A youthful Bangladesh cricket team are targeting consistency on their tour of New Zealand as they look ahead to the next World Cup.
New coach Jamie Siddons described his charges as a side young in years and experience. "There's a couple of older guys here, but we've left a couple of them behind for the test series," Siddons said.
Bangladesh, known as the Tigers, open their tour with three build-up one-dayers.
Our failure in Test cricket is unfortunate but not unexpected. Look at the foundation for our recent ODI successes.
If we look at the National Cricket League (NCL), which is our only first class competition, you will find a completely different scenario.
In an interview with Cricinfo, Naimur Rahman talks about selection policy, domestic infrastructure, and Bangladesh's struggle in Test cricket.
A composed 43 from Nazimuddin and a quick 36 from Mohammad Ashraful followed up a good bowling display as Bangladesh coasted to a five-wicket win over Kenya in the second game of the Twenty20 Quadrangular tournament.
> Nazimuddin stars after bowlers restrict Kenya
Bangladesh, the favourites, sealed their place in the final with a 59-run victory against Hong Kong at Johor Bahru.
The result owed much to the guile of little 16-year old left-arm spinner Champa Chakma who took 3 for 16.
Bangladesh's batting remains, by and large, bright and breezy and there's always the feeling that a wicket could fall the moment they play an attacking shot. Bangladesh will meet Nepal in the final on July 18 after they defeated China in the other semi final.
Related Link: Nepal cruise into final
"It's a learning curve for both teams," said Hong Kong's coach Lal Jayasinghe. "The gap between Bangladesh and the other Test-playing countries of Asia is like the gap between us and them."
Bangladesh 100 for 7 (Ghosh 39*) beat Hong Kong 41 (Chakma 3-16) by 59 runs
Bangladesh were in no danger of losing from the moment they won the toss, proving again that their bowling and fielding is outstanding.
The prospect of playing against stiffer competition, Sri Lanka and Pakistan possibly, cannot come soon enough.
Related Link: Scorecard
As bowlers they're way far better than any of the others in the competition and as fielders they're possibly on a par with any of the Asian Test-playing countries.
Irin Sultana took a brilliant catch, running fifteen or so yards from mid-on to scoop a ball one-handed inches off the ground behind the bowler. Sultana's on tour as the reserve wicket-keeper and this was her first ever outfield catch for her country.
DHAKA, July 12 (Reuters) - Bangladesh have axed former captain Habibul Bashar and opener Shahriar Nafees for the one-day series against Sri Lanka later this month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Thursday.
The two, accompanied by wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud, batsman Rajin Saleh and paceman Mohammad Sharif, will return home from Sri Lanka when the test series ends, the BCB said in a statement.
The three-match series begins in Colombo on July 20.
Bangladesh vs UAE, one of two matches on day 1 of the ACC women's tournament, lasted only an hour. Seven ducks were registered in the UAE innings, with three batsmen making 1 and the highest innings score being 3.
Related Link: A league of their own
Bangladesh's opening bowlers Panna Ghosh and Shamina Akter knocked over the UAE batsmen in 9 overs, and then Tajkia Akhter, the captain, and Chamely Khatun reached the target in 1.2 overs.
UAE struggled against the bowling from both ends, Ghosh ending with figures of 5 for 6 from 5 overs while Akhter, her stockier but equally quick teammate, took 3 for 2 in her 4 overs.
Bangladesh in Sri Lanka Test Series - 1st Test, 2007
On the second day of Ashraful's inaugural Test-match, he has approached the experienced and versatile Sri Lankan Squad with vigour.
Although the question of Sri Lanka declaring soon enough was on everyones mind! There were odd moments of joy, and the lackluser performance in the 1st innings failed to devoid the team of spirit.
While both opening batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Javed Omar are still batting, chasing Sri Lanka's mammoth total of 577; the Bangladeshis are eyeing a heavy defeat.
However, there are encouraging signs on the weather front, forecasters have predicted a heavy deluge.
And on the sporting front, Ashraful has often claimed Sri Lanka as his batting-territory, and will be eager to prove himself as captain.
Bangladesh 89 & 3/0; Sri Lanka 577/6d
Stumps - Sri Lanka lead by 485 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the 2nd innings.
DPMD Jayawardene 127* MG Vandort 117
Mohammad Rafique 28.5-1-138-1 Abdur Razzak 30-2-109-1
Bangladesh in Sri Lanka Test Series - 1st Test, 2007
By lunch on the first-day of their test with Sri Lanka, the Bangladeshi batsmen again showed why they are often ridiculed by the international media, for their inconsistency.
While former captain Habibul Bashar's performance in the warm-up was encouraging, he managed a paltry-two, avoiding the golden-duck by a fathoms length!
Looking ahead to a second-day, it might be up to the bowlers to save the day. Shahadat Hossain showed some signs, but in the end the Sri-Lankan batsmen proved to capable for a Bangladeshi side still reeling from the departure of the influential Dave Whatmore.
Bangladesh 89; Sri Lanka 227/3
Stumps - Sri Lanka lead by 138 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings.
TM Dilshan 27* MG Vandort 87*
Mohammad Rafique 11-1-46-0 Abdur Razzak 14-1-47-1
Former skipper Marvan Atapattu has been recalled to the Sri Lanka Test squad for the first time since December 2005 for the home series against Bangladesh.
The decision to rest Jayasuriya - who will cover for Muralitharan at Lancashire - from the Tests meant the selectors could bring back Atapattu.
The Test series starts on 25 June in Colombo.
Forthcoming matches: Sri Lanka - Bangladesh
News via BBC Sport
Asia’s headhunt for cricket coaches is getting curious and curious by the day.
It is by a strange coincidence that one finds the four leading cricket nations in the subcontinent India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in a situation where they are all on the search for a suitable foreign cricket coach for their respective national cricket teams.
Among the four coaches who quit their jobs Whatmore has the best credentials. He was the only coach to guide a team to win the World Cup.
He achieved it in his initial stint as coach with the Sri Lanka team in 1996. His instant success proved a successful formula for other Asian countries to emulate.
In his second assignment with Sri Lanka three years later he took them to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2003.
News via The Nation - Image by Amer Habib
Occasional brilliance has failed to mask that Bangladesh have a long way to go before they can consistently challenge bigger teams in Tests, like they have started to in the one-dayers.
Mashrafe Mortaza is the only batsman who applied himself and showed what could be done if the better batsmen, too, had put their heads down. The Bangladeshi bowlers, helped by the experience of Mohammad Rafique, have improved more than the batsmen.
With their coach gone, and their former-captain struggling for every single run, Bangladesh are entering a transitionary phase. For India, the Test series was expected to be easier than the one-dayers.
The biggest positive for India would be a second 100-run opening partnership between Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik in three Tests.
Bigger challenges await both the teams after this series - Bangladesh go to Sri Lanka and India to England. They will both go with a knowledge that they could have done better in this series.
News via Cricinfo
Habibul Bashar, the guy with a curious smile, bowed out and handed the captaincy to the dashing young Ashraful. In television interviews, he suggested that, "cooperation from team-members will give Ashraful the chance to go on and do better things."
Ashraful is to further his career with his appearance in the Afro-Asia Cup.
> Have your say on the Bangladesh Cricket Network
Bangladesh cricket captain Habibul Bashar is nearing the end of his reign as the undisputed contender for the top job in the game. After a disastrous personal world cup debacle, Bashar the gentelman of the game is seeming more likely to be axed, some sources suggest.
The captain of Bangladesh has been lacking the basic drive to contend in the international stage. Fans have called for his resignation, and are eager to see the dashing Mohammad Ashraful replace him.
Although cricket analysts are worried about the burden of captaincy hindering Ashraful's talent.
> Image by Allan Mckenzie
A day in a test match is a very long-time. At least for the Bangladeshi cricket team, that was the case. On the first day of the 2nd test-match with India, the underdogs declined to make use of good omen, and put India to bat.
At the end of the day, the Indian team was resolute with 326 for no loss. Only Mashrafe Mortaza showed any resistance, although unsuccessful in securing a wicket. He was possibly upbeat on the news of being selected in place of Shoaib Akhtar in the Afro-Asia Cup.
> Web-link: Bangladesh v India, 2nd Test, Mirpur
