Category: CRICKET

The World Cup will be held in India this November. Out of the eight participating teams, six have already been confirmed, while two more will qualify through the qualifiers. The six-team qualifying tournament started on Wednesday in Pakistan.
With Nigar Sultana Joty’s brilliant century and Sharmin Akhter’s unbeaten 94-run innings, the Bangladesh women’s team set a huge target of 272 runs against the Thailand women’s team. With the ball, the spin magic of Fahima and Jannatul bundled Thailand out for just 93 runs.
Bangladesh kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a massive 178-run victory.
The Bangladesh women’s team scored 271 runs for the loss of just 3 wickets in their allotted 50 overs — their highest-ever team total in a One Day International (ODI). Their previous highest total was 252 runs.
In terms of margin of victory, this was also the Bangladesh women’s team’s biggest win. Their previous record was a 154-run victory against Ireland last year.

The match between Shinepukur Cricket Club and Gulshan Cricket Club in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) has come under scrutiny. Former and current cricketers, fans, and even local and international media are criticizing the events. Taking the concern seriously, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the launch of an investigation.
It appeared that two Shinepukur players had intentionally thrown away their wickets.
In a statement on Thursday, the BCB said it wants to maintain a zero-tolerance policy against corruption. The board stated, “The BCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit and the league’s Technical Committee have begun investigating the alleged irregularities related to the match. The BCB is committed to ensuring fairness and discipline in all cricketing activities under its jurisdiction. Based on the findings of the investigation, necessary actions will be taken.”

Khaled Mahmud is the coach and secretary of Gulshan Cricket Club. He is also the joint secretary of Shinepukur Cricket Club, which is under his influence. Chasing a target of 179 runs, Shinepukur needed only six more runs to win. Around that time, a message was reportedly sent from the dressing room to Gulshan’s batters.
The manner in which Shinepukur’s wicketkeeper-batter Minhajul Abedin Sabbir got stumped surprised even the commentators, who called it “regrettable.”
Footage shows Minhajul stepping out to play a shot but failing to connect with the ball. Gulshan’s wicketkeeper Alif Hasan initially failed to collect the ball cleanly. However, the batter, appearing eager to get out, did not ground his bat. After the wicketkeeper broke the stumps on his second attempt, Minhajul finally brought his bat down.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media, and several players have also shared it. After the match, no players from either team spoke to the journalists, who were also denied entry to the field. Gulshan eventually won the match by five runs after Minhajul’s dismissal as the last batter.
The BCB has acknowledged awareness of the controversial dismissals and has stated, “The BCB wants to reiterate its firm commitment to upholding the integrity of cricket and maintaining the highest ethical standards in the sport.”

After issues over payment in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), similar problems have now emerged in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) as well. Players of Partex Sporting Club have formally lodged a complaint with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over unpaid wages. On Wednesday afternoon, the club’s cricketers submitted a letter addressed to the BCB’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

As they couldn’t meet the CEO in person at the BCB office, the players initially attempted to hand over the letter to BCB director Nazmul Abedin. Eventually, the letter was submitted to the CEO’s office. Earlier in the morning, news had spread that Partex players had boycotted training due to unpaid wages.

Although 3-4 players were seen practicing at the academy ground wearing Partex jerseys, most of the players remained at the gym until noon, hoping for an assurance regarding their payments. When no assurance came by midday, the players went to the BCB office. Among them were some well-known faces, including Sabbir Rahman and Mukhtar Ali.

Talking to a few Partex players revealed that they were signed this season for lower wages than usual, yet those payments have still not been fully settled. They said they were left with no choice but to submit a formal complaint.

When contacted regarding the issue, Partex official Sajjad Hossain said, “The players have received 60 percent of their wages. The rest will also be paid soon.”

Bangladesh’s next assignment is the series against Zimbabwe. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the squad for the first Test of the series, and Taskin Ahmed is not included. He has been left out due to injury.

BCB’s physician Dr. Debashis Chowdhury explained the reason behind Taskin’s omission: “Taskin is currently undergoing a rehabilitation program for an issue with his left Achilles tendon and will not be available for this series.”

In Taskin’s absence, Tanzim Hasan Sakib has been called up. This is the first time he has been included in the Test squad.

Veteran Mushfiqur Rahim also returns to the team with this series. He missed the West Indies tour due to injury. However, Litton Das will not be part of the series as he will be participating in the Pakistan Super League at that time.

The first Test will begin on April 20 in Sylhet, followed by the second Test starting on April 28. The series consists of just these two matches.

Bangladesh Squad:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Sadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Zakir Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vice-captain), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in talks to appoint Umar Gul as the national team’s pace bowling coach.

Currently, New Zealand’s Andre Adams is serving as Bangladesh’s pace bowling coach under a two-year contract that runs until February 2026. However, due to dissatisfaction with his performance, the BCB is considering replacing him before his contract expires. A board official mentioned that although Adams will work with the pacers during the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe, uncertainty remains about his long-term future.

The BCB has already started discussions about who might replace him. Among the candidates, they are in talks with Umar Gul as well. Gul himself confirmed the discussions, saying, “Talks are ongoing, but nothing has been finalized yet. It depends on mutual agreement between the board and me.” He also mentioned that a decision would be made once the terms and responsibilities are finalized.

However, Gul is not the only option. There are several other names on the BCB’s list for the pace bowling coach position, including former Australian pacer Shaun Tait and Bangladesh’s former coaches Allan Donald and Ottis Gibson.

On March 24, just before the start of a Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match at BKSP, Mohammedan captain Tamim suffered two heart attacks within a short span of time. He was immediately rushed to KPJ Specialized Hospital in Savar.

An angiogram there revealed a complete blockage in one of his arteries. A stent was promptly placed in the blocked blood vessel.

Later, on March 28, Tamim was transferred to a private hospital in Dhaka. Doctors had then informed that although he was out of immediate danger, he might still require more advanced treatment.

On Monday night (April 7), he left Dhaka for Singapore.

However, it has not yet been officially announced which hospital he will be admitted to there.

The immediate danger has passed. He had even returned home before Eid after recovering. Nevertheless, for advanced cardiac treatment, former national cricket team captain Tamim Iqbal has finally traveled abroad.

Nasir Hossain, who was banned from all forms of cricket for nearly one and a half years due to corruption charges, has finally returned to the field through the Dhaka Premier League (DPL). The former national team all-rounder made his comeback playing for Rupganj Tigers against Gazi Group Cricketers on Monday (April 7).

Bowling 10 overs, Nasir conceded 31 runs and took 1 wicket. However, he couldn’t make much impact with the bat—coming in at number three, he scored just 9 runs off 11 balls before getting out. Nonetheless, it didn’t affect Rupganj Tigers much, as they chased down the modest target of 160 runs with ease, winning by 8 wickets with 99 balls to spare.

Nasir was initially banned for two years by the ICC for breaching its regulations by concealing information, though six months of the ban were suspended. Having fulfilled the conditions of his punishment, Nasir’s ban officially ended yesterday.

Now, the 33-year-old is dreaming of a return to the national team. After the match, Nasir told the media, “Anyone who plays cricket dreams of representing the national team. I still believe there’s a chance. If I can perform, I can definitely make it back into the national team.”