A day after being excluded from the World Cup squad on fitness grounds, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said that a nasty game, not injury concerns, played a key role in his last-minute omission.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced its ICC World Cup squad last night, excluding Tamim Iqbal following much drama involving the experienced opener. 

Following a night full of drama and rumors, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad, to be led by Shakib Al Hasan and excluding opener Tamim Iqbal, for the upcoming World Cup in India.

Bangladesh ODI captain Shakib Al Hasan has communicated to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he does not want unfit players in the squad for the World Cup, a BCB source has told The Daily Star.

Given the events this morning, settling on a final 15 may just have gotten harder for Bangladesh. 

While Shakib warned after India's triumph that they will be "a dangerous side in the World Cup", Chandika labelled it as "huge" boost for the Tigers heading into the showpiece event.

"I think we have got a very good team (for the World Cup)," man of the match Shakib, who scored 80 in Bangladesh’s 265-8, said after the win.

Despite not being in the running for the final, Bangladesh ended their Asia Cup on a high by beating India in a tight Super Four game in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

Bangladesh prevailed in a game of nerves, exiting the Asia Cup with a narrow six-run win in their final Super Four game over tournament finalists India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.  

Bangladesh team management has already shifted their focus to the upcoming home series against New Zealand as the Tigers' hopes of making it to the Asia Cup final are all but over following defeat against Sri Lanka in their second Super Four match in Colombo on Saturday.

Bangladesh's two most experienced players –Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan – returned to the country on a three-day leave from the team following their defeat against Sri Lanka on Saturday night.

"We haven't been batting well for quite some time. It is a matter of concern. We have to fix these problems," said Shakib

While skipper Shakib Al Hasan pointed to the inability of putting on a big opening stand as one of the reasons behind his team’s 21-run defeat against Sri Lanka in their crucial Super Four encounter, the performance in Saturday's match practically summed up Bangladesh’s inconsistent batting performance throughout the Asia Cup.

Tamim finds it unwise to judge the Tigers after a couple of failures in the ongoing Asia Cup.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan rued the poor shot-selection of the batters after yet another batting failure led Bangladesh to a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against Pakistan in their first Super Four fixture at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.

If the hum of anxiety in and around the team can be muted out, the Tigers' strength can come to the forefront of the performances.

Bangladesh have made the Asia Cup final three times but are still searching for their first trophy. Can Shakib Al Hasan’s side put an end to their trophy hunt? The wait continues but before that let’s take a look at Bangladesh’s strengths, weaknesses, and chances of winning. The Tigers begin their Asia Cup mission with an encounter against Sri Lanka. Can the Tigers trump the Lankans in their opening fixture? To discuss all of this and much more, The Daily Star brings you Star Non-Striker’s End.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan shrugged off talks about a rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka when it came to the Asia Cup as the all-rounder acknowledged the exciting cricket that this particular contest brings.

Shakib had been unable to take part in the Tigers' two-week training camp since he was busy playing Global T20 League in Canada and Lanka Premier League. The 36-year-old was seen in Mirpur but did not participate in the practise game on the last day on Thursday.

The Nidahas Trophy, where Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in a tempestuous encounter to move into the final, has been a talking point in South Asian cricket since 2018, and Hathurusingha was the coach of the Lankan team at that time, having just defected from the Bangladesh dugout. But the coach simply brushed aside any notion of any lingering rivalry