There was no way for Bangladesh to make up for a very poor batting performance, bowled out for 106 against South Africa in the first Test in Mirpur, but spinner Taijul Islam's fifer sort of came pretty close to making up for the batting debacle on Monday. But in terms of strategical standpoints or how Test cricket should be approached, Bangladesh once again appear to be going backwards.

Low strike rates and an inability to clear the ropes more frequently have long been Bangladesh’s stumbling blocks in the shortest format.

Bangladesh’s all-format pacer Shoriful Islam witnessed a few ups and downs this year due to injuries. The 23-year-old pacer hurt his finger during a warm-up match before the ICC T20 World Cup. Although he had recovered and was available for selection from the second match, he ended up warming the benches for the whole tournament. After average stints in LPL and GT20 Canada following the World Cup, Shoriful was brilliant in the opening Test against Pakistan but missed the second one due to a groin injury. The left-arm pacer wasn’t picked for the India Tests to heal up completely for the three-match T20I series against the same team. Before leaving for India with the rest of the T20 squad, Shoriful spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about his topsy-turvy year. Here are the excerpts:

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his inclusion, the 38-year-old was named in the 15-member squad announced for the upcoming three-match T20I series against India, starting in Gwalior on October 6.

Surrey all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan did not have the best time with the bat but came back strongly with the ball on Day 3 of their County Division One encounter against Somerset on Wednesday. 

Bangladesh national team will meet Professor Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, tomorrow at his office in Tejgaon.

Bangladesh batter Liton Das said it was time for the right-handed batter to take responsibility for his game. 

Members of Bangladesh's Test and T20 setups turned up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today to officially begin their preparation for the national team's upcoming India tour.

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:

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu today confirmed that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will be available for all eight remaining Tests for Bangladesh in 2024.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to prepone the men’s national team’s scheduled flight to Pakistan as the team will now leave for the country on August 12 instead of the 17th.

Bangladesh fast bowling coach Andre Adams spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about the Tigers’ chances in the Pakistan series and shared his observations about the pacers.

Pacer Abu Hider Rony sees his call up to the High Performance Unit for the tour to Australia as a lifeline for his international career and believes it can open a path for him to make a comeback to the Bangladesh side after a lengthy gap.

The truth is, the Tigers have exceeded pre-tournament expectations. Yet, at the same time, they have left fans bitterly disappointed.

“I would say that as a team we have disappointed our fans. We have let down the people who always follow our matches. So, on behalf of my team, I apologise,” Shanto said after the match against Afghanistan.

Bangladesh team management made a few strategic mistakes in their 50-run defeat to India in a crucial Super Eight clash of the T20 World Cup in Antigua on Saturday. It leaves question marks over the Tigers’ planning around the biggest matches on the biggest stages.

"It is not possible that every day the bowlers will make the team win. I hope they make us win every day, that's what I hope for but the batsmen also have a responsibility.

At one end, there is captain Shanto, a smart leader who has been brave with his use of bowlers, excellent with his on-field decisions, has taken a number of gutsy calls, and almost all of his gambles have come off.

Clear and concise, Bangladesh’s bowling unit has been decisive in their plans so far, which has put the team on course for a berth in the Super Eight.

The Tigers currently have four points in three matches, having beaten Sri Lanka earlier and then losing to South Africa. A victory or a washout against Nepal in their final group-stage match on June 17 will seal their spot in Super Eight.