Samsul Arefin Khan

Over the last two years, young leg spinner Rabeya Khan has emerged as a permanent member in Bangladesh women’s team squads in white-ball cricket. Consistent performances with the ball and the ability to score runs down the order has earned the 19-year-old the stamp of approval from her skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and head coach Hashan Tillakaratne. Before the team’s departure for the T20 World Cup in the UAE, Rabeya spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan where she opened up about her bittersweet journey in cricket and what she hopes to achieve in the upcoming tournament. Here are the excerpts:

The news of premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s retirement plans came as a bolt from the blue for his childhood coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who had no prior knowledge of his best student’s decision before the Bangladesh cricketer himself officially announced during a press meet in Kanpur yesterday.

Bangladesh women’s team are all set to leave for the UAE tomorrow to partake in the upcoming ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to run from 3–20 October, after having suffered a winless drought in the last four instalments. Bangladesh head coach Hashan Tillakaratne, in an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, discussed his team’s overall preparation and the challenges that await them, among other things, after the Tigresses underwent an official photoshoot at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The excerpts from the interview are as follows:

Although he could somehow escape from a burning car, Pant suffered multiple serious injuries, and it took him 14 months to return to competitive cricket through Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.

The emergence of players like Taj and Disha just before the mega event has come at the expense of veterans in Rumana Ahmed and Salma Khatun.

In the pre-match press conference ahead of the opening Test against India in Chennai yesterday, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked whether their historic 2-0 away series victory against Pakistan recently has added some pressure on the team as part of heightened expectations from the fans and experts.

Expectations for the Tigers have risen significantly, with people hoping for a repeat of similar performances on Indian soil, which has traditionally been a challenging venue, particularly in the longer format.

Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp said that premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had told him during the Pakistan series this month that the eye issue that has been of concern to the cricketer as of late is no longer ‘a problem at the moment’.

Coaches and selectors believed that Jaker Ali’s call up for the India Tests was very well-deserved, saying his dedication and adaptability in crisis situation could be an asset for the team in the tough tour.

Reflecting on his experiences, Liton acknowledged the pressure that comes with the role, appearing to be coming into his own.

Nahid Rana stunned the cricketing world with his raw pace during Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 Test series triumph over hosts Pakistan, clocking over 150 kmph while also claiming his career-best figures in the second Test. Even though Bangladesh cricket has been reaping the benefits of forming a potent pace group across formats in recent years, the factors behind the emergence of talented quicks have not been focused on a large scale. The Test series triumph against Pakistan in Rawalpindi would not have materialised if pacers like Hasan Mahmud, Nahid, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed had not outshone the quicks of Pakistan -- a country historically known as the ‘land of pacers’. What comes as a hopeful sign for fans and a sweet headache for the team management is that these four aforementioned pacers are not the only ones available in the Tigers’ pace tank. Khaled Ahmed, who was also part of this Pakistan series, Ebadot Hossain, currently rehabilitating from an ACL injury that saw him out of action for more than a year, and white-ball regulars Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman are all part of the Tigers’ current pace battery. While they gel together in the national team under the guidance of foreign coaches, the story of their emergence began under local coaches to whom they turn to whenever needed. The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan reached out to Nahid, and the excerpts of his interview are provided below:

Nahid Rana stunned the cricketing world with his raw pace during Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 Test series triumph over hosts Pakistan, clocking over 150 kmph while also claiming his career-best figures in the second Test. Even though Bangladesh cricket has been reaping the benefits of forming a potent pace group across formats in recent years, the factors behind the emergence of talented quicks have not been focused on a large scale. The Test series triumph against Pakistan in Rawalpindi would not have materialised if pacers like Hasan Mahmud, Nahid, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed had not outshone the quicks of Pakistan -- a country historically known as the ‘land of pacers’. What comes as a hopeful sign for fans and a sweet headache for the team management is that these four aforementioned pacers are not the only ones available in the Tigers’ pace tank. Khaled Ahmed, who was also part of this Pakistan series, Ebadot Hossain, currently rehabilitating from an ACL injury that saw him out of action for more than a year, and white-ball regulars Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman are all part of the Tigers’ current pace battery. While they gel together in the national team under the guidance of foreign coaches, the story of their emergence began under local coaches to whom they turn to whenever needed. In this special issue of The Daily Star Sports, we look at one such local coach, Alamgir Kabir, and one of his disciples, Nahid, who came to the fore through the recent Pakistan series. The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan reached out to Alamgir, and the excerpts of their interviews are provided below:

Pakistan spin wizard Mushtaq Ahmed has been in charge of the Bangladesh spinners for the past two international assignments -- the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies followed by the two-match Test tour of Pakistan. His troops have delivered remarkable performances in both tours but the 54-year-old is yet to be offered a long-term contract. In an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan yesterday, Mushtaq shared his take on Bangladesh’s historic series win in Pakistan and his future with the Tigers.

From Mushfiqur Rahim’s majestic hundred in the opening Test to Liton Das’s resilient ton and the pacers’ lethal performance in the series-deciding second Test, there were a number of heroes who played pivotal roles in Bangladesh’s maiden Test series victory over Pakistan.

South African fast bowling legend Allan Donald has been heavily credited for his role in Bangladesh’s pace revolution during his tenure as the team’s pace bowling coach from March 2022 to November 2023. The 57-year-old, who resigned after the ICC World Cup in India, is still a big supporter of the Tigers and keeps in touch with the Bangladesh pacers. On Monday, Donald spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan over the phone from Johannesburg, where he expressed immense pleasure at seeing his former pupils doing so well in Pakistan. Here are the excerpts:

The ‘A’ team head coach Mizanur Rahman Babul pointed out several positives from his side's recently concluded tour of Pakistan.

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed made an instant impact on his return to Test cricket after 14 months as he came up with a sensational bowling performance on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi yesterday.

Bangladesh should keep their focus on getting a positive result from the series-deciding second Test against Pakistan and play according to their strength rather than concentrating on the opposition squad, cricket experts opined on Wednesday.

The newly-elected Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed has called a board of directors’ meeting on Thursday where among several key issues, holding the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in scheduled time is likely to be discussed.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s batting coach David Hemp spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, shedding light on their convincing win and what they hope to achieve in the following match