Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 1st Test 2018: Spin will be the main weapon?

The first Test of the two-match Test series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will kick off from today (31^st January 2018). Taking the spin track into consideration, both teams will give emphasis on the strength of spin attack. It will not be a shocking matter if they select more than two specialist spinners for the Test. Bangladesh selectors have already drafted 6 spinners in their 16-man squad. Both uncapped and veteran bowlers have got their places in this list. So, it will be a real challenge for spinners to make their inclusion in the playing team.

The absence of Bangladesh premier all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, who has been left out of the first Test because of finger injury, has come as a big blow for the team. The day he sustained injury Bangladesh selectors drafted two uncapped players- Sunzamul Islam and Tanbir Hayder. They will join Nayeem Hasan, who was picked up from Under-19 team in New Zealand. To beef up the spin attack, the selectors have called up the 35-year-old Abdur Razzak, who played his last Test in 2014.

No doubt, Sri Lankan cricket team is now flying high after winning the tri-series title. They will try to keep their winning momentum even in Test series. For that, they will have to depend on Dinesh Chandimal who made 366 runs in three Tests in India. If he can score big runs, Sri Lanka can put up a challenging score against the host nation.

The main cause of concern for Bangladeshi batsmen will be Rangana Herath who has so far taken 41 wickets against the same opponent at an average of 22.63. Bangladeshi batsmen’s performance against him will decide the fate of the series. If top order fails then the entire batting line-up will be collapsed. Tomorrow we can see if batsmen can handle Herath with their bats. 

Mustafizur Rahman is bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 22 million

Bangladeshi pace bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, has been signed by the Mumbai Indians for the upcoming Indian Premier League for Rs 22 million. To get the cutter-master in the team, they had to compete with Delhi Darevils, who made the opening bid, in the IPL auction. The 22-year-old left-arm fast bowler’s base price was 1 Crore Rupees (Rs 10 million).

His earlier franchise in the IPL was the Sunrisers Hyderabad who signed the player for Rs 14 million in 2016. He played for the club for two seasons and played a very important role in the team’s first IPL trophy victory that year. Cricket fans is expecting that the young bowler do well in the upcoming IPL and help his team win the trophy. 

Finger injury makes Shakib unsure for Sri Lanka Test

Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has sustained injury during the final match against Sri Lanka of the Rocket Tri-Nation ODI series. As a result, he will not be able to play the first Test match against Sri Lanka in the bilateral series starting from January 31, 2018. If he requires more time to get recovery, he might possibly miss the chance of playing the rest of the matches in the series which will end on February 18, when the host will take on Sri Lanka in the second T20I in Sylhet. In his absence, Mahmudullah will lead the national cricket team in Test cricket. 

Shakib Al Hasan injured his little finger on his left hand while trying to run out Dinesh Chandimal in the 42^nd over of the Sri Lanka innings. As he moved rapidly downward through the air, he fell awkwardly on his left hand, resulting joint sprain at the base of the little finger on his left hand. However, from the field, he was directly taken to hospital where he had an X-ray. According to Debashis Chowdhury, senior physician of the BCB, nothing serious was found in the X-ray report, but the injury required some stitches. He will not be able to move his affected finger for at least a week before further assessment is made.

Hearing the news of Shakib's injury, Bangladesh’s selectors have drafted the left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam and the legspinner Tanbir Hayder into the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. They will join Bangladesh Under-19 off-spinner Naeem Hasan as the three uncapped cricketers in the squad. 

Mustafizur Rahman gives 23 dot balls in a row

It looks like Mustafizur Rahman is getting back his lost form. The young left-arm pacer is getting wickets regularly. More than that, he could trouble batsmen with his bowling variations: slower and cutter. The 22-year-old left-arm fast-medium bowler has once again caught the attention of media by giving 23 dot balls in a row during Bangladesh’s match against Zimbabwe in the Rocket Tri-Nation ODI Series. In his first four overs, he gave just one run. He gave three maiden overs and all against Sikandar Raza.

English fast bowler, James Anderson, has set the record of giving five maidens in a row against Australia in 2003, but it is yet to know if it is the longest dot ball streak in ODIs. 

Wrong spelling of ‘Bangladesh’ on Ban-SL match tickets questions authority’s responsibility

It is a matter of regret that ‘Bangladesh’ has been written incorrectly. The more pathetic thing is that this incident took place in an international event and it became viral in social media. People from all over the world have seen that ‘Bangladesh’ has been written incorrectly on the tickets printed for the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka of the Rocket Tri-Nation ODI Series. However, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a media release expressing disappointment over this mistake, but it is not enough to alleviate the wound. All undistributed tickets for the match were replaced with corrected re-prints. Serious steps should be taken against those people who are liable for this mistake. If they are not punished then same type of mistake can occur again.

Source- http://www.thedailystar.net/sports/bangladesh-cricket/bcb-regrets-wrong-spelling-bangladesh-tickets-1521703

Bangladesh secures their final place beating Sri Lanka by 163 runs

Bangladesh cricket team has sealed a 163-run victory against Sri Lanka in their second match of the Rocket Tri-Nation ODI Series. With this victory, they have set their record of highest margin of victory in ODI cricket, breaking the previous record of 160-run victory over West Indies in 2012.

Half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim helped the team to pile up a massive score of 320 for 7. They respectively scored 84, 67 and 62 runs. Scoring 40^th half century, Tamim completed his 11,000 international runs while all-rounder Shakib reach to 10,000-run milestone.

Coming to chase 321 runs, the Lankans were bowled out for 157 in 32.2 overs. It seemed they failed to take the pressure and lost wickets regularly. Shakib took three wickets for 47 and he was given “Man of the Match” award for his all-round performance. ODI skipper, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, and Rubel Hossain got two wickets each while Nasir Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman claimed one wicket apiece.

Winning two back-to-back matches, the Tigers have already secured their final place with bonus points. Now, they are eagerly waiting for their opponent.

This match caught the attention of cricket lovers because it was the first match played between coach Chandika Hathurusingha’s former and current teams. Many people thought that the Lankans would get any advantage from Hathurusingha’s experiences with Bangladesh. However, senior and experienced Bangladeshi cricketers did not let anything happen. 

Bangladesh beats Zimbabwe by 8-wicket in the Rocket Tri-Nations ODI Series

Bangladesh cricket team has started the New Year with an emphatic win over Zimbabwe in the first match of the Rocket Tri-Nations ODI Series. The hosts beat the tourists by 8 wickets with 129 balls remaining at hand.

Bangladesh cricket skipper, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, won the toss and invited Zimbabwe to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. His decision proved right when Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets in the first over of the match. However, he ended up taking three wickets giving 43 runs in 10 overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain took two wickets apiece while Mashrafe got one wicket. Sunzamul Islam, who made his international debut against Ireland in Dublin, took the only wicket of Waller.

Zimbabwe were bowled out for 170 runs in 49 overs. Sikandar Raza tried his best to defend the bowlers with the bat and prolonged the team total as much as possible. He played a passionate innings of 99-ball 52. Before returning gallery becoming the victim of run out, he shared a 50-run partnership with Peter Moor who scored the second highest knock of 33.

However, it took Bangladeshi batsmen only 28.3 overs to complete the chase. Losing two wickets, they reached the target of 171 runs. Opener Tamim Iqbal remained not out on 84. He along with Shakib Al Hasan made a 78-run partnership in the second wicket stand. After the departure of Shakib, he then added an unbroken 63-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim.