Warner's one 'good' Bangla word

Former Australia vice-captain and Sylhet Sixers' new skipper David Warner showed his jovial side yesterday before the official event to announce his captaincy. He came on time but had to wait for coach Waqar Younis's arrival and took to casual conversation with reporters.

When asked if he knew any Bangla, he shook his head and with a smirk on his face, replied: "Only bad words, no good ones. Well I do know one, it's Bhalobashi", to general laughter from those present.

Warner has fond memories of playing with Mustafizur Rahman, forging a strong bond with the Bangladesh pacer during Sunrisers Hyderabad's maiden IPL title in 2016. Asked if Fizz taught him any Bangla, Warner began shaking his head before saying with a smile that he is to Bangla what Fizz is to English. "Him in English, me in Bangla. That's' me and Fizz."

He also joked about Waqar's tardiness.

"Must be stuck in the elevator," the left-handed opener smirked and was not shy about commenting on Dhaka's infamous traffic. "Chaos, but same traffic in Sydney. You haven't been to the M5, ask Waqar, he knows. He lives there and traffic is getting bad."

The new captain, nearing the end of a one-year international cricket  ban for tampering, was looking to make a positive impact. "Excited to be here. Great opportunity to work with some experienced players but it's also about helping the younger players [here], who hopefully can one day put on Bangladesh national colours and achieve their dreams. I was able to do that for my country and have seen a lot of young Indians come through, having played in the IPL. I think that's what important about the BPL."