Bangladesh

10:15 AM GMT Bangladesh’s progress in specific areas in the batting haven’t been in evidence in the ongoing T20I series in Lahore, according to batting coach Neil McKenzie. The former South Africa batsman, who opted against touring Pakistan and has been working with the Test specialists in Dhaka instead, said the players must trust the

8:00 AM GMT Big picture Pakistan’s dip in T20I form was a cause for concern, but they have shown signs of being dominant again with back-to-back wins over Bangladesh at home, the wins giving them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The final game could be an opportunity to try out some new

6:01 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Bangladesh’s difficulty in finding big-hitters forced them to send Soumya Sarkar down the order, according to coach Russell Domingo. So far neither has the left-hander made an impact in the slog overs, nor has Bangladesh capitalised on their batting heavy line-up, having already gone down 2-0 in the three-match T20I

8:00 AM GMT Toss Bangladesh opt to bat v Pakistan In what is a must-win game for the visitors if they are to keep the series alive, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah decided to bat first on a wicket with significantly more grass than there was on the pitch yesterday. They make one change from the team

5:40 PM GMT 23-overs-a-side India Under-19 115 for no loss (Jaiswal 57*, Saxena 52*) beat New Zealand Under-19 147 (Mariu 42, Lellman 31, Bishnoi 4-30, Ankolekar 3-28) by 44 runs (DLS method) India were challenged for the first time in the tournament but they escaped unscathed. Their opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena

8:00 AM GMT Danyal Rasool Toss Bangladesh chose to bat v Pakistan Bangladesh opted to bat at the Gaddafi Stadium in the first T20I. Mahmudullah had no hesitation putting Pakistan out in the field; Pakistan lost all three T20Is at this venue against Sri Lanka when they were asked to chase. Rubel Hossain and Mehidy

8:00 AM GMT Big picture The sight of Bangladesh players walking down from their chartered aircraft at the Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore, late on Wednesday evening, was an assuring sign for cricket lovers from both countries. Not too long ago, the tour was nearly called off after the BCB stuck to their position of

4:57 PM GMT Bangladesh have appointed Ottis Gibson as their fast-bowling coach for the next two years. This will be Gibson’s first international coaching role since his tenure as South Africa’s head coach ended in August 2019. Before the South Africa stint, Gibson had served as West Indies coach as well as two terms as

12:25 PM GMT India Under-19s 42 for 0 (Jaiswal 29*) beat Japan Under-19s 41 (Bishnoi 4-5, Tyagi 3-10) by ten wickets Scorecard India took under two hours to bowl Japan out for 41, the joint-second-lowest total in the history of the Under-19 World Cup, and then took just 29 balls to chase the target down

11:26 AM GMT Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal are the only two cricketers in Bangladesh’s T20I squad for the three-match series in Pakistan, who have toured the country before, back in 2008. It goes without saying that in the absence Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza, a large part of the responsibility will have

11:36 AM GMT Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo has said that he wants Mahmudullah to lead Bangladesh in T20Is this year. Mahmudullah was handed the captaincy hastily, minutes after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC last October. Mahmudullah led Bangladesh well in his first assignment, a tightly contested T20I series in India and reprises

4:09 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff UAE Under-19s 232 for 2 (John 102*, Lakra 66) beat Canada Under-19s 231 for 8 (Patel 90, Sharma 2-42, Lakra 2-39) by eight wicketsScorecard UAE opener Figy John scored this Under-19 World Cup’s first century, a thoroughly smooth, 101-ball 102 that helped his side beat Canada by eight wickets in

10:08 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Hasan Mahmud, the 20-year-old medium pacer, is the only brand-new face in Bangladesh’s 15-man squad – which doesn’t include veteran Mushfiqur Rahim, who opted out citing security concerns – for the three-match T20I series in Pakistan later this month. Mahmudullah will continue to lead the side, which has a few

4:17 AM GMT Rajshahi Royals captain Andre Russell has credited Mohammad Nawaz for taking the pressure off him and helping the side to the BPL title on Friday. The pair plundered 71 off 34 balls, with Nawaz surprisingly dominating the partnership with an unbeaten 41 off 20 balls. The stand lifted Rajshahi to 170 for

3:44 PM GMT Five members of Bangladesh’s coaching staff will not be going to the first leg of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan later this month. According to BCB’s cricket operations chairman Akram Khan, Neil McKenzie, the white-ball batting coach, is among those who have withdrawn alongside fielding coach Ryan Cook. The BCB preferred not to

© Getty Images Mushfiqur Rahim has told Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin that he will not be travelling to Pakistan for the T20Is that start on January 24. Abedin told news agency AFP: “Mushfiqur rang me today to inform me that he will not go to Pakistan. We are now awaiting his formal letter. Once

Andre Russell looks on © Getty Images Rajshahi Royals 165 for 8 (Russell 54*, Sukkur 45) beat Chattogram Challengers 164 for 9 (Gayle 60, Nawaz 2-13) by two wickets Andre Russell blew away Chattogram Challengers at the final hurdle, dragging Rajshahi Royals to the BPL final after a thrilling two-wicket win in the second qualifier.

1:25 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Bangladesh will play two Tests, one ODI and three T20Is in Pakistan – though the matches will be split across three legs. There will be three T20Is played from January 24 to 27, all in Lahore. The first Test will take place in Rawalpindi from February 7 to 11 in

7:12 AM GMT Before Monday, the only thing that was missing from Mohammad Amir‘s glittering CV was a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. In the first qualifier of BPL 2019-20, Amir went one better with 6 for 17 to put Khulna Tigers in the final. After being asked to bat, Khulna managed only 158 for

8:00 AM GMT Khulna Tigers 158-3 (Shanto 78*, Irfan 2-13) beat Rajshahi Royals 131(Malik 80, Amir 6-17) by 27 runs Khulna Tigers became the first side to reach the BPL final after they defeated Rajshahi Royals by 27 runs in the first qualifier. Mohammad Amir‘s maiden six-wicket haul made it a cruise following Najmul Hossain

4:24 PM GMT Senior Bangladesh players Mashrafe Mortaza and Mahmudullah have lauded the BCB for increasing Test match fees as well as the restructuring of player contracts, which would be split into red and white-ball contracts. Mashrafe welcomed the move, also suggesting that all-format players and those who play more Test cricket should be paid

3:21 PM GMT The Mashrafe Mortaza Retirement Speculation Circus™ has rolled into its 13th month. The end of his side Dhaka Platoon’s BPL campaign on Monday became the latest occasion on which to pitch the uncomfortably large tent. The press conference, which at times veered into terse and tense exchanges, ended with Mashrafe clearly stating

8:00 AM GMT Chattogram Challengers 147 for 3 (Gayle 38, Mahmudullah 34*) beat Dhaka Platoon 144 for 8 (Shadab 64*, Emrit 3-23) by seven wickets Chattogram Challengers ensured themselves a second crack at the BPL final, after they beat Dhaka Platoon by seven wickets, in the Eliminator match. Rayad Emrit, Rubel Hossain and Nasum Ahmed

6:41 PM GMT The BCB has raised the match fees of Bangladesh’s centrally contracted players after three years, with the highest jump given to Test fees. In the 2020 calendar year, a player will earn BDT 600,000 (approximately $7,000 approx) per Test, which is a rise of more than 70% from their BDT 350,000 ($4,000

2:47 PM GMT Little has changed following a BCB meeting on Sunday that was expected to throw up a final decision on Bangladesh’s proposed tour of Pakistan. At a media briefing in Dhaka after the meeting, BCB chief Nazmul Hassan said the government had told the board it can go ahead with a tour of

5:06 PM GMT The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will decide on Thursday if it will take up the PCB’s revised offer of playing two Tests in Pakistan later this month. ESPNcricinfo understands that the prospect of playing just a T20I series at the moment is off the table. The BCB had earlier proposed to tour

7:57 AM GMT Amid uncertainty over Bangladesh’s scheduled tour of Pakistan, it has emerged that the BCB has started taking consent from players to travel to the country. While this is standard government-mandated procedure for every overseas tour, this is the first concrete sign of preparations for this particular one. Equally significant is that a

2:25 PM GMT Ottis Gibson became the second person to be linked with the Bangladesh bowling coach’s job, after former South Africa seamer Nantie Hayward had applied for the role earlier this week. Gibson confirmed that he is having discussions with the BCB but did not reveal any more details. Gibson is currently the head

2:08 PM GMT Bangladesh go into the Under-19 World Cup as one of the most successful teams in the world. They have won 18 Youth ODIs since the last time the trophy was up for grabs – joint-highest alongside India – and their captain Akbar Ali is confident of several more standout performances. Bangladesh depart

8:33 AM GMT Disquiet at the bottom Reports have emerged of the Rangpur sponsors meddling in pre-match selection and captaincy talks. BCB director Enayet Hossain Siraj, who shifted from Rajshahi Royals to the Rangpur side after his company, Incepta Pharmaceuticals, became Rangpur’s sponsors, has admitted that he has taken charge of team affairs. Whispers of