‘The win matters, not the ton’

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said he preferred to make short-term plans rather than long-term ones, considering that the 37-year-old is in the twilight of his career.  

Shakib left for the USA earlier today to take part in the upcoming season of Major League Cricket, starting on July 6. He will play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders and will then make the journey across the border to play for Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 in Canada which will begin on July 25.

Following the back-to-back franchise tournaments, Shakib will be expected to return to national colours in August when Bangladesh will tour Pakistan for a two-match Test series.

"I haven't really planned much. And I don't really have that much time to plan for three-four years. I think that it is good to plan for three months, or six months. So up until now, my planning goes as far as the Pakistan series," Shakib told reporters at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before leaving for the USA on Tuesday.

"I don't have a plan regarding myself. At this moment, I'm looking forward to the two T20 tournaments, one is Major League Cricket for which I'm heading to the USA followed by the Global T20 League in Canada. I'll play these back-to-back tournaments and then will see where things are. After that, there is the Test series against Pakistan. So, my planning is about these three competitions."

Shakib has been going through a lean patch with both bat and ball. While his batting has left a lot to be desired in the past two ICC events (the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2020 T20 World Cup), his ability to strike with the ball, which has rarely come into question throughout his career, has taken a nosedive. 

In an abysmal campaign in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Shakib managed just 111 runs in seven matches at a strike-rate of 106.73. He did score a fifty against the Netherlands in their Super 8 run in the tournament but that was all that one would remember from his campaign. With the ball, he picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.50 and it was not until Bangladesh's fourth match of the group-stage against Nepal that the left-arm spinner was able to register his first wicket. He took two in the match and scalped one in a Super 8 fixture against India meaning he went wicketless in five matches in the major event. 

The interesting part about Shakib's statement was that he was not particularly keen on long-term plans and it won't be a surprise if he is picky when deciding which matches to play in the upcoming series. There have been a few instances in which Shakib has opted out of Tests in the recent past. Moreover, his sporadic absences have often left the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) struggling to explain the reasoning behind his unavailability. So, BCB would have a hard time planning ahead with Shakib in the mix but the loop of the board chasing the Bangladesh star for his availability may very well continue.

"This many people usually don't turn up to see a fitness test at six in the morning. I'm sure they are here because it's happening at the Bangabandhu [National] Stadium," said Shahriar Nafees, the current cricket operations manager, after the national team's fitness test at the famed venue yesterday. 

Thirty-five cricketers turned up at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) yesterday before 6:00 am for a physical assessment test, which required them to run a 1600m race in the newly installed athletic tracks.

This running session was the first professional cricket-related activity at the venue since January 31, 2015. The BNS did host the inauguration ceremony of the ODI World Cup in 2011, but there was no on-field cricketing activity at the venue.

Although the BNS has been a football stadium since 2006, it remains a venue deeply rooted in cricketing history.

Even before Bangladesh came into existence, this venue hosted Pakistan's inaugural Test match against India in 1955. A total of seven Tests took place at BNS, which was then called the Dhaka Stadium, in the pre-independence period where many legends of the game graced the venue. Bangladesh's Test journey also began here in November 2000 against India.

It is only the second cricket stadium after Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which hosted the first ever Test between England and Australia in 1877, to host the inaugural Test of two nations.

Other than Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim, none of the other cricketers present at the BNS yesterday have ever played at the venue. Even Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur's experience is quite limited, with the former playing here in a domestic tournament back in 2004 and the latter taking part in some age-level cricket.

For Shahriar and the current team manager Nafees Iqbal, however, memories of their playing days at the venue came rushing back once they stepped out on the field.

Nafees' lone Test century came at the venue in 2004, when he batted almost eight hours for his 121, which ensured a draw for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe and, in the process, their maiden Test series win. Shahriar, on the other hand, never played an international game at the venue but had played many domestic matches here. He still remembered which gate of the venue would be shut down if there was a risk of a fan riot after a heated match at the club level.

"My domestic career began here. The pivotal innings of my career, the century for the Under-19 team, came here," said the former Bangladesh team opener.
Cricket's return to BNS, even if it was for just one morning, happened because of the newly appointed strength and conditioning coach of the Bangladesh team, Nathan Kiely.

The Australian coach wanted to assess the fitness levels of the cricketers and felt that having them run 1600m on an athletics track was the best way to achieve it.

The 35 cricketers were divided into two groups for the run. Pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib won in one group while his fellow pacer Nahid Rana easily won in the second one and did the iconic Usain Bolt pose after his win to the raucous applause of his teammates.

Mahmudullah, the eldest of the bunch, came last but the 38-year-old received cheers from everyone as he crossed the finish line. The second oldest of the bunch, the 36-year-old Mushfiqur, however, outran many of the youngsters and finished the race behind Tanzim.

Bangladesh Cricket Board trainer Iftekharul Islam said that the race was a way to assess the fitness level of the cricketers ahead of a busy schedule, where the national team is set to play at least 29 matches across three formats in the next seven months.

Shakib Al Hasan, who is in the USA and Mustafizur Rahman, who is busy in the Indian Premier League, could not be a part of the session while Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed were absent due to injury.

Prime Bank Cricket Club star Mushfiqur Rahim was given out dubiously during the match against Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka today.

The incident happened at the 33.4 over mark of the Prime Bank innings when Mushfiqur's lofted shot against off spinner Nayeem Hasan was caught at deep mid-wicket by Abu Haider Rony, who mounted a terrific effort rolling to the ground while taking the catch.

However, replays showed that Rony's leg had touched the boundary ropes which clearly moved after the contact.

Mushfiqur waited in the middle as Prime Bank raised concerns over the on-field umpires' decision.

However, with no TV replays and third-umpire unavailable in DPL games, the umpires stuck to their decision as Mushfiqur eventually walked off the field after scoring 10.

Match referee Roquibul Hasan said as it is not a televised game, the umpires have to depend on the honesty of the fielders.

"Since first this is not a televised game, umpires have to depend on the fielders' honesty when they ask the fielders," he added.

Usually if there is uncertainty regarding a decision, the benefit of the doubt goes to the batter. Had the correct decision been made, Mushfiqur would have been given a six instead of been given out.

But Roquibul felt that the benefit of the doubt didn't factor in this match.

"On what basis can you ask for benefit of the doubt? How can we know since it's not a televised match and you can't go to the third-umpire?" he explained.

Earlier, Rony Talukdar's 131-ball 141 saw Mohammedan post 317 for 7. Prime Bank were 196 for 6 at the time of filing this report.

In Bangladesh, cricket is not just a sport, but rather a spirit. It is something that connects every household, every community, and is a language every Bangladeshi knows how to speak. It is one thing that has the power to keep millions of viewers glued to their screens and feel the surge of adrenaline rush at the same time.

And with Bangladesh making waves in cricket and creating moments that will forever be etched in our hearts and memoires, here are the top five most memorable moments of Bangladesh cricket.

Qualifying for the 1999 World Cup and winning ICC Trophy 1997

Albeit having played their first international game in the 1980s, Bangladesh had to wait for their World Cup qualification for over a decade. After making it to the final of the ICC Trophy 1997, Bangladesh secured a spot in the 1999 World Cup. The semi-final against the Netherlands where Akram Khan's heroic performance left the entire nation in joyful tears.

It was a difficult match to watch as Bangladesh initially lost four wickets with only 14 runs, adding to this was a very unfavourable rainy weather. However, the situation took an impressive turn when, towards the final over, the target was achieved and Bangladesh won the match, qualifying themselves for the 1999 World Cup.

Beating Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup

Another momentous glory was when Bangladesh beat Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup. That year, the Tigers were led by the legendary Akram Khan, where the team ended up beating Pakistan by 62 runs, vastly owing to the team effort by Shahriar Hossain and captain Akram Khan, eventually having the Pakistan Team all out by 161 runs.

It was an unbelievable sight to witness, when even before recapping the last wicket and making the final verdict, the crowd was on the ground cheering for Bangladesh! This victory felt like winning beyond cricket and gave Bangladeshis all over the country the true taste of joy. 

The Banglawash

Who does not remember the unforgettable Banglawash in 2010? This series between Bangladesh and New Zealand will always be known and remembered among the Bangladesh cricket fraternity as "Banglawash" as it was a series where Bangladesh clean swept the opponent, winning all matches.

After winning the One Day International series, Bangladesh continued to win the rest of the matches, and this victory remains as one of the greatest achievements for Bangladesh cricket to this day. It was also the series where Rubel Hossain made a mark in the international scene and Bangladesh discovered a gem of a bowler.

Photo: ACC

Bangladesh women cricket win Asia Cup

Bangladesh cricket truly is an example of how cricket brings a nation together, undivided by gender. During the Asia Cup 2018, Bangladesh Women's Cricket Team celebrated massive victory as they defeated India in the final, enabling Bangladesh to achieve its maiden trophy in a multi-team tournament.

The match neared an intense end in the last over where nine runs were required, with Rumana Ahmed and Sanjida Islam batting. In an unprecedented turn of events, with fours and a wicket, the match ended with Jahanara Alam securing the final run. This was a massive and memorable win for the Bangladesh Women's Cricket Team.

Bangladesh losing to Pakistan in Asia Cup 2012    

Not all memorable moments of cricket are associated with winning a match — sometimes the memory of a loss in the field, especially in our own land stays reserved within our hearts for years. Such was the case in Asia Cup 2012, when Bangladesh needed only 9 runs in the last over to win against Pakistan in the final round.

The match took an intense nail-biting finish by the time of the final delivery when Bangladesh was short of four runs. Being so close to claiming the cup and what seemed like an inevitable victory for Bangladesh throughout their batsmanship quickly turned into defeat as Pakistan ended up winning by two runs. Although Bangladesh did not win the match that time, the Tigers won the hearts of the nation.