Bangladesh and India are all set to face off in the first Test of their two-match series on Wednesday in Chattogram. Ahead of this match, Russell Domingo, the Bangladesh coach, warned that it would be foolish for the cricketers to stay up the night before the match day to watch the FIFA World Cup. Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo, however, has discouraged the idea of staying up late and watching the World Cup match, calling it "stupid". He believes that the cricketers should focus on the Test match and be well-rested ahead of it. Read: Taskin uncertain for Bangladesh vs India 1st Test Keeping it in mind, Bangladesh's coach warned the players from doing so. “We have to go to bed early, simple as that,” Domingo said. “You can’t be watching football till three in the morning and play the Test that starts at 9:30 am. It is stupid. I’d be disappointed if they did.” Bangladesh and Argentina share an extraordinary passion for football. With millions of ardent Argentina fans in Bangladesh, the country shows its support and admiration for the team like no other. The widespread enthusiasm of Argentinian supporters in Bangladesh has recently garnered international media attention. Even Argentina's own media outlets have highlighted the fervour of their Bangladeshi fans. Read: BAN vs IND Test Series 2022: Test Championship Scenarios, Squads, Fixtures, Venues, Head-to-Head Record It would not be surprising if some Bangladeshi players stayed up all night to watch a cricket match, even if they had to take the field in the morning for a Test match against India. Ahead of the Test series, Bangladesh faced off India in a three-match ODI series and won by 2-1. It was only the second time when Bangladesh beat India in an ODI series.  

England pacer James Anderson believes cricketers playing test matches in their 40s will soon be a thing of the past because of the changing nature of the sport. Anderson, who turned 40 last month, made his test debut against Zimbabwe in May 2003 and has gone on to claim 657 wickets in 172 matches. He is still going strong and is set to lead the England attack in the first test of the three-match series against South Africa, starting Wednesday at Lord's. Graham Gooch, an opening batter, was the last men's test player to play for England in their forties, making his final appearance at the age of 41 in November 1994. The last seamer to represent England in that age bracket was Les Jackson, who made the last of his two test appearances at the age of 40 — 12 years after his debut — in 1961. Anderson said long-time teammate Stuart Broad, who is 36, might go on to be a 40-year-old test cricketer but doubts anyone else will. "No one will be stupid enough,” Anderson said. Read: ENG vs IND 2022: Bumrah breaks record as India dominate 5th Test “Everything that has gone in the world with franchise cricket, the Hundred, short forms of the game, I can’t see anyone wanting to play test cricket for this long.” Anderson was dropped for the tour of the West Indies in March before returning to the team this summer for the series against New Zealand and then the one-off test with India, where he claimed a 32nd five-wicket haul of his remarkable career. Anderson said his passion for the game remains. “I feel proud I’ve got to where I have. I feel fortunate as well that I’ve still got the love for the game and the desire to get better and still do the training and the nets and whatever else that comes with it,” he said. “Because with a lot of people that’s the first thing that goes and that’s when you start slowing down and winding down. But for me, I feel like that passion is still there. So I feel fortunate for that. I feel fortunate that my body’s still functioning properly and allowing me to do the job that I love.” Anderson has contemplated retirement, however. “Probably (I thought about it) the last three tours of Australia,” he said, laughing. “The biggest one is when you get an injury — the only time I’d ever think, ‘Can I be bothered going through the whole rehab process?’ A few years ago, I had quite a few calf issues. That’s when you’ve got to think about whether you want to do it or not."

Bangladesh's cricketers, lovingly called the Tigers, will leave the capital for Oman on Sunday (October 3) night on a chartered flight to take part in the Men's T20 World Cup to be hosted by Oman and United Arab Emirates. Ahead of flying for Oman, all the members of the Bangladesh Cricket team tested for Covid-19 here on Saturday and after that they are maintaining a strict home quarantine for a day. The Tigers will reach Oman capital Muscat on Monday ( October 4) and will start their practice session on the next day (Tuesday). All the coaching staff of Bangladesh team including head coach Russell Domingo, now abroad, will join the team in Oman by October 5 before the first practice session. Later, Bangladesh team will fly for UAE from Oman on Oct 9 to play two warm-up matches there against Sri Lanka and Ireland on October 12 and 14. Read: National Cricket League to be more competitive, hopes Habibul They will return to Oman on October 15. Bangladesh must play in a round robin leauge qualifiers to enter the main competition. Placed in qualifying Group B, will start their campaign taking on Scotland on Oct 17, before facing hosts Oman on Oct 19 and Papua New Guinea on Oct 21. Top two in the group will advance to the main competition. Bangladesh stand a chance to qualify for the Super 12 stage if they finish in the top two of their group. Mahmudullah Riyad will lead the Tigers in the T20 World Cup coming off three consecutive T20 series wins: against Zimbabwe 2-1, Australia 4-1 and New Zealand 3-2. The team has no major surprises, given that leading batsman Tamim Iqbal ruled himself out well in advance. Tamim Iqbal was the highest scorer for Bangladesh in the 2016 T20 World Cup in India scoring 295 runs at an average of 73.7. Read: Bangladesh U-19 to travel Sri Lanka in October Bangladesh team comprises seven new faces, who are set to play their first World Cup. Pacer Rubel Hossain and Aminul Islam Biplob, the leg spinning-all rounder, are named as reserves. Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2021 squad are: Mahmudullah Riyad (Captain) ,Mohammad Naim, Liton Kumar Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shamim Hossain. Two reserved cricketers are: Rubel Hossain, and Aminul Islam Biplob.

Bangladesh cricket stars— Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman— are set to return home from India within 48 hours, and right after arriving in Dhaka, they will have to maintain a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a government-specified institute, confirmed the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The duo were playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) which was postponed on Tuesday after some players tested positive for Covid-19. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has earlier applied to DGHS to relax quarantine for these two, but DGHS said they have no choice but to maintain a quarantine period. Currently, there is no flight operational between India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh authority has put international flights with India on hold aiming to avoid the risk of bringing Covid-19 infected people to Bangladesh. Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the chief executive officer of BCB, has said Shakib and Mustafizur will have to return home with a special arrangement. He, however, didn’t specify what the special arrangement would be to bring them back home. BCB is eager to ensure the service of these two in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka which will take place later in May. BCB has already announced a preliminary squad for this series which includes both Shakib and Mustafizur. Bangladesh’s last international assignment was in Sri Lanka where they played two Tests. The first match of the series ended in a draw, the other game was won by the hosts by 209 runs. Bangladesh returned home on Tuesday from Sri Lanka. After arriving in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s head coach Russell Domingo talked to the media. While talking about Shakib and Mustafizur, he said their inclusion is vital for Bangladesh to win the series against Sri Lanka at home. “It’s good to have Shakib and Mustafizur back (in the team). The next series will be important as (World Cup) qualification points are up for grabs. We need to bounce back after a tough series in New Zealand,” Domingo told the media. “It's good to be playing in the home conditions again. As I said, it's good to get experienced players like Shakib and Mustafiz back. We will be playing against a very dangerous side. So, we have to play really well to beat them,” Domingo added saying that the team will practice for three days before the Eid vacation.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will provide financial incentive of Tk two crore among 1720 men and women cricketers, most of whom are outside the BCB’s existing contract system.  Contracted women cricketers however, will be eligible for the BCB assistance. The Board’s initiative, covering 1432 men and 288 women cricketers, was taken at the advice of BCB President Nazmul Hassan, MP as a token of support to cricketers affected by the disruption to domestic competitions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.      The players selected to receive the incentive are from various domestic events under the jurisdiction of the Board including the Dhaka Premier League, Dhaka First, Second and Third Division leagues, Women’s National, Emerging and Under-19 teams, Women’s National Cricket League, Premier Division and First Division leagues.

The new season of Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League may take place in May-June this year, Kazi Inam Ahmed, the chairman of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), hinted on Tuesday. 

Former Bangladesh national team captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has advised youngsters to practice with the right kind of ball if they want to become cricketers.

The national women's cricket team of Bangladesh, along with the support staff, underwent a Covid-19 test on Saturday prior to starting a training camp from Sunday.

Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim Iqbal insisted that his team will do something ‘out of the box’ in Bangabandhu T20 Cup 2020 starting from November 24. 

The BCB National Selectors have announced that cricketers who are on the draft list for the upcoming T20 tournament, scheduled for next November-December, will have to undergo mandatory fitness tests before being considered eligible for the competition.