BCB
Taskin overlooked IPL call for national duty
Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed overlooked a call from the Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants due to tight national team duty, confirmed Jalal Yunus, the cricket operation chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Taskin is currently in South Africa to play a three-match ODI and two-match Test series. He has done well in the first two ODIs of the series.
“The Lucknow IPL team contacted us about Taskin,” Jalal said. “But we have a lot of matches coming up. In this situation, we don’t want Taskin to leave the national team and play in IPL.”
Also read: Shakib to continue playing in SA despite family issues
Jalal added that Taskin also wants to continue performing his national duty instead of IPL.
The pacer did not respond to UNB message for a comment.
Taskin started his international career back in 2014. He got his ODI cap against India when he bagged a five-for in Mirpur. Bangladesh, however, lost that rain-hit match.
Due to injury and off-forms, Taksin had been going through a chequered time in his international career. But in the last two years, the pacer proved his improvement in every format of cricket.
Also read: Proteas bounce back strongly against Tigers to level series 1-1
In his last 10 international bowling innings, he bagged 10 wickets. In his last 10 ODIs, Taksin conceded runs at an economy rate of under 5 with scalping 14 wickets with the best bowling of 4-46.
The pacer has recently expressed his desire to become the number one bowler in the world.
2022 BCB Central Contract: Players List
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the players' central contract for 2022 on Thursday, (March 10). The BCB reduced its central contract list to 21 players and only gave contracts to five players across all forms of the game. Five players were handed a BCB central contract for one format, while eleven players were chosen for only one format. This contract will expire at the end of 2022. Let's take a look at the full list of players for BCB Central Contract 2022 and the probable match fees and salary structure.
The BCB's Central Contract Players for 2022
Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam were all included in all formats among the centrally contracted players. Shakib Al Hasan's inclusion was unexpected, given that BCB just granted him a full break till April 30, 2022. He was earlier picked for the South Africa trip.
However, Shakib informed the media before leaving for the UAE that he was not in the right frame of mind to play international cricket and that he needed a break from the sport. BCB's board of directors and president were enraged by his unexpected decision and criticized the all-rounder for his lack of professionalism.
Read BCB announces new central contract with Shakib in all formats
After discussing with Shakib Al Hasan, BCB decided to give him a two-month break to recover from his mental exhaustion. Shakib is expected to be available for the remainder of the series and tournaments in 2022 since he was included in all three forms of the game.
Mushfiqur Rahim's inclusion in all three formats was justified since he is a senior member of Bangladesh's current setup and plays in every series of the country's international matches. Litton Das has been at the top of his game in Test cricket since 2021, but he struggled in the other two formats last year.
Litton Das has found his stride in both the ODI and T20 forms, which is excellent news for the Bangladesh campaign. He was Bangladesh's highest scorer in both the ODI and T20I in the just-finished Afghanistan series. Bangladesh will be hopeful that the classical top-order batter would play a key part in the national team's remaining international matches in 2022.
Read Allan Donald: What Can Bangladesh Cricket Expect From Their New Pace Bowling Coach?
Two of Bangladesh's best medium pacers, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were also selected for Test, ODI, and T20I contracts. These two pacers have been outstanding for Bangladesh in the last 15 months or so.
Among the other players, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad were selected for two formats. ODI captain, Tamim Iqbal was selected for the ODI and Test formats, while the T20I captain, Mahmudullah Riyad was picked for the T20I and ODI forms. Bangladesh's Test captain, Mominul Haque was selected for only the longest format of the game. Mustafizur Rahman was chosen for the ODI and T20 formats.
Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan Joy were the only newcomers chosen for the test format. In addition, five players were not included in the previous year's contract. Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed Rahi, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, and Shamim Hossain are the players in question.
Read Is Shakib Al Hasan Considering Retirement?
Here is the list of BCB's centrally contracted players (January to December 2022)
Players
Formats
Shakib Al Hasan
Test, ODI, T20I
Mushfiqur Rahim
Test, ODI, T20I
Litton Das
Test, ODI, T20I
Taskin Ahmed
Test, ODI, T20I
Shoriful Islam
Test, ODI, T20I
Tamim Iqbal
Test, ODI
Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Test, ODI
Mahmudullah Riyad
ODI, T20I
Mustafizur Rahman
ODI, T20I
Afif Hossain
ODI, T20I
Nurul Hasan
T20I
Nasum Ahmed
T20I
Mohammad Naim
T20I
Mahedi Hasan
T20I
Mominul Haque
Test
Taijul Islam
Test
Najmul Hossain Shanto
Test
Ebadot Hossain
Test
Shadman Islam
Test
Yasir Ali
Test
Mahmudul Hasan Joy
Test
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read SA vs BAN Series 2022: ODI Records, Fixtures, Venue Stats, Players to Watch
Expected Match Fees for Bangladesh Players
The BCB kept the wage structures and match fees for each format under wraps. Last year's match fees were as follows: BDT 6,00000 for each Test, BDT 3,00000 for each ODI, and BDT 2,00000 for each T20I (Source:espncricinfo.com).
There is no longer a grading system, and a player's wages are determined by a variety of factors. However, the match fee structure, as well as the salary structure, were not released.
Bottom Line
The Bangladesh Cricket Board released their yearly contract list after reviewing the players' performances. A couple of new players were added, while five players from last year's contract list were left off. The BCB selected Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam for all three forms, making them the biggest gainers. They must now repay BCB's faith by making significant improvements in their performances. Those who did not receive a BCB Central Contract 2022 for all three forms should concentrate on improving their overall performance.
Read I want to become world’s best bowler, says a confident Taskin
BCB can't run after Shakib: Khaled Mahmud
Khaled Mahmud Shujon, the former captain of Bangladesh and now a director at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has said if Shakib Al Hasan is reluctant to play for the national team, the BCB cannot be bothered to persuade him.
After being named in the squads for the Test and ODI teams to tour South Africa this month, Shakib once again disappointed Tigers fans by declaring he isn't mentally or physically fit to play international cricket, before catching a flight to the UAE.
The Bangladesh team will travel for South Africa on March 11, and the first match of the series will take place on March 18.
Nazmul Hasan, the president of BCB, had earlier said Shakib would travel to South Africa. But on Sunday, just before flying for the UAE, Shakib expressed his reluctance to play international cricket for now to a group of journalists at the airport.
Read: Is Shakib Al Hasan Considering Retirement?
“As far as I knew Shakib would tour South Africa. I’m not sure why he said otherwise now,” Mahmud told the media on Wednesday. “Cricket is not only a physical game but it is also a mental game. So if someone is not fit in both ways, it’s tough to play cricket. And if someone is not interested to play, there is no scope to force him to play.”
Shakib has missed the Test series in the last South Africa tour as well along with two consecutive series in New Zealand. He also skipped a series against Sri Lanka to take part in the Indian Premier League citing that it would help him to do well in the T20 World Cup that has taken place in Oman and UAE last year.
Following his about-turn, the BCB president questioned whether Shakiub's mental and physical issues, such as they are, would have popped up if he had managed to obtain the IPL contract he coveted.
Consider it beneath the dignity of the country's cricket board, BCB follows a policy of not trying to persuade anyone who doesn't want to play for the national team, considering it an honour and privilege that should take no persuasion.
Mahmud said that Bangladesh has different plans for every tour. If Shakib finally skips this tour, they would go with the other plans.
Read: Australia beats Pakistan by 7 wickets at Women's World Cup
“Shakib has been doing this for a while now. We know Shakib is a man of his own way. But at the same time, Bangladesh has a huge investment in Shakib and the players like Mushfiqur (Rahim), Mahmudullah (Riyad) and others. So it’s also important that the country need their service and commitment,” Mahmud added.
The former captain also said the BCB is looking for new faces who could serve the national team for a longer period of time.
“It’s true that we won’t have the service of Shakib and other big players forever. So we have to find new faces. We have already started working on that. The new players will come ahead and they will also play well. It’s true and we have to accept this,” Mahmud added.
On eve of SA tour, clouds gather again over Shakib; now 'mental health'
Once again at the doorstep of an important away series for the Bangladesh cricket team, uncertainty reigns over the participation of its most accomplished player, and days are spent in limbo rather than the planning that can prepare the team to execute better once the competitive cricket resumes.
Bangladesh are all set to fly to South Africa on March 11 to play a three-match ODI and a two-match Test series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has already announced the both ODI and Test squad for this tour, and Shakib is included in both squads. But Shakib has now said he doesn’t know if he is going to play in South Africa.
A similar uncertainty about Shakib’s participation ahead of an away series took place prior to Bangladesh’s last New Zealand tour when BCB included Shakib in the squad, and the all-rounder eventually pulled out of the team after that.
Before flying to the UAE due to a personal commitment, of which there are increasingly more these days, on Sunday Shakib intimated that he is not in a good mental and physical state to take part in the South Africa tour.
Also read: Shakib faces row over Covid protocol breach
He also said if he skips the ODIs, he might get his interest back and subsequently participate in the Tests. It was a shocking
It’s not clear what exactly happened to the all-rounder that has damaged his interest to play cricket. But it’s clear that his recent performances don’t meet the standard he set over the years.
In the home series against Afghanistan, Shakib scored 74 runs in five matches and bagged seven wickets, though he played better in the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) representing Fortune Barishal.
Although to be fair, the depleted BPL stage can hardly hold a candle to international cricket these days.
“I didn't enjoy playing ODIs or T2oIs in the Afghanistan series,” Shakib said on Sunday before leaving for the UAE. “I felt like a passenger in the recent series which was not expected. I don’t think I can play a lot of international cricket in this mental state.
Continuing to beat on himself over his subpar performances, Shakib broached the mental health card, that has been used by a number of leading international players recently to take sudden, indefinite breaks from the game.
"I want to meet the expectation when I play. It shouldn't be my way of playing in this mental situation. I don’t want to waste time, I don’t want to waste someone’s spot. It will be betraying my country and team-mates if I play like a passenger,” Shakib added.
During the Afghanistan series, Nazmul Hasan, the president of BCB, hinted that Shakib would tour South Africa. So the president is surprised that Shakib said he is not mentaly ready to take part in this series.
The 34-year-old all-rounder made it clear that he likes to focus on white-ball cricket more than red-ball one.
He said: “I want to stay out of Test cricket till late November this year, and I have said it to the board. As we have to play two World Cups in the next two years, I want to concentrate more on white-ball cricket. But I also want to make it clear that I’m not leaving Test cricket entirely.”
Also reda: Mustafizur goes to Delhi Capital, Shakib remains unsold
The leading all-rounder across all three formats of his era doesn't seem to realise that is not an entirely straightforward position he has taken. Shakib turns 35 later this month. Is he really in a position to propose a two-year sabbatical from a format, with a view to return written into it?
And what has given him the idea that everything in Bangladesh cricket must be staked in these two 'white ball World Cups' in the next two years?
This is the second South Africa tour where Shakib is going to skip the Tests. Earlier in 2017, Shakib missed the Tests in South Africa tour when he was on a six-month break from the format. Along with that, he also missed the last two New Zealand tours for personal reasons.
And he also missed a series against Sri Lanka to take part in the Indian Premier League’s last edition saying that would help him to do well in the T20 World Cup that took place in 2021 in Oman and UAE. However, Shakib judged it wrong as he failed to do well both in IPL and the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh announces squads for South Africa tour
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday announced ODI and Test squads for the tour of South Africa.
Bangladesh will play three ODIs and two Tests during the tour starting on March 18 with the first ODI at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
BCB included Sayed Khaled Ahmed in the ODI squad for the first time.
Both Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are included in the Test squad. Tamim is set to return to the longer version of the game after missing out on five Tests.
Mohammad Naim, who got his Test cap in Christchurch last year, was omitted from the team. Along with him, the left-handed batter Fazle Rabbi has also been dropped. He got a chance to tour to New Zealand when Shakib opted to skip the series.
Read: Liton applauds Nasum for ‘game-changing’ bowling
Right-arm pacer Shohidul Islam is added to the Test squad.
While the first ODI is to take place on March 18, the second and third ODIs will be played on March 20 and 23 at Johannesburg, and Centurion.
The first Test of the series will be played in Durban from March 31, while the second Test will kick off on April 8 at Port Elizabeth.
One-day Squad: Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Syed Khaled
Test Squad: Mominul Haque (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Nurul Hasan Sohan
Tamim Iqbal’s uncle ex-cricketer Akbar Khan no more
Cricketer Tamim Iqbal’s uncle Akbar Khan, a former cricketer, died on Thursday.
Akbar Khan ,45, breathed his last in the early hours of the day while undergoing treatment at a Chattogram hospital.
His family said he had been suffering from various illnesses for a long time.
Also read: Tamim finds commentary an ‘interesting’ job
He is the younger brother of former cricketer and Director of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Md Akram Khan.
After playing for clubs like Star Club, Chattogram Abahani, Akbar Khan retired from cricket in 2012.
Tamim Iqbal said, “He was my first cricket coach and learned the basics of cricket from him. I played my first match under Akbar Khan’s supervision.”
Tamim sought doa for the deceased and his family.
Akbar Khan will be buried in the family graveyard after his namaz-e-janaza at Chattogram Outer Stadium Thursday afternoon.
Also read: Tamim's ton overshadows Lindle's first BPL century
Akbar Khan left behind two sons, his wife, numerous fans and admirers.
AJM Nasir Uddin, former Chattogram mayor and BCB director, Siraj Uddin Md Alamgir, general secretary of District Sports Association expressed deep shock at Akbar Khan’s demise.
BCB reveales schedule for Bangladesh-Afghanistan series
The Afghanistan cricket team is all set to arrive in Dhaka on February 12 to play a three-match ODI and two-match T20I series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) revealed on Thursday.
The ODIs, which are part of the ICC World Cup Super League, will take place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram while the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka will host the two T20 matches.
Read: BPL 2022: Imrul, Liton guide Victorians to back on winning-streak
The first ODI will take place on February 23 while the other two matches will be played on February 25 and respectively while the T20Is will take place on March 3 and 5.
The timing of the ODIs— starts at 11 am— came as a surprise. However, the T20Is will be kicked off at 3pm.
After the Afghanistan series, Bangladesh will travel to South Africa.
BPL 2022: 3 days to go, but no preparation by teams yet
The new season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is all set to begin on January 21, but with three days to go no team has started official practice yet!
According to the official practice schedule, every team was to start their preparation on January 15— the day when only a few players were seen at the BCB Academy Ground— the only practice ground for all BPL teams in Dhaka.
On Monday, Comilla Victorians, Fortune Barishal and Minister Group Dhaka have held unofficial practice sessions with some of the players of their respective squads. The other three teams— Chattogram Challengers, Khulna Tigers and Sylhet Sunrisers— were not even seen in unofficial practice sessions.
“There is a lot of cricket around,” Mohammad Salahuddin, coach of the Victorians told the media on Monday.
BCB announces official schedule of BPL
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday unveiled the official schedule of the eighth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), rebranded as Bangabandhu BPL.
The first match of this year BPL is set to take place on January 21 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, when Chattogram Challengers will take on Fortune Barsihal at 1:30 p.m.
READ: Liton earns career-best ranking in Test
A total of 34 matches will be played in this year’s BPL across three venues in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet, and a total of six teams will compete in this T20 event.
All the teams have finalized their squads in the players draft in Dhaka on December 27. All the teams will start preparation on January 15.
The official schedule of BPL: Dhaka phase: 21 JanuaryChattogram Challengers vs Fortune BarishalKhulna Tigers vs Minister Group Dhaka
22 JanuaryComilla Victorians vs Sylhet SunrisersChattogram Challengers vs Minister Group Dhaka
24 JanuaryFortune Barishal vs Minister Group DhakaChattogram Challengers vs Khulna Tigers
25 JanuarySylhet Sunrisers vs Minister Group DhakaComilla Victorians vs Fortune Barishal
Chattogram phase:
28 JanuaryChattogram Challengers vs Khulna TigersSylhet Sunrisers vs Minister Group Dhaka
READ: BPL Fixtures 2022: Full Bangladesh Premier League Schedules, Dates, Times, Venues
29 JanuaryKhulna Tigers vs Fortune BarishalChattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Sunrisers
31 JanuaryChattogram Challengers vs Comilla VictoriansKhulna Tigers vs Fortune Barishal
01 FebruaryComilla Victorians vs Minister Group DhakaChattogram Challengers vs Fortune Barishal
Dhaka phase:
3 FebruaryKhulna Tigers vs Sylhet SunrisersChattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians
4 FebruarySylhet Sunrisers vs Fortune BarishalComilla Victorians vs Minister Group Dhaka
Sylhet phase:
7 FebruaryComilla Victorians vs Fortune BarishalKhulna Tigers vs Sylhet Sunrisers
8 FebruaryChattogram Challengers vs Minister Group DhakaSylhet Sunrisers vs Fortune Barishal
9 FebruaryKhulna Tigers vs Minister Group DhakaComilla Victorians vs Sylhet Sunrisers
Dhaka phase:
11 FebruaryKhulna Tigers vs Comilla VictoriansFortune Barishal vs Minister Group Dhaka
12 FebruaryChattogram Challengers vs Sylhet SunrisersKhulna Tigers vs Comilla Victorians
Play-offs14 FebruaryEliminator: third place vs fourth place First Qualifier: first place vs second place
16 February Second Qualifier: loser of First Qualifier vs winner of Eliminator
18 February Final: winners of qualifiers.
Independence Cup: Central and North Zone off to flying starts
In the first-round matches of the Independence Cup, a 50-over event involving the teams of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), Walton Central Zone and BCB North Zone won their respective matches in Sylhet on Sunday.
Central Zone, who won the longer version edition of BCL this year, beat Islami Bank East Zone by 22 runs in a low-scoring affair at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
East Zone won the toss and sent Central Zone to bat first, who posted 177 all out in 43.2 overs with Mohammad Mithun scoring the highest 37. Along with him, Mizanur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan also did well with the bat posting 36 and 35 respectively.
For East Zone, right-arm pacers Rubel Hossain, and Rejaur Rahman Raja bagged three wickets each while Tanvir Islam took one wicket.
Also read: Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps
In reply, East Zone tumbled for 155 despite two 30-plus scores by Rony Talukdar and Irfan Sukkur. They managed to set in the middle but failed to carry on. Mohammad Ashraful suffered a duck while Imrul Kayes posted 25 for them.
For Central Zone, Shakib, Hasan Murad and Soumya Sarkar bagged two wickets each while Abu Hider Rony and Mosaddek Hossain took one wicket each.
Also read: Series win against New Zealand to inspire future Tigers: Domingo
In the other match of the day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground, South Zone batted first and scored 162 with a fifty by Towhid Hridoy, and 47 from Pinak Ghosh.
For North Zone, Sunzamul Islam and Shafiqul Islam scalped three wickets each while Naeem Islam bagged two.
In reply, opener Parvez Hossain Emon and Naeem hit a half-century each to guide South Zone to an eight-wicket win. While Parvez fell for 54 off 54 balls, Naeem remained unbeaten for 66.