder, Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Martin Guptill, Dawid Malan, Chandrapaul Hemraj, and Gudakesh Motie.

The organizers have announced that the draft for the inaugural season will be revealed soon. Competitions for both men’s and women’s divisions are scheduled to begin this July.

Kyle Coetzer, the tournament’s assistant director and legendary Scottish cricketer, said, “We are thrilled to see such overwhelming participation from star cricketers across the globe. This league is not just about entertainment—it will play a significant role in the development of cricket in Canada.”

Despite a tough equation for West Indies, their performance with the bat didn’t reflect the urgency. Captain Hayley Matthews and Shanelle Henry fought till the end, but it wasn’t enough. West Indies needed a boundary on the fifth ball of the 11th over and a six on the sixth ball to qualify for the World Cup. Although they won the match with a six, it wasn’t sufficient to secure their place.

Bangladesh advanced to the main stage of the Women’s World Cup by having a better net run rate. After the match, West Indies’ net run rate stood at 0.63, while Bangladesh edged ahead with 0.64.

West Indies chased down Thailand’s target of 167 runs in just 10.5 overs. However, even this powerful batting performance wasn’t enough for them.

After losing to Pakistan, Bangladesh’s net run rate had dropped to 0.64. In contrast, West Indies had a net run rate of 0.28. Failing to secure a large-margin win against Thailand cost the Caribbean women a place in the World Cup, paving the way for Bangladesh.

This edition of the Women’s World Cup will be held in India. The main stage of the tournament will take place in September-October next year, where eight teams will compete for global glory. The eight teams are: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

With the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe approaching, the Bangladesh team is in the final stages of preparation. The first Test of the series will be held in Sylhet. Among all the international venues in Bangladesh, Sylhet is known for having one of the most sporting wickets. National team head coach Phil Simmons is eagerly looking forward to such a pitch.

The Bangladesh team is currently in Sylhet to play the Test series against Zimbabwe. On Friday (April 18), the Tigers had a practice session. After training, head coach Phil Simmons spoke at a press conference.

Today, Simmons turns 62. So, as a birthday gift, the Tigers’ coach hopes for a win in the first Test. Simmons said, “I don’t ask for birthday presents anymore. But winning the first Test would be a great gift.”

The Tigers’ coach expressed his satisfaction with the venue of the first Test. He said, “From the beginning, the preparation has been excellent. The facilities here are wonderful, like a dream. We’re able to prepare exactly how we want. We’re getting ready very well.”

Since Zimbabwe is considered a relatively weaker team, many are dreaming of a whitewash. However, Simmons is fully focused on the first Test for now. He said, “I’m not thinking about a whitewash. I always take things one match at a time. Let’s win the first Test first, then we’ll think about winning the series. I want to win the first day of the first Test.”

Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the first time this year. In his first two matches, the young Tiger picked up three wickets each. This performance earned him the Fazal Mahmood cap as the highest wicket-taker in the PSL.

However, Rishad couldn’t hold onto that “throne” for even 24 hours. He has now been overtaken by West Indies pacer Jason Holder as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

Rishad’s team, Lahore Qalandars, played their match the night before last against Karachi Kings. Meanwhile, Holder’s Islamabad United faced Multan Sultans last night. In that match, held in Rawalpindi, Holder took 4 wickets for 25 runs. With 9 wickets in 3 matches, he is now the top wicket-taker of the tournament.

Rishad has missed just one match in this year’s PSL. That was against Islamabad United on April 11—a match that Lahore lost. However, Lahore Qalandars secured massive wins against Quetta and Karachi by 79 and 65 runs respectively, giving them a strong net run rate of +2.051. With two wins in three matches, Lahore currently has 4 points. Islamabad United tops the points table with 6 points, having won all three of their matches so far.