cricket
Siddons takes a step back from national team to work with ‘A’ team
Jamie Siddons, who had been working as the batting coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team since last August, has announced that he will no longer work with the national team and will instead focus on developing young batters in the Bangladesh 'A' team.
Siddons took to social media on Monday to announce his decision to step down from his role with the national team, shortly after returning to Dhaka from a break in Australia.
“I won't be working with the national team anymore, as I feel my best value to BCB is working with the next generation to ensure the players just outside of the team are being well looked after and are improving each day in preparation for their next opportunity to play for their country,” he said on his social media page.
The decision comes after Siddons had increasingly focused on working with young talent in the Bangladesh ‘A’ team and the Tigers. He expressed his love for coaching young cricketers and said that he wants to continue developing their skills.
The Bangladesh team on Monday traveled to England to play a three-match ODI series against Ireland, starting on May 9, but Siddons did not join them. The series is part of the World Cup Super League.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not yet appointed a separate batting coach for the national team, but the Chief Executive, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, said that they might bring in expert coaches or consultants for specific series or camps if needed.
Bangladesh cricket team departs for England tonight
The Bangladesh national cricket team is set to depart for England tonight for their three-match series against Ireland, part of the World Cup Super League. Tamim Iqbal and his team will be playing all their matches in Chelmsford.
To acclimatize to the conditions in England, the team held a three-day practice camp in Sylhet prior to their departure. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha had noted that the conditions in Sylhet are similar to those in Chelmsford.
Notably, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan will not be joining the team on their flight.
While Shakib is currently in the USA with his family, Mustafizur is busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both players are expected to join the team separately.
Bangladesh team for the Ireland series: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Yasir Ali, Rony Talukdar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, and Hasan Mahmud.
Family emergency ends Litton’s maiden IPL stint abruptly
Bangladesh's top-order batter, Litton Das, returned to Dhaka on Friday, cutting short his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint due to a family emergency.
Litton was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the cash-rich cricket league. He had played only one match and scored four runs. Unfortunately, he did not get another opportunity to play in the league.
In a statement, the Kolkata franchise expressed their support for Litton and his family during his difficult time.
This was Litotn’s first stint in the IPL. He was signed by Kolkata along with another Bangladesh star, Shakib Al Hasan. However, Shakib opted out of this year's IPL due to family reasons.
The Bangladesh team is currently preparing for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Ireland in England. Litton is expected to join the team soon.
Khaled Mahmud doubts Mahmudullah's future in national team
Khaled Mahmud, a former captain of the Bangladesh cricket team and current director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has voiced doubts about Mahmudullah Riyad's future in the national team. Although he has not entirely ruled out the possibility of Mahmudullah being given another chance, the allrounder will not feature in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Ireland, which is the part of the World Cup Super League.
Mahmudullah was initially dropped from the ODI series against Ireland at home, with the sector claiming that the allrounder was given a rest. However, he has not been recalled since.
“He had been an essential part of the Bangladesh team, winning many matches for Bangladesh,” Khaled Mahmud said. “But, to be honest, I don't see a place for him in the national team now, especially, I don’t see him in the World Cup team of Bangladesh.”
Bangladesh is set to participate in the upcoming World Cup in India later this year, with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha working to create a lineup that aligns with their World Cup strategy. However, it seems Mahmudullah is not part of the coach's plan for the World Cup.
“If he was considered for the World Cup, he should have a place in the current team,” Khaled Mahmud said, backing his position on Mahmudullah's World Cup fate.
Since losing captaincy in the T20I team, Mahmudullah has had to relinquish his place in the same format.
Read more: Mahmudullah will play even if he’s slightly fit: Khaled Mahmud
“Let's see how he proves his mettle at this stage of his career in the Super League of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League,” Khaled Mahmud said. “If the players who got the national call to replace Mahmudullah do well, it would be difficult for him to make space for him.”
To date, Mahmudullah has played 218 ODI matches, scoring 4950 runs at an average of 35.35 with a highest score of 128 not out. He has three centuries in this format, with two being notched in the World Cup 2015. He has also taken 82 wickets in ODIs at an average of 45.26.
Bangladesh to setup practice camp in Sylhet ahead of Ireland series
Bangladesh cricket team is preparing for a three-match ODI series against Ireland next month, which is part of the World Cup Super League. Ahead of the series, the team is setting up a three-day practice camp in Sylhet, which is unusual as the team usually trains in Dhaka before a foreign tour.
Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, explained that the decision was made because Sylhet's conditions are familiar to those in England.
"When we played in Sylhet last time, I felt that the conditions there are similar to those in England. So, I think we should host a camp in Sylhet before this tour," Hathurusingha said on Wednesday after a meeting with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials.
The coach also cited the ongoing heatwave in Dhaka as another reason for choosing Sylhet to host the practice camp.
The Bangladesh team will be without Test captain Shakib Al Hasan, right-handed top-order batter Litton Das, and left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman during the camp. Shakib is on personal leave in the USA, while the other two players are busy with the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The media will have only a 30-minute window a day to cover this practice camp. The BCB has said the journalists interested in collecting video footage or images of the practice camp will have to enter and leave the stadium in a fixed timeframe.
The camp will conclude on April 29, and the matches of this tour will be played on May 9, 12 and 14 at the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford. Ahead of the tour, the Bangladesh team will play a tour match on May 5.
BCL Football: BFF Elite Academy finish runners-up
The BFF Elite Football Academy finished runners-up in the Bangladesh Championship League beating Fortis Academy Ltd by 3-1 goals at the Kamalapur Stadium here on Tuesday.
Morshed scored two quick goals for the winners in a span of six minutes in the 88th and 90+4th minutes of the match while Rubel opened the account in the 22nd minute.
Jishan netted the lone goal for Fortis Academy in the 47th minute.
After the match, BFF vice president Mohiuudin Ahmed Mohi distributed the runners-up trophy to BFF Elite Academy.
The title deciding match between Brothers Union and Gopalganj SC will be held on Wednesday (April 19) at the same venue.
IRE vs BAN ODI Series 2023: Bangladesh Squad Analysis
Bangladesh is going to play a three-match ODI series against Ireland in England next month. The series will start on May 9 at Chelmsford, and all three matches will take place at the same venue. However, the tour was scheduled for 2020, but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, it is a part of the Super League, and winning the series by 3-0 may help Ireland play the ODI World Cup 2023 directly. While Ireland is yet to announce the team, Bangladesh has already announced the squad for the tour. Let’s analyze the squad and see the potentiality of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh ODI Squad Against Ireland
Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, and Mohammad Mrittunjoy Chowdhury.
Bangladesh Squad Analysis for IRE vs BAN ODI Series 2023
BCB has announced the Bangladesh squad for the ODI series against Ireland to be held in England next month. Although Bangladesh had a 14-member squad in the home series against Ireland last month, BCB announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming tour.
Left-handed pacer Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, who is waiting for his debut, has been called to the team. Pacer Taskin Ahmed is not on the team. Taskin was ruled out during the only Test against Ireland due to injury this month. At that time, he was supposed to be out of the field for about four weeks.
Read More: Dhaka League: Sheikh Jamal on top going into Super League.
Apart from Taskin, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed was also left out. They were included in the last Ireland series team. Besides Mrittunjoy, Shoriful Islam and Taijul Islam have come to the team. While Shoriful and Mrittunjoy were taken in place of Taskin, Taijul Islam returned to Nasum Ahmed’s place.
Mrittunjoy played for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi club last season in Dhaka Premier League. So far, in 7 matches, he took 9 wickets at 27.88 with the best bowling performance of 3 wickets for 31 runs. Although he was in the under-19 World Cup winning team in 2020, he had to return home early due to injury. Further, Mrittunjoy’s previous BPL performance was great, but the 21-year-old could not shine well in the last season.
On the other hand, Shoriful played the last ODI in August 2022. He also returned to Tests after the T20 team with the series against Ireland. The left-handed pacer who played 14 matches in this edition returned to ODIs as well.
The presence of Mustafizur Rahman, along with Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, in the Ireland series is also noteworthy. As Shakib was in the IPL, there was a discussion about whether he will play in this series or not. However, Shakib has removed himself from this IPL season. Litton is staying for Kolkata Knight Riders till this series. Mustafiz, who is in the IPL, will also have to leave Delhi Capitals.
Read More: Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023: Venue, Schedule, Fixtures, Previous Records
Yasir Ali, who scored 17 and 7 runs in 2 matches against the Irish in the home series, has retained his place in the team. Rony Talukdar, who is waiting for his debut, has also been retained. But he should be thought of mainly as a backup opener.
As England’s pitch will be challenging, team selector Minhajul Abedin and team management have considered different factors before the announcement. And they also wanted to test some players before the Asia Cup, which will help selectors to create the team for the World Cup.
Bangladesh Players to Watch
Since Bangladesh just played with Ireland, the most recent performers will surely get attention in the upcoming tour.
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur’s overall performance against the last Ireland series was incredible. To speak about the ODI performance, he scored 144 runs in two innings with a record-breaking century. In the second ODI match, Mushfiqur broke Shakib’s 14-year record by scoring a century off only 60 balls. He secured his ninth century on the last ball of the innings, collecting a total of 100 runs with 14 fours and 2 sixes. So, fans will surely be looking forward to his performance.
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Towhid Hridoy
Towhid scored 141 runs in two innings. During his ODI debut, Towhid Hridoy set a new record for the highest run scored by a Bangladeshi player. Despite having a good chance to become the first player to achieve a century in fifth down, Hridoy fell short of the world record by just 8 runs. However, this broke the record previously held by Nasir Hossain, who had scored 63 runs during his debut match for Bangladesh, and Hridoy accomplished this feat after 12 years.
Ebadot Hossain
Ebadot was one of the top wicket-takers in the last series. He took 6 wickets in total. In the first ODI match, Ebadot Hossain displayed an impressive bowling performance. In his 6.5 overs, he took 4 wickets while giving 42 runs with no maiden overs. His economy rate of 6.14 was quite impressive, considering the fact that he was constantly putting pressure on the Irish batsmen with his line and length. So, it is evident that he understood the Irish batsmen’s playing style, and we may see some incredible performances from Ebadot again.
Final Words
Bangladesh is going to the UK to play Ireland with a full-strength team. Overall, there are five pacers in the 15-member team. Hence, Bangladesh will try to keep pressure on the Irish using the pacers. So, the IRE vs BAN ODI series 2023 will be a thrilling encounter between the two teams. Although Bangladesh emerged as a winner on the home ground, the Tigers may need to change their tactic in England. We may see some standout individual performances from Bangladeshi players.
Read More: Shakib Al Hasan named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March 2023.
Dhaka League: Sheikh Jamal on top going into Super League
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club have finished the round-robin phase of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League at the top of the table with 20 points in 11 matches.
Rupganj Tigers, Gazi Group Cricketers and Mohammedan Sporting Club won on the last day of the phase. The Super League phase will begin after the Eid holidays and will feature the top six teams.
Apart from Sheikh Jamal, Abahani, Legends of Rupganj, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Mohammedan, and Gazi Group will also compete in the Super League.
Rupganj Tigers, City Club, Brothers Union, Agrani Bank Cricket Club, Shinepukur Cricket Club, and Dhaka Leopards failed to qualify for the Super League. The latter three will now play in the relegation league.
Mohammad Naim was the top batter after the initial phase with 719 runs, followed by Anamul Haque and Ravi Teja with 644 and 598 runs, respectively.
Parvez Rasool of India led the list of best bowlers with 23 wickets; Robiul Haque and Hasan Murad took 23 and 20 wickets, respectively.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will reveal the schedule for the Super League later.
Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023: Venue, Schedule, Fixtures, Previous Records
Bangladesh is going through a busy schedule in international cricket this year. The tour to Ireland in May is the last series of the ODI Super League cycle. The tour was supposed to take place in 2020. However, it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. Bangladesh will fly to play the ODI away series against Ireland in the upcoming May month. However, the Irish will host the series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford of England, instead of hosting in their own field. Let’s explore some details of Ireland vs Bangladesh ODI series 2023.
Bangladesh Tour of Ireland 2023 Schedule
The first ODI will be held on May 9 at Chelmsford. The second ODI might be a day-night match on May 12 at the same venue. The third and final match, scheduled on May 14 will again be played in daylight.
The Bangladesh team will also play a warm-up match against Ireland in Cambridge on May 5 before the three-match ODI series.
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Table: Schedule, and venue of IRE vs BAN ODI series 2023
Matches
Date
Time (Bangladesh Time)
Venue
Warm-up Match
May 5, 2023
4:45 pm
Cambridge
1st One Day
May 9, 2023
4:45 pm
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
2nd One Day
May 12, 2023
4:45 pm
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
3rd One Day
May 14, 2023
4:45 pm
The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Why does Ireland Choose England as A Venue to Host Bangladesh?
This series against Bangladesh is very important for Ireland for the 2023 World Cup. If the Ireland cricket team can beat Bangladesh by 3-0, then they will get a chance to play the ODI World Cup 2023 directly. Otherwise, they will have to win the qualifier against Zimbabwe to participate in the World Cup.
And since it’s the rainy season in Ireland, they don’t want the weather to interrupt the game. According to the Cricinfo report, there is a high risk of rain in Ireland in May, and the “English Summer” has been renowned for rainless seasons for ages. That’s why Ireland wants to play in England so that no games get spoiled due to rain. Besides, the Ireland team may believe that matches played in England are more likely to get good results for them.
Read More: Shakib Al Hasan named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March 2023
Ireland is in the 11th position in the Super League with 68 points from 21 matches. Sri Lanka is 10th with 81 points in 24 matches, South Africa is 9th with 98 points in 21 matches, and West Indies is eighth with 88 points in 24 matches. However, West Indies have no more matches left in the Super League.
South Africa had 79 points at the end of the England series recently. But in the last ODI, they deducted a point due to their slow-over rate. It opens the door to new possibilities for Ireland.
According to the calculation, if Ireland beats Bangladesh 3-0, they will also have 98 points. Then the team that will be ahead in run rate will get the opportunity to play the World Cup directly. Currently, South Africa (-0.077) is ahead of Ireland (-0.382) in run rate. So, Ireland will surely try their best to fulfill their plan.
Read More: Mushfiqur, Shakib see Improvements in ICC Rankings
Ireland vs Bangladesh Head-to-Head Records in ODI
After finishing the recent ODI series, Bangladesh and Ireland faced 14 times in total. So far, Bangladesh has won 9 matches, and Ireland has won two matches. Ireland’s last win was in 2010, while Bangladesh’s last win was last month in Sylhet. Out of these 14 matches, two matches had no results.
So, in terms of head-to-head record in ODIs, Bangladesh has a dominant 9-2 lead against Ireland. However, Ireland emerged victorious in their first-ever encounter during the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
Final Words
The upcoming Bangladesh tour of Ireland will be a very important series for Ireland as a 3-0 win may lead them to play the World Cup 2023 directly. The Bangladeshis living in the UK will get a chance to watch Bangladesh’s match live on the field after a long time. Since 2010, Bangladesh has not played any cricket matches in England except for ICC tournaments.
Read More: Mrittunjoy earns call-up as BCB announces ODI squad for Ireland ODIs
Saudi Arabia plans to launch 'richest T20 league'
Saudi Arabia, a country with little international cricketing experience, is reportedly preparing to launch its own T20 league in the coming years.
Officials have said this event will be the "richest T20 league" in the world, rivalling the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is currently considered the wealthiest.
However, the addition of another high-stakes league to the cricketing calendar could lead to an even busier schedule for players, who may have to fight harder for no objection certificates (NOCs) from their countries.
One challenge facing Saudi Arabia is finding a suitable window to hold its league. The IPL occupies March and April, while the schedules of other T20 events leave a possible window in October-November.
Prince Saud bin Mishal al-Saud, chairman of Saudi Arabia's cricket board, announced the league's plan, saying they want to be the "global destination" of cricket.
In a recent interview with Arab News, Prince Saud said they are exploring the potential of cricket both in their country and beyond. "Our goal is to ensure that everything we do helps elevate the game, inspire the next generation of players, and create a positive impact in the world around us."
According to the Guardian, the Saudi Arabian cricket authority held talks with IPL team owners regarding a potential partnership. However, further details were not released.
There have been reports that Saudi Arabia wants Indian players to join the upcoming league, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it is not interested in allowing its players to participate in foreign leagues.