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Saif Hassan eager to prove himself
Right-handed top-order batsman Saif Hassan said he is eager to do well for the national team in Sri Lanka series if he gets the chance to play.
The Bangladesh team are now in Sri Lanka to play a two-match Test series against the hosts starting from April 21 at Kandy.
Also read:Saif Hasan steals the show as 2nd round NCL begins
Bangladesh team reached Sri Lanka on April 12 and maintained a three-day quarantine before taking the field for the first practice session on Thursday.
“We’re prepared well ahead of the West Indies series at home. We played well against the Ireland Wolves as well, and after that, we played in the first two rounds of the games in the National Cricket League. I think that preparation will help us in Sri Lanka,” Saif told the media in a video message on Thursday.
In the first round of the National Cricket League, Saif hit a ton for the Dhaka Divison. He smashed a century against Ireland Wolves as well.
“When you score runs you get more confidence to do well. I’m confident to replicate those performances for the national team. If I get selected in the playing XI, I’ll try to do well,” Saif added.
Also read:National Cricket League: Saif Hassan hits double ton, Abu ...
Ahead of the series, the Bangladesh team will play a two-day intra-squad game. The 22-year-old batsman said this match will be a good chance for the Tigers to adapt to the condition.
“The practice match is very important for us. I think it’s a good chance for us to adapt to the condition and get some ideas about the wicket,” Saif said.
After the practice match, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will announce the final squad for the Test series. It had earlier announced a 21-member preliminary squad.
This series is part of the World Test Championship. Bangladesh played five matches of this event and failed to win any of them. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, played 10 matches and won only one with six defeats and three draws.
In Sri Lanka, Bangladesh played a total of 12 Tests and won one of them, which was Bangladesh’s 100th Test match. They lost 10 matches and another one ended in a draw.
How former Tigers’ bowling coach Streak was nailed by ICC
Former Bangladesh bowling coach and ex-Zimbabwean skipper Heath Streak has been banned for eight years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from participating in any cricket-related activities.
Streak was handed down the ban for breaching the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code.
During investigation, it came to fore that Streak was in contact with Deepak Agarwal, a Delhi-based businessman, since 2017.
Agarwal was the one who had misled Bangladesh cricket star Shakib Al Hasan earlier. For staying in touch with Agarwal and not reporting the same to the cricket authorities, Shakib was banned for two years, with one year suspended.
Shakib made a comeback to competitive cricket after his suspension ended in October last year. Agarwal was also banned by ICC last year until 2022.
How Streak got involved with Agarwal
Agarwal contacted Streak in September 2017 when the latter was the head coach of the Zimbabwean national team. Agarwal initiated the communication over WhatsApp and sought Streak's help in setting up a T20 league in Zimbabwe. In return, Agarwal told Streak that he could get a chance to “earn some good money”.
It was understood that Streak’s two-year tenure, from 2014 to 2016, as Bangladesh’s bowling coach prompted Agarwal to make him a potential target.
ICC’s investigation found that during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2017, Agarwal asked Streak to give some inside information of the event -- namely teams: captain, owners or players. Agarwal told Streak that if he provided the information, "it will help them to earn a good amount of money that they could invest in Zimbabwe cricket".
Also Read: ICC bans Shakib from all forms of cricket for 2 years
Streak was not a part of BPL 2017, despite that players trusted him and Streak had formed a one-to-one relationship with many Bangladeshi cricketers. ICC said that Streak provided details of three Bangladeshi cricketers to Agarwal, including a national team captain and it was later proved that he was none other than Shakib.
Agarwal contacted Shakib for the first time in November 2017 during BPL, and their second contact was during the tri-series involving Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh when Agarwal asked Shakib: "Do we work in this or I wait till the IPL” -- by which he hinted to get inside information. Shakib failed to report the approaches from Agarwal to the authorities and eventually was banned for two years.
How Streak was caught by ICC
The former Zimbabwean captain came to the scrutiny of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit when a young cricketer of a full-member nation who came from an economically disadvantaged family reported an approach from Agarwal. It was then the ICC became aware of the long-term contact between Streak and Agarwal.
The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit analysed the interaction between, and thus, it got the evidence of the relationship between Streak and Agarwal. ICC used it to formulate the charges against Streak who eventually admitted to it and accepted five charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Codes.
“Heath Streak is an experienced former international cricketer and national team coach, who had participated in numerous anti-corruption education sessions and was fully aware of his responsibilities under the Code,” Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit, said in an ICC statement.
“As a former captain and coach, he held a position of trust and owed a duty to uphold the integrity of the game. He breached the Code on several occasions, including facilitating the approach of four other players. At times, he also sought to obstruct and delay our investigation,” the statement further read.
ICC also confirmed that Streak will be free to resume his involvement in the game of cricket on 28 March, 2029.
Saif Hasnat is a UNB Staff Writer and his Twitter handle is @saifhasnat
BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve
Bangladesh are gearing up for the Test series against Sri Lanka, which is also part of ICC’s Test Championship. The first match will be held from April 21 to 25, and the second Test will begin on April 29. Pallekele Stadium will host both matches. Bangladesh's Test record against Sri Lanka is very poor, so team tigers' main focus would be to improve their Test record against Sri Lanka. Besides, some players will get the opportunity to achieve individual milestones during the series. In this article, we discussed expected personal milestones to achieve in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Test series 2021.
Expected milestones that can be reached in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series
14000 International Runs
Veteran Tamim Iqbal needs 282 runs to complete his 14,000 runs in the international arena. So far, he has scored 13,718 runs playing for Bangladesh, ICC XI, and World XI.
14000 runs for Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal has scored 13,661 runs in 349 international appearances for Bangladesh. He needs 339 more runs to score 14,000 runs for the tigers across all formats.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
4000 International Runs
Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque has scored 3,665 runs in 76 international appearances. He needs 335 runs to complete 4,000 runs in the international circuit.
3000 International Runs
Wicket-keeper batsman Liton Das needs only 140 runs to complete his 3,000 runs in the international arena. Liton has scored 2,860 runs in 96 international matches.
1000 Test Runs
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz will complete his 1,000 Test runs if he scores 164 runs in upcoming Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh series.
150 International Wickets
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam needs 11 more wickets to complete his 150 international wickets for Bangladesh. Taijul has picked 139 wickets in 42 matches.
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021
50 International Wickets
Right-arm medium pacer Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi requires 11 wickets to reach the 50 international wickets milestone. Rahi has bagged 39 wickets in 15 appearances for Bangladesh.
50 International Dismissals
Liton Das only 3 dismissals away to complete his 50 international dismissals for Bangladesh.
50 International Catches
Liton Das only 4 catches away to complete his 50 international catches for Bangladesh.
350 International Appearances
Tamim will become the second player after Mushfiqur Rahim to play 350 matches for Bangladesh when he stepped on the field for the first Test against Sri Lanka.
9000 International Runs
Dinesh Chandimal has scored 8,724 runs in 268 international appearances. He needs 276 runs to complete 9,000 runs in the international circuit.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka
150 International Appearances
Lankan top-order batsman Kusal Mendis only one match away to complete his 150 appearances for Sri Lanka.
5000 Test Runs
Sri Lankan Test captain Dimurth Karunaratne has scored 4,748 runs in 70 Test appearances. He needs 252 runs to complete 5,000 runs in Tests.
2000 Test Runs
Lahiru Thirimanne has scored 1,863 runs in 40 matches and he only needs 137 runs to reach the 2,000 Test runs milestone.
Read: How European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19?
1000 Test Runs
Pacer Suranga Lakmal will complete his 1,000 Test runs if he scores 136 runs in upcoming Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series.
50 Test Wickets
Slow left-arm orthodox spinner Lasith Embuldeniya is only one wicket shy to complete 50 scalps in Tests. The talented youngster has bagged 49 wickets in just 11 matches for Sri Lanka.
50 Test Wickets
Left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando has scalped 36 wickets in 12 matches, therefore he needs 14 more wickets to complete 50 Test wickets for Sri Lanka.
Bottom Line
Players will be eager to achieve their personal milestones in Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Test series 2021, but the main focus should be to win the series. The two teams have played a total of 20 Test matches between them. Sri Lanka won 16 games, three were drawn, and Bangladesh only won one game. Bangladesh's only Test victory against Sri Lanka came in 2017. Sri Lanka's current Test setup is not particularly strong. In that perspective, Bangladesh have a fair chance of winning the series against Sri Lanka.
Read: How COVID-19 Pandemic has changed ICC’s cricket schedule
Shakib's KKR fail to close the deal against Mumbai
Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan bowled well for Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday when they took on Mumbai Indians in their second game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. KKR, however, lost the game due to careless batting during the last five overs of the game- and there Shakib must share in the blame. Some might say he even started it.
KKR won the toss and opted to bowl first against Mumbai who lost the first game of the season to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. KKR, on the other hand, came to his game with a win in their first game to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Andre Russell bagged five wickets for KKR conceding only 15 runs in two overs, and thus, he was the best bowler of his team while Shakib bagged one wicket conceding only 23 runs in four overs. Shakib’s economy was 5.75, the lowest for KKR’s bowlers who have bowled all four overs in this game.
For Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav hit 56 off 36 before Shakib sent him back while Rohit Sharma posted 43 off 32 balls. Mumbai scored 152 for all wickets in 20 overs.
Also read: Kolkata kicks off IPL with 10-run win despite Shakib’s lean show
In reply, Nitish Rana and Shubham Gill posted 72 runs in the first wicket stand, and it looked like KKR will have an easy win. But the failure of the other batsmen made it tough for them.
Rahul Chahar bagged the first four wickets of Kolkata conceding 27 runs in four overs. Shakib got a promotion in the batting order, coming to bat at number five. But the left-hander failed to exploit the chance as he fell for 9 off 9 deliveries.
In the last five overs, KKR needed 30 runs with six wickets, including Shakib, Russell and Dinesh Karthik, in hand, but they failed to do it.
They lost Shakib during the 16th over while in the last over when KKR needed to score 15 to seal the game, Trent Boult removed Andre Russell, 9 off 15 balls, and Pat Cummins off two consecutive deliveries. Karthik remained unbeaten at 8 off 11 balls.
And eventually, KKR tumbled for 142 for seven in 20 overs and lost the game by 10 runs.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series
Bangladesh Test team will play a 2-match series against Sri Lanka starting from April 21. This will be Bangladesh's last series in the ICC Test Championships.So Bangladesh will get another chance to open their account in the Test Championship points table.BCB already announced a 21-man preliminary squad for the contest. As expected Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will miss the series due to their engagement in the IPL. Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury returned to the Bangladesh squad after a five-year break. Selectors also picked three uncapped players for the squad. Let’s analyze Bangladesh’s Test squad for Sri Lanka series.
Bangladesh’s Preliminary Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series 2021
BCB announced an initial squad on Friday (April 9) and the Bangladesh team will most likely be limited to 15 members just before their departure to Sri Lanka. The selectors have included seven fast bowlers and four spinners in Bangladesh Test Squad.
Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam, right-arm fast bowlers Shohidul Islam and Mukidul Islam have earned a maiden call up for the national side. While In place of Shakib Al Hasan, selectors included Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury who returned to the Bangladesh squad after five years break. Shuvagata last played for Bangladesh against England back in 2016.
Mominul Haque will be captaining the side. The veteran Mahmudullah Riyad has been ignored once again, but Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim will be available for the series. These two senior cricketers will have to play with more responsibility if Bangladesh is to win the series against Sri Lanka.
Series fixture:
1st Test: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Date: 21-25 April | Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
2nd Test: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Date: 29 April-03 May| Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Preliminary Squad:Mominul Haque (Captain), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Abu Jayed, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, MehidyHasanMiraz, NayeemHasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mukidul Islam, ShuvagataHom, Shohidul Islam, Nurul Hasan
Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka: Bangladesh squad 2017 vs Bangladesh squad 2021
When comparing the two squads, we see that the 2017 team had a bit more experience than the current one.
Mushfiqur Rahim captained Bangladesh in 2017 and his team managed to draw the Test series after winning the second match by 4 wickets in Colombo.
Also read: Still nothing definite on Sri Lanka tour
For this time, skipper Mominul Haque and team management have to chalk out an ideal game plan in order to win the series against the home side.
In 2017, the top-order batting line-up included Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, and Soumya Sarkar.Among them, Tamim Iqbal was the top scorer with 207 runs to his name. He also played a match-winning 82-run knock in the second Test to level the series 1-1. Tamim’s opening partner Soumya made second-most 195 runs for Bangladesh.
Shadman Islam will take the opening spot in place of Soumya Sarkar, who was not picked for this series.While Mominul will come at no.3 position for the team tigers.
In the middle order, Mohammad Mithun will replace Shakib Al Hasan and wicket-keeper batsman Liton Das will bat at no.6 position.
Considering Sri Lanka's spin-friendly wicket, Bangladesh could deploy three spinners in their playing XI.Because Bangladesh found success in the 2017 series by using three spinners.
Also read: Tigers' SL tour facing postponement over BCB's unreasonable demand
Overall, Bangladesh's 2021 Test squad contains some young promising players and match-winners as well. Therefore, this Bangladeshi team is more than capable of beating Sri Lanka in their own backyard.That being said, we should admit that the 2017 squad was better than this one.
The probable Bangladesh XI for the first Test
Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das,MehidyHasanMiraz,NayeemHasan, Taijul Islam,Abu Jayed,Ebadat Hossain
Verdict
Bangladesh's possibility of winning the Test series against Sri Lanka is not guaranteed. However, an analysis of Bangladesh's Test squad for Sri Lanka series reveals that defeating the Lankans is not impossible if they can quickly adapt to the changing environment. Since, like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka aren’t in great form when it comes to Test cricket. Sri Lanka have just won one of their last eleven Test matches. On the other hand, Bangladesh have lost eight out of nine Tests in the last two years. As a result, both teams are under a lot of pressure to perform well in the Test format. In this aspect, the upcoming bilateral series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be quite exciting to watch.
‘We are capable of doing well in Sri Lanka’, says Khaled Mahmud
Bangladesh national cricket team is capable enough to play well in Sri Lanka, insisted Khaled Mahmud, the former captain and the team leader of Bangladesh during the Sri Lanka tour.
The team flew for Sri Lanka on Monday. They’ll face the hosts in a two-match Test series starting from April 21. Both matches will be played in Kandy.
This series is a part of the ongoing World Test Championaship. Bangladesh played five Tests of this event and failed to win any of them. Sri Lanka, in contrast, played 10 matches and won one of them with six defeats and three draws.
Also read: Bangladesh preliminary Test squad leave for Sri Lanka
“I think we are capable of doing well in Sri Lanka,” Mahmud told the reporters before taking on the flight of Sri Lanka. “Although we failed to do well in New Zealand, we’ll have a different condition in Sri Lanka. We know that we have the capability.”
Bangladesh faced the Blackcaps in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series and lost all the matches.
“The condition of Sri Lanka is more familiar to us. We played many matches in Sri Lanka. So it’ll be easy for us to do well there ,” he added. “At the same time, we know that Sri Lanka is a tough team in their home backyard. But I believe, in terms of skillset, we are not behind them. If we can play our natural game and keep the process well, we can win in Sri Lanka.”
Also read: ‘We can win in Sri Lanka even without Shakib, Mustafizur,’ says Mominul
For the Sri Lanka tour, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 21-member preliminary squad recently including a few new faces.
Due to the Covid-19 restriction in Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh team will not get any local players or support staff. So the Bangladesh team will play a practice game being divided into two teams.
Before taking the field, the touring side will have to maintain a strict three-day quarantine period in Sri Lanka. Mahmud believes that maintaining a quarantine period will not be a problem for them.
“The players are now habitant to the system of quarantine,” Mahmud told the reporters. “We will stay in the hotel for three days. During this time, the boys will be able to contact each other and talk among themselves. I think it’ll help them to stay fit and fresh.”
Also read: BCB announces preliminary Test squad with three new faces
Bangladesh played a total of 12 Tests in Sri Lanka and won one of them, which was Bangladesh’s 100th Test match, and they lost 10 matches with ending up in no-result.
The 21-member preliminary Test team of Bangladesh for the Sri Lanka tour:
Mominul Haque (captain), Litton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mukidul Islam Mugdho, Shuvagata Hom, Shohidul Islam and Nurul Hasan Sohan
Bangladesh preliminary Test squad leave for Sri Lanka
A 21-member Bangladesh preliminary test squad left the capital for Sri Lanka on Monday by a chartered flight of Bangladesh Biman to play a two- match test series against the Island nation.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the 21-member preliminary squad including three new faces for the Test series, a part of World Test Championship.
Also read: BCB announces preliminary Test squad with three new faces
Three vital players of Bangladesh team--world famed all rounder Shakib Al Hasan, cutter master Mustafizur Rahman and all rounder Mahmufullah Riyad---missed trip and the first two for their IPL engagement.
On the eve of the departure, Bangladesh team leader Khaled Mahmud Shujon said, "Bangladesh have the capacity to beat Sri Lanka as their wicket and local condition is very familiar to us".
Earlier on Sunday, Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque said they are confident of winning the two-match series in Sri Lanka even without the service of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman who are busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
Shakib and Mustafizur would have been Bangladesh’s biggest weapons in the Sri Lanka tour. But the Tigers are set to miss their service as both of them were allowed to skip this tour for IPL. Despite their absence, Mominul believes that Bangladesh has the ability to outplay Sri Lanka.
“I don’t think we cannot win without Shakib and Mustafizur,” Mominul told the reporters on Sunday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium after a practice session.
“We have more players in our team. They don’t have 10-12 hands (to play better than others). We also don’t have many hands. I don’t think their absence will make any influence. We couldn’t come up as a team in recent time and that’s why we have been failing to bring the result to tour favour. This is as simple as it.”
Also read:Bangladesh preliminary Test squad to fly for Sri Lanka ...
After reaching the Sri Lanka Monday afternoon, Bangladesh team will be taken to Negombo for a three-day room quarantine from Apr 12-14.
Due to the current Covid-19 situation, Bangladesh team will have to practice and to play practice match among themselves and for that reason, the BCB has decided carry all the 21 cricketers to Sri Lanka.
However, the final squad of Bangladesh for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka will be announced after an intra-squad practice game between them scheduled for April 17-18.
A large 41 members Bangladesh team including 21 cricketers, coaches, supporting staffs, newly appointed Deputy Manager of BCB Cricket Operations and former national opener Shahriar Nafees and other BCB officials accompanied the team to Sri Lanka.
The series will begin on April 21 with the first Test, and the second and final Test will start on April 29, both will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
For the two- match series, BCB included three uncapped pace-bowlers --Shohidul Islam, Shoriful Islam and Mukidul Islam Mugdho-- while old guy Shuvagata Hom made a surprise comeback to the Test set-up after a gap of four years.
The 21-member preliminary Test team of Bangladesh for the Sri Lanka tour:
Mominul Haque (Captain) , Litton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mukidul Islam Mugdho, Shuvagata Hom, Shohidul Islam and Nurul Hasan Sohan
How COVID-19 Pandemic has changed ICC’s cricket schedule
Domestic cricket leagues and international bilateral series were postponed one by one after the global lockdown was announced in March 2020. It was possible to adjust the schedule of domestic leagues, but changing the international cricket fixtures was extremely difficult. A significant number of Test championship matches were suspended due to the Coronavirus. The schedules for the two T20 World Cups were deferred by one year towards the end of the year. The timetable for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup has also been changed. How the COVID-19 Pandemic has changed ICC’s cricket schedule is discussed in this article.
Major cricket tournaments, postponed by ICC
International cricket fixtures have been suspended indefinitely since March of last year due to the sudden outbreak of novel coronavirus. The majority of them were Test championship matches.
Read: How European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19?
Meanwhile, there was hope at first on arranging the twenty20 world cup, but the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia was later canceled due to covid-19 spread.
The ICC announced in July 2020 that the T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021 have been deferred by one year due to epidemics. As a result, the 2020 tournament will take place in India in November 2021, while Australia will host the 2021 tournament in October 2022.
In addition, India will host the Cricket World Cup in 2023 in November, eight months later than initially planned. The ICC has suspended the 2021 Women's Cricket World Cup and its qualifying round by one year due to the epidemic.
Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021
Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic upon the notable cricket fixtures
Many domestic and international cricket matches were suspended due to the epidemic. So, only the most significant cricket schedules are highlighted here.
February 11, 2021
· Ireland Test team tour of Zimbabwe suspended due to the increase in coronavirus infections.
February 4, 2021
· Bangladesh national cricket team tour of New Zealand for limited over series rescheduled for a week.
February 2, 2021
· Australia postponed its scheduled tour of South Africa because of the growing concern about the Covid-19 outbreak.
Read How Can Bangladesh directly qualify for the world cup 2023?
December 7, 2020
· England tour of South Africa suspended due to the pandemic coronavirus panic.
August 8, 2020
· The twenty20 series between Zimbabwe v Afghanistan was called off.
August 7, 2020
· England tour of India deferred for 2021.
July 9, 2020
· Asia Cup tournament deferred for 2021.
Read Mustafiz's Rajasthan vs Shakib's Kolkata: Which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021?
June 30, 2020
· Zimbabwe-Australia 3-match ODI series postponed.
June 24, 2020
· Bangladesh Test team tour of Sri Lanka postponed due to epidemic covid-19.
June 23, 2020
· New Zealand tour of Bangladesh postponed
June 12, 2020
· India postponed their tour to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Read Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI Series 2021: Bangladesh Team Report Card
May 28, 2020
· ECB suspended their all domestic competitions until August 1.
April 30, 2020
· ECB suspended the inaugural edition of ‘The Hundred’ until 2021.
April 22, 2020
· Pakistan's tour of Netherlands suspended due to the pandemic covid-19.
March 21, 2020
· The ODI series between Bangladesh and Ireland in England postponed.
Read How to Become a Cricketer in Bangladesh: An Overall Guideline
March 19, 2020
· BCB suspended Dhaka Premier League (DPL) until mid-April.
March 18, 2020
· European Cricket Association postponed their cricket League.
March 16, 2020
· BCB postponed the third phase of Pakistan tour.
· CSA suspended their all cricket tournaments.
Read Top Online Shops to Find Sports Equipment in Bangladesh
March 14, 2020
· The rest of the ongoing Australia v New Zealand series canceled.
· The Windies Cricket postponed their all regional cricket for a month.
March 13, 2020
· India v South Africa series, England vs Sri Lanka series, Netherlands vs Namibia series all have postponed due to the covid-19 outbreak.
· IPL 2020 deferred for a month.
Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka
March 11, 2020
· The much anticipated Bangabandhu T20 Cup between World XI v Asia XI postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Bottom Line
Countries were forced to postpone international cricket fixtures because of the covid-19 pandemic, and no international matches were held for four months. As a result, cricket's top governing body had to cancel a notable number of international series. The teams could not play several ICC Test Championship series as the matches were not held on time. The championship would have been much more exciting if all of the games were played according to the full schedule. The top two teams in the points table, India and New Zealand will compete in the ICC Test Championship final in June.
In addition, the way COVID-19 Pandemic has changed ICC’s cricket schedule, the teams will be required to play nonstop international cricket for the next two years.
Read: Without senior players, what Bangladesh’s ODI Cricket team could look like?
Kolkata kicks off IPL with 10-run win despite Shakib’s lean show
Shakib Al Hasan made a comeback to the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday with the first match of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the season against Sunresiers Hyderabad. KKR won the game by 10 runs, but Shakib’s performance was lean in the field.
The left-handed allrounder batted for five balls to score only three runs. But he started well with the ball taking a wicket off the first ball in the season removing Wriddhiman Saha. Shakib, however, failed to continue on the good run as he ended up his bowling quota conceding 34 runs in four overs.
Shakib missed the last season of IPL due to the two-year-long ban, with one year suspended, which was imposed on him by the ICC for failing to corrupt approaches made to him.
Also read: Mustafiz's Rajasthan vs Shakib's Kolkata: Which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021?
On Sunday’s game, SRH won the toss and sent KKR to bat first. Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill added 53 runs before Gill was removed by Rashid Khan at 15 off the last ball of the seventh over.
In the second wicket stand, Rana and Rahul Tripathi added 93 runs on the board. The first three youngers laid a good foundation for KKR.
Riding on Rana’s 80, Tripathi’s 53 and Dinesh Karthik’s 9-ball 22, KKR posted a challenging total of 187 for six in 20 overs.
Also read: Shakib's 34th Birthday: 34 achievements to celebrate the no.1 all-rounder
For SRH, two Afghan spinners— Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi— bagged two wickets each while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan took one wicket each.
In reply, Manish Pandey hi an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls with two fours and three sixes while Jonny Bairstow also smashed a fifty, 55, off 40 deliveries, but SRH failed to sail through.
They needed to score 22 runs in the last over bowled by Andre Russell. Pandey and Abdul Salam only managed 11 runs despite a last-ball six by Pandey.
Also read: Shakib reaches Kolkata to play IPL
For KKR, pace-bowler Prasidh Krishna took two wickets conceding 35 runs while Shakib, Russell and Pat Cummins took one wicket each.
PITCH extends helping hand to cancer patient cricketer, umpire
PITCH Foundation, a voluntary organisation formed recently to support the game of cricket, extended financial aid to cancer patient cricketer and umpire— Mosharaf Hossain Rubel and Nadir Shah.
In a press release, PITCH Foundation said that they handed over Tk 2 lakhs to each of them.
Former national captain Naimur Rahman and seasoned cricket organiser Iftekhar Ahmed handed over the cheques respectively to Nadir and Rubel recently.
PITCH Foundation, launched on February 13 this year, is set up to provide assistance to individuals related to cricket through donations and sponsorship, alongside medical assistance.
“We've formed PITCH Foundation in order to help the needy and will be doing the same in future,” PITCH Foundation General Secretary Obeid R Nizam told reporters on Sunday.
“A countless number of individuals who've worked tirelessly throughout their lives for the game are now in need of support. This is where PITCH Foundation wants to step in.”