The holy month of Ramadan starts with the appearance of the new moon and brings blessings to Muslims worldwide. Greeting each other with Ramadanul Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem, Muslims welcome this month. Fasting begins with Sahur and ends with Iftar. As devoted Muslims fast for 29-30 days continuously, they need to take some preparations for Ramadan. Let’s find out some tips to prepare for Ramadan.  Ramadan's Meaning and significance Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is very promising and holy. The holy Quran is the supreme religious scripture for Muslims in Islam. Muslims believe this holy book is a revelation from Allah (God). According to the holy Quran, Fasting (Roza) during Ramadan is mandatory for each adult and healthy Muslim. According to Islam, fasting or Roza is the practice of abstaining from all kinds of foods, drinks, smoking, and sexual activity for some period. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims observe fasting or Roza every day from dawn (before the Fazr prayer) to the Maghrib prayer time. And, the Muslim devotees will be rewarded by almighty Allah for enduring the pain of thirst and hunger during fasting. Read More: Ready for Ramadan? How to Prepare Your Body for Fasting? In Ramadan, besides fasting, Muslims offer prayers to Allah in Salat, read passages from the holy Quran, donate to charity, and maintain a good lifestyle.  10 Useful Tips to Prepare For Holy Ramadan  Finish All Pending Fasts If anyone has any pending fast which was missed in the previous Ramadan, she or he needs to complete that first. When someone is unable to complete the pending fastings due to some reasons like pregnancy, travel, sickness, etc., then it is imperative for that person to pay Fidyah as compensation for not fasting. Fidya or Fidyah system is a kind of donation that must be paid through feeding the poor for not making up fasts missed in the last Ramadan on time.  Create a Ramadan To-Do List As preparation for Ramadan, an individual can write down everything he or she needs to do for his or her own self or own family. The list can also include things he or she wishes to do for needy people. The checklist may include plans for donation, shopping, food processing, cleaning, etc. Read More: Ramadan 2023: Govt sets office timing from 9 am to 3:30 pm Processing of Raw Food Ingredients During cooking diverse kinds of ingredients are applied like onion paste, ginger paste, chili paste, etc. These raw ingredients can be preserved in the freezer for months. Preparations of these raw ingredients at home need time and effort. Making this preparation in advance can save an individual valuable time and energy during fasting hours.  Maintain Nutritious Diet During the holy month of Ramadan, devoted Muslims fast (Roza) from dawn to dusk. Fasting throughout the whole of Ramadan is a challenge for both mind and body. It is essential to maintain a well-balanced diet before and during Ramadan. Maintaining a balanced diet can help to keep blood sugar normal and supply energy. Consulting with a doctor or nutritionist, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, eggs, nuts, etc should be added to the regular diet to prepare the body for Ramadan fasting. Read More: Lessons of Ramadan: What does the holy month teach us? Donate Clothes and Goods Ramadan is the month when many devoted Muslims do charity which is a great way to help others. It would be nice to arrange clothes and other items for donation and start the holy month with a little act of kindness.

Ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka got a two-day practice match at BKSP. But the most part of the first day of this match was washed away due to persistent rain.  The umpires called off the day after 8.3 overs. Sri Lanka were batting at 14 for one Asitha Fernando and Kusal Mendis were at the crease for 7 and 5 respectively. Mukidul Islam bagged the only wicket that Sri Lanka have lost so far.  According to the Met office forecast, the rain will continue on Wednesday and it’s unlikely for Sri Lanka to have an ideal practice match. The first Test of the series is scheduled to begin on May 15 in Chattogram. The Bangladesh team is already in the port city and they are gearing up for the series.  The second Test of the series will be played in Dhaka from May 23.  Both of these matches are parts of the ongoing cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Bangladesh played six matches in this event so far and won only a match against New Zealand earlier this year. However, they failed to continue on a good run in South Africa, where they suffered two big defeats to the hosts despite showing some decent cricket in the ODI series.  Critics say that Bangladesh’s win over New Zealand early this year was a fluke affair. The onus is now on the Tigers to prove them wrong in the upcoming series against a familiar opponent. READ: Carty is first St Maarten cricketer picked for West Indies While Bangladesh lost their last series to South Africa, Sri Lanka lost their last to India. So the upcoming series is a great chance for both teams to regain their confidence and get back to the winning streak. Upon their arrival, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said that this series is going to be a tough one for them. But he also said that his team is upbeat to pose a strong challenge to the hosts as a few members of their team have recently played in Dhaka which will surely help them to perform well.  Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s biggest concern is the form of the batters like Mominul Haque and Mushfiuqr Rahim. Mominul failed to reach a double-digit total in his last five Test innings while Mushfiqur, one of the mainstays of Bangladesh in all formats of the international cricket, scored only a fifty in his last eight innings with a duck and four single-digit scores. Bangladesh will miss the service of Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the first Test as both of them are suffering from different injuries. To replace Taskin, BCB called up two uncapped pacers and to replace Mehidy, Nayeem Hasan got a recall.