Cricket
Azam Khan smashes first BPL 2023 century
Pakistan's Azam Khan hit the first century of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka's Mirpur.
The right-handed batter is playing for Khulna Tigers in the BPL. Riding on his 58-ball century, Khulna posted 178 for five against Chattogram Challengers.
On the way to his first T20 century, Azam hit nine fours and eight sixes. His previous best in T20 was 88.
Azam came to the crease as the number four batter after Khulna lost two wickets for only 12 runs. He remained unbeaten on 109.
Earlier, Khulna played a match against Dhaka Dominators, which they lost by six wickets.
BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers continue winning streak
The Sylhet Strikers continued their impressive winning streak in the current season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), beating the most successful team in the tournament, the Comilla Victorians, by a margin of five wickets today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The Sylhet Strikers, led by former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, achieved their third consecutive victory, while the Comilla Victorians suffered their second consecutive defeat.
The Victorians batted first and put up a formidable 149 runs for the loss of six wickets. In response, the Strikers successfully chased down the target of 150 with five wickets still in hand at the end of 17.4 overs.
Read more: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed
Mohammad Haris, the Pakistani opener of the Sylhet Strikers, fell short of expectations, scoring only six off three deliveries. Abu Hider broke the opening stand with his early dismissal. However, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy then stitched together a good partnership, providing a strong platform for the Strikers to build on.
Najmul scored 19 runs off 21 balls, while Towhid remained steadfast in the middle, smashing a 56 from just 37 deliveries, with three fours and four sixes. His performance was truly remarkable against a quality Victorians bowling attack, which includes the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mohammad Nabi. It was a triumphant day for the batter.
Zakir Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim scored 20 and 28 runs respectively, helping the Strikers secure the victory.
For the Victorians, Mohammad Nabi and Khushdil Shah put up a valiant effort, bagging two wickets each, but it was not enough to avoid a defeat.
Read more: BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Earlier, Jaker Ali aided the Victorians in setting a challenging total of 149. He scored 57 off 43 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. Dawid Malan also performed well, scoring 37, but it was not enough to meet the Comilla Victorians' expectations. Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera and Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir bagged two wickets for Sylhet Strikers, while Mashrafe and Imad Wasim scalped one wicket each.
BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Bangladesh’s franchise T20 cricket tournament Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 started on January 6, 2023. The tournament has been taking place since 2012, with occasional breaks. This tournament allows Bangladeshi cricket fans to experience the excitement of watching foreign players compete on the field. Let’s see who can with the BPL 2023.
Overview of BPL 2023 Teams
This year seven teams, Chattogram Challengers, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dominators, Fortune Barishal, Khulna Tigers, Rangpur Riders, and Sylhet Strikers, are participating in the tournament. Read on to get an overview of each team.
Chattogram Challengers
Despite never having won the Bangladesh Premier League title, Chittagong consistently build a competitive team and consistently performs well in the league. Chittagong Challengers showed hope last season too but failed to prove their strength in the end. But, this year, it seems Chittagong has started BPL with an average team, as there is no domestic or foreign star cricketer in the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed
One of the most notable players on the Bangladesh national team is Afif Hossain, is considered to be a standout player for Chattogram Challengers. Besides, there is experienced cricketer Shuvagata Hom, who is the captain of Chittagong Challengers this time. The team contains some well-known names in domestic cricket, like Irfan Shukkur, and Mehedi Maruf.
However, Ireland’s Curtis Campher can bring positive results to this team as he proved his ability by playing fast innings in the T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani will also give the team bowling some strength. There is Taijul Islam, who is an integral part of Bangladesh's Test team, particularly in conditions that favor spin bowling. Further, Mehdi Hasan Rana, the left-arm fast bowler who took 18 wickets last season, is also in the Chittagong team.
Although Chittagong builds the team without any star cricketers, the available players are good performers and have the ability to fight a close match.
Read More: BPL 2023: Salahuddin laments lack of DRS
Comilla Victorians
Comilla is the current champion of the Bangladesh Premier League. This franchise has won the title three times in total. Throughout the 11-year history of the Bangladesh Premier League, the Comilla Victorians have consistently performed well and are considered to be one of the most reliable teams in the league.
However, the team was not in the tournament from the beginning. But since joining the tournament, Victorians authorities were engaged in creating specific supporter groups starting from jerseys, logos, and slogans. They also formed a strong team this year too.
There are star cricketers like Litton Das, Imrul Kayes, Mosaddek Hossain, and Mustafizur Rahman from Bangladesh in this squad. Along with Mosaddek’s all-rounder role, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, and Zimbabwe’s Shaun Williams are also on the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Mahmudullah in Barishal, Mushfiqur in Sylhet
However, Rizwan will come to Bangladesh later. But Nabi is with Comilla from the beginning. Besides, the team also has Dawid Malan, one of the most successful international T20 batsmen for England.
All these players make Comilla Victorians a balanced team.
Dhaka Dominators
For now, the biggest name of Dhaka Dominators seems to be Chaminda Vaas. He is serving as their head coach of Dhaka. Apart from Vaas, Taskin Ahmed is a big name for Dhaka. Taskin is the best fast bowler in Bangladesh in recent times and is accompanied by Shoriful Islam and Al Amin. All these fast bowlers are the core strength of team Dhaka. Also there is Chamika Karunaratne.
Read More: BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers
The well-known names of Bangladesh domestic cricket, Alok Kapali and Muktar Ali, are in the squad. Pakistan’s Shan Masood, who added value to Pakistan’s batting lineup in the T20 World Cup, can be a source of hope for Dhaka Dominators. Further, this tournament can be a big opportunity for Soumya Sarkar to prove his performance once again. The team also signed up Mohammad Mithun and Nasir Hossain.
So, it seems Dhaka will go for attack with the top-class bowling lineup.
Fortune Barishal
Last season, Fortune Barisal was a dominant force in the Bangladesh Premier League. Despite ultimately falling short in the final, the team displayed a high level of skill and consistency throughout the season. Spin bowling was the main strength of this team under Shakib Al Hasan’s captaincy. Last year, Shakib and Afghan bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s combo helped the team to reach the final.
Read More: BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
This year Mehidy Hasan and Rahkeem Cornwell will accompany Shakib. Also, Sanjamul Islam of the domestic league of Bangladesh will also shine for Barishal. Additionally, the team management has the option to utilize Mahmudullah Riyad and Chaturanga de Silva as alternatives.
Barisal’s main goal was to build an all-rounder-based team. Last season Barisal fielded a team with ten all-rounders except for the wicket-keeper. However, this franchise is entering the BPL 2023 with a slightly weaker team.
But the big strength of the team is captain Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib was recently awarded the best athlete of Bangladesh in a survey and is also the most successful cricketer in the Bangladesh Premier League. He has won the tournament’s best cricketer award four times in eight seasons so far.
Read More: BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers make a flying start winning a low-scoring match
Khulna Tigers
Like Dhaka, Khulna’s big strength is coach Khaled Mahmud. He is a well-known name in Bangladesh Premier League and a successful coach. However, the biggest star of this team is Tamim Iqbal. Tamim is not only the main cricketer of the team but also an important member from team management to team selection.
Squad-wise Khulna is one of the strongest teams this season. There are five Pakistani cricketers in the squad, including Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, and Wahab Riaz. Additionally, Azam Khan can play a big role, while the team also picked Sharjeel Khan. But if Khulna plays in the playoffs, they will not be able to stay in the team in the end.
One of the most successful T20 bowlers in Bangladesh in recent times is Nasum Ahmed remains in the spin sector. Nahidul Islam, who showed surprise last season, is also available on the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Dhaka Triumphs Over Khulna Amidst Ongoing Criticism Over DRS Absence
Rangpur Riders
Rangpur Riders have their own practice ground and a different style of management and are still trying to maintain the professionalism of international cricket in the Bangladesh Premier League. The one-time champions of the tournament have not appeared in the last season. This time the team has come to the BPL with a strong pace bowling attack.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud remain at the core of the attack. Besides, the important players of the Pakistan T20 team, Mohammad Nawaz and Shoaib Malik, are playing for Rangpur. Sikandar Raza, a star cricketer from Zimbabwe, has been signed to play for Rangpur for the entire season. Besides, there are Sheikh Mehdi Hasan and Naeem Sheikh. Bangladesh’s Nurul Hasan Sohan will lead this team.
Sylhet Strikers
Sylhet has appeared as Sylhet Strikers name in the Bangladesh Premier League this time. Sylhet can be called the most unsuccessful team in the history of BPL. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the most successful captain of BPL, is playing for this team this year. However, he has not played in any professional cricket matches since April of the previous year.
Read More: BPL 2023: Sylhet overpower Barishal by six wickets
Bangladesh National Parliament members Mashrafe and Mushfiq, who retired from international T20 cricket, are big names in Sylhet. A fund fact, Mushfiqur Rahim and Sylhet have one thing in common, Mushfiq as an individual and Sylhet as a team are yet to win the Bangladesh Premier League title.
Rajin Saleh is the coach for Sylhet Strikers; a cricketer from Sylhet has played for the Bangladesh national team for a long time. However, the main strength of Sylhet Strikers is two Pakistani cricketers, Mohammad Haris and Mohammad Amir, who will not be available for the team for all matches. Similar to how Barishal structured their team last year, Sylhet has recruited a number of all-rounders to provide balance and versatility to their lineup in this T20 tournament.
The team has Imad Wasim, Thisara Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, and Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl. Colin Ackermann, who caught the eye in T20 World Cup, will also play for Sylhet.
Read More: BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details
Who will Win the BPL 2023?
Comparing all seven teams, Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal have a great chance of winning the tournament. Both teams have some star players with good form. For Comilla, Litton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaun Williams can make a difference and lead the team to another BPL title.
On the other hand, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz can play a big role in Fortune Barishal. Apart from these two stars, Mahmudullah Riyad and Chaturanga de Silva can help the team win from the middle order.
Final Words
In the Bangladesh Premier League tournament, the Franchises are erratic and changed ownership several times. Even no cricketer has played for the same team for a long time, as seen in Indian Premier League with Virat Kohli in Bangalore and MS Dhoni in Chennai. As the only T20 tournament in Bangladesh, the BPL provides an opportunity for domestic cricketers to showcase their skills in the T20 format and earn a wage.
Read More: BPL 2023: Icon Players, Complete schedule – Dates, Venues & Match Time
BPL is primarily a bowling-based T20 league. In the group stage, we hardly see any big innings in Mirpur and Sylhet. We may see a little run in Chittagong. That’s why teams go into the draft with the idea of strengthening the bowling first. And the same goes for this year too. So, the teams’ fate will depend on the bowlers’ performance. So, Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal will remain ahead in the race to win BPL 2023.
BPL becomes the unwitting butt of jokes
The latest edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been marred by chaotic scenes descending to comedy, as teams make puzzling decisions when selecting their captains and players express their outrage at umpire rulings.
In the opening match of day two of the latest season of Bangladesh's premier T20 tournament, Soumya Sarkar, a Dhaka Dominators batsman, was initially declared out, but the decision was later overturned to not-out.
The on-field umpire called Soumya Sarkar of Khulna Tigers out after Nasum Ahmed managed to hit his pads, but Soumya wasn't convinced and requested a review. After the third umpire declared him out on the giant screen following a review, the decision was overturned instantly, and the batter was ultimately declared not out.
The entire episode was a source of controversy, as the authorities were unable to utilize DRS - a widely used technology that can clearly determine if the batter is out or not in such situations.
Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh's ODI captain and a senior player from Khulna, was seen vehemently protesting the umpire's decision after Soumya was controversially declared not out following a review.
It was not the only controversy of the day.
Read more: “If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib
Ahead of the second match of the day, Fortune Barishal - a franchisee playing their first match of the season - declared they would determine their captain prior to each match, prompting laughter from the followers of the event.
The cricketing world was surprised when, instead of Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was seen performing the toss on Saturday for Barishal. This was in contrast to the expectations that Shakib would lead the team, as he had done the previous season. But then, the team made a rare announcement – the captain will now be determined ahead of each match!
It appears that Barishal may have a new captain for their next match, and possibly for upcoming matches too!
Another hilarious episode occurred when Mushfiqur Rahim stepped in to perform the toss for Sylhet Strikers in place of their usual captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. It was later discovered that Mashrafe was unable to be present for the toss due to personal matters.
The Strikers' playing XI sheet, provided to the media by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), bears the signature of Mushfiqur at the top of captain Mashrafe's name, accompanied by the handwritten text— "on behalf of".
They, however, tried to come up with a hint for a joke that they would crack!
Read more: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL
BPL 2023: Sylhet overpower Barishal by six wickets
Sylhet Strikers defeated Fortune Barishal by six wickets in their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) clash at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium Saturday.
Chasing 195, Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Zakir Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim batted well to seal the Strikers' second win in the event.
Choosing to bat first, Barishal posted 194 – the highest first-innings total in this BPL so far. Shakib Al Hasan top scored 67 off 32 balls with seven fours and four sixes for them. Chaturanga de Silva was the second-highest run getter for Barishal with 36 off 25 balls.
Read: BPL 2023: Dhaka Triumphs Over Khulna Amidst Ongoing Criticism Over DRS Absence
For Sylhet, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bagged three wickets for 48 runs in four overs.
In reply, Sylhet's opener Colin Ackermann got run out after scoring a single run. However, the second-wicket partnership between Shanto and Hridoy resulted in a 101-run stand – the first 100-run partnership of this BPL. Shanto was eventually dismissed for 48 off 40 balls, hitting five fours and one six.
After Shanto's departure, Zakir came to the crease and blasted 43 runs off just 18 balls, with four fours and three sixes. His blistering knock was one of the turning points of the match. Also, Mushfiqur scored 23 runs off 11 balls.
Read: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL
In the end, Thisara Perera's 20 off nine balls sealed the match for his team by six wickets, with an over to spare.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, and Kamrul Islam Rabbi were unable to defend a big total for Barishal, conceding more than 11 runs per over.
BPL 2023: Dhaka Triumphs Over Khulna Amidst Ongoing Criticism Over DRS Absence
The Dhaka Dominators have earned their first victory in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023 with a six-wicket win over the Khulna Tigers on Saturday in Mirpur.
This match was also marred by absence of DRS, as this year's BPL has a trend to be criticized for its messy management.
Soumya Sarkar was given out in the last over of the powerplay in the first innings after Nasum Ahmed successfully hit his pads. But Soumya went for a review, and the field umpire called upon the third umpire for the decision. The giant screen installed in the field showed that Soumya was out, but, right after that, Soumya had a discussion with the umpire. Within a couple of minutes, the decision was overturned!
REad: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL
This caused Tamim Iqbal, the senior batter of Khulna, to speak with the umpire. It was clear that it was not a friendly conversation in the middle, but eventually, Soumya was deemed not out at that stage.
After the foggy weather cleared, the match started after a dealy of half an hour. Dhaka won the toss and decided to bowl first.
The Khulna Tigers scored 113 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Yasir Ali was their top scorer with 24 runs off 25 balls. Mohammad Saifuddin also contributed 19 runs off 28 balls.
Read: BPL 2023: Rony Talukdar fifty leads Riders to victory
The Dhaka bowlers were well disciplined, with Al Amin Hossain leading the charge with four wickets for 28 runs. Nasir Hossain and Arafat Sunny also contributed taking two wickets each.
In reply, Dhaka Dominators reached the target of 114 runs with five balls to spare.
Opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera scored 22 runs off 18 balls, while Nasir, their captain, scored 36 off 36 balls. Soumya Sarkar chipped in with 16 off 13 balls. Mohammad Saifuddin took two wickets for Khulna, but it wasn’t enough to stop Dhaka from securing victory.
With this win, Dhaka Dominators have taken an early lead in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023.
BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL
On Thursday, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), attempted to respond to Shakib Al Hasan's severe criticism concerning the chaotic administration of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), claiming that Shakib does not possess a full understanding of the predicament the BCB is facing.
A day later, on the opening day of the BPL, the CEO was confronted once againwith questions concerning Shakib's criticism in a press conference that should have taken place a few days earlier. Unfortunately, Nizamudin failed to answer them satisfactorily.
“This is not the time to talk about it,” he said in a press conference which should have taken place a few days earlier that had the presence of the Chairman and Secretary of the BPL Governing Council - the prominent individuals organizing the event.
“We are now focussing on holding the event successfully,” a clearly discomfited Nizamuddin added.
While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Shakib expressed his disappointment at the poor management of the BPL, claiming that it is worse than the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. He went on to state that if he were in charge of the BPL, he would not take more than one or two months to address the issues currently affecting the tournament.
Read: “If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib
He also criticized the dearth of practice venues for the teams taking part in the event, and the uncertainty surrounding the involvement of foreign players. Further, he bemoaned the declining brand value of BPL, in comparison with other leagues that have been established since its inception.
“People don’t watch BPL in other countries. And we failed to sell it well,” Shakib said.
Of course, all that the Tigers' Test captain had served up was a dose of harsh truths, whether BCB likes it or not. Nor was Shakib, one of the most well-travelled cricketers in the world on the T20 circuit, the only one.
Khaled Mahmud, the current director of the BCB and the coach of the BPL team Khulna Tigers, also spoke out. His sentiments were echoed by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain and captain of the BPL team Sylhet Strikers, and Mohammad Salahuddin, the legendary BKSP coach now in charge of Comilla Victorians. But instead of taking the criticism on board and acknowledging the wayward ship that the BPL has become in the last few years, BCB was left smarting.
Why else would a little-known official, Ismail Haider, secretary of the BPL governing council, make a surprise appearance at the opening day press conference to throw pointed questions at Shakib?
“If the Dhaka Premier Division is a superior league, why does Shakib not play there more often? He usually avoids playing in the Dhaka League, but never does the same when it comes to the BPL,” Ismail said, before mentioning that he has no intention of arguing with anyone.
The fact is the BCB has failed once again to provide a satisfactory explanation for its inability to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) technology in the BPL.
Ismail declared that they had the necessary funds and machinery to implement DRS, but they were lacking in skilled manpower to operate it - as if finding the manpower was not part of their responsibility too. He then went back to moaning about the current economic state of the country, and kept harping on the phrase ‘financial crisis’ on many occasions, as he attempted to explain why there was no inaugural ceremony - not the most important thing anyway - in a roundabout, confusing manner.
Read: BPL 2023: Rony Talukdar fifty leads Riders to victory
It prompted a journalist to flag Ismail’s contradictory statements. And then he just lost it.
“You know nothing; if you did, you wouldn't be asking such a question,” Ismail said obnoxiously, clearly flustered by the end.
Sheikh Sohel, the chairman of the BPL governing council, was not willing to respond to Shakib's criticism. He instead enthusiastically stated that he would be happy to have Shakib as the head of the BPL if the cricketer so desires.
Of course, he did not actually mean to replace himself with Shakib. Maybe as CEO?
BPL 2023: Rony Talukdar fifty leads Riders to victory
In the second match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023, Rangpur Riders beat Comilla Victorians by 34 runs on Friday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Rony Talukdar hits 67 to lead the Riders to victory.
The Comilla Victorians, who bowled first after winning the toss, fell short of the Rangpur Riders’ score of 176 runs in 20 overs, as they were all out for 142 runs in 19.1 overs.
Rangpur Riders' opener Rony top scored with 67 off 31 balls with 11 fours and 1 six, while Mohammad Naim scored 29 runs off 34 balls. Shoaib Malik scored 33 off 26 balls and Sikandar Raza scored 12 off 10 balls. Nurul Hasan, the Riders’ captain, remained unbeaten on 19 off 11 balls.
Read: BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers make a flying start winning a low-scoring match
For Comilla Victorians, Imrul Kayes top scored with 35 off 23 balls, while Jaker Ali scored 17 and Dawid Malan scored 15.
Hasan Mahmud was the pick of the bowlers for Rangpur Riders, scalping 3 wickets for 20 runs in 3.1 overs. Robiul Haque and Sikandar Raza scalped two wickets each as well.
In the end, Rangpur Riders emerged victorious by 34 runs.
In the day's first match, Sylhet Strikers beat Chattogram Challengers by eight wickets.
BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers make a flying start winning a low-scoring match
Sylhet Strikers won the first match of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) beating Chattogram Challengers by eight wickets on Friday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The match was scheduled to take place at 2:30 pm, but it kicked off a half hour earlier - a further testament to the subpar management of the BPL.
Sylhet won the toss and sent Chattogrma to bat first.
Chattogram had a disappointing start as Mehedi Maruf was run out for 11 in the 3rd over and Darwish Rasooli, their Afghan recruit, was out for a mere 3 runs in the 4th. Their hopes of a major score were pinned on Al-Amin, but he too fell for just 18 runs. Skipper Shuvagata Hom's single run only added to their woes, further worsening the situation.
But, Afif Hossain got the innings back on track with 25 runs off 23 balls with 3 fours. Unmukt Chand couldn't make a big score as he was out for 5 runs.
Mrittunjoy Chowdhury added 3 runs while Nihaduzzaman scored 8 runs before getting out. Malinda Pushpakumara and Mehedi Hasan Rana remained unbeaten and added 6 and 2 runs respectively. At the end of 20 overs, Chattogram Challengers made 89 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
For Sylhet, Rejaur Rahman Raja bagged four wickets conceding only 14 runs in four overs.
Also Read: Asia Cup Cricket: Bangladesh grouped with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan
In reply, Sylhet Strikers had to do better on a difficult Mirpur surface to take the lead. They started well, with Najmul Hossain Shanto making 43 runs off 41 balls.
Colin Ackermann was out for 1 run but Zakir Hasan made a quick 27 runs off 21 balls to set up a winning total. Mushfiqur Rahim remained not out on 6 runs as Sylhet Strikers achieved their target in 12.3 overs.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain, made a return to competitive cricket after an eight-month hiatus, captaining the Sylhet Strikers in this edition of the BPL.
Asia Cup Cricket: Bangladesh grouped with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan
Bangladesh has been grouped with defending champion Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Two arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been put in the same group with a qualifier team in the six-nation Asia Cup Cricket 2023 scheduled for September.
President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah confirmed it while announcing the cricket calendar of the council for the year 2023 and 2024 on Thursday.
The ACC boss said that the ensuing Asia Cup will be played in 50-over format in September this year, though the itinerary and the host country have not been announced yet.
Pakistan is the original host of the Asia Cup this year but the BCCI is not keen on playing there owing to political tension between the two countries.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be a six-team affair involving India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and a qualifier team.
Sri Lanka are the defending Asia Cup champions after beating Pakistan in the final of the last tournament played in T20 format ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
With India set to host the ODI World Cup later this year and the focus of all the participating teams being on the 50-over format, so this year’s Asia Cup will be held in ODI format.
Read more: India reclaim Women's Asia Cup crown