When it comes to Shakib Al Hasan, nothing is ever that straightforward.

Former Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha on Friday issued a statement, raising questions regarding the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) motive behind his sacking from his position.

BCB found Hathurusingha's explanation unsatisfactory and described his actions as "consistent with misconduct and dereliction of duty."

The directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are all set to sit today for a board of directors’ meeting at the BCB Headquarters in Mirpur from where directives for the upcoming 11th edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) are expected to come to light.

Bangladesh Test side began their preparations for the upcoming series against India yesterday in Mirpur and pacer Shoriful Islam felt that it would be a steeper challenge than what they faced in their recent Pakistan tour.

A delegation of former directors, who worked at BCB in various capacities between 2001 and 2005, raised this demand when they met BCB president Faruque Ahmed at his office on Saturday.

Bangladesh’s Test win at Mount Maunganui against the then World Test champions New Zealand in 2022 would certainly go down as a historic achievement in the Tigers’ history. But even Mominul Haque, the Tigers’ skipper back then, believes that winning a series away from home evokes a very different kind of feeling within the team than what a one-off win produces.

Will the success against Pakistan put Faruque in a difficult position regarding the decision to remove Hathurusingha from his role?

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.

Following their historic first-ever Test series victory over hosts Pakistan, the first contingent of the Bangladesh cricket team -- including skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and head coach Chandika Hathurusingha -- arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 11:20pm on Wednesday night.

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.

Newly appointed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed said he had not changed his mind about removing Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathuruisngha. 

Veteran coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim on Saturday said that he wants to introduce a comprehensive outline to reform the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

"The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in constant communication with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the A team’s tour," said the BCB in their statement.

Bangladesh are awaiting key returnees to the Test outfit ahead of the Pakistan series in mid-August with ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan confirmed as available while pacer Taskin Ahmed, who had decided to sit out Tests owing to injury issues at the beginning of the year, is likely to return to the red-ball format.

The BCB president also informed that the next ICC board meeting will take place in Bangladesh, where the ICC election could also take place.

Bangladesh cricketer Mahmudul Hasan Joy hoped that their tour to Australia as part of the High Performance Unit will help them prepare better for a two-match Test series in Australia in 2027, according to their Future Tours Programme (FTP) schedule.

Bangladesh seamer Mohammad Saifuddin does not always make things easy for himself whenever he speaks to the media.

Now, will the BCB finally demand accountability from Hathurusingha or will they maintain the status quo as raising questions will bring them directly into the firing line?

Following the T20 World Cup, it seems Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is waiting for their coaches and players to finish the ongoing break in order to start preparation for their next international assignment -- a two-match Test series against Pakistan, scheduled to be held in August.