Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful will be eligible to return to competitive cricket in 2016 after an appeal panel on Monday reduced an eight year ban for match-fixing to five years with two suspended.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim may not keep wickets in the one-off Test against India, starting next week.
Bangladesh secured their maiden Test win against Sri Lanka, and their second against a major Test-playing nation in the last five months, with an eventful four-wicket victory on the final day of the second Test at the P Sara Oval on Sunday.
Nursing a toe injury, India opener Rohit Sharma on Monday skipped the team's training session and is likely to miss Tuesday's Asia Cup T20 match against Sri Lanka in Mipur. His opening partner Shikhar Dhawan did train, so did skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had a knock during the two-and-a-half-hour net session at the BCB Academy in Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. Rohit, who took a blow on the left toe off a yorker by Mohammed Amir, did not accompany the team for practice as he stayed back in his hotel room. While he is lucky to have escaped fracture, it is highly unlikely that he will play against Sri Lanka, which might increase the soreness of his left toe. With the World T20 starting in a week's time, the team management will not risk Rohit, who is one of the key players in the top order. Dhawan hit the nets but did not have the usual sprightly strides that one normally associates with the Delhi left-hander. He took a few catches, did a bit of shadow batting and was the last one to come out to bat in fading light.
Cricket teams have previously abandoned tours amid outbreaks of violence.
Even as Bangladesh expressed outrage over the Rohit Sharma 'no-ball' controversy during their World Cup quarterfinal defeat to India, the BCCI asked ICC President Mustafa Kamal who criticised "poor umpiring" in that match, to raise the issue before the world body.
With the win, Bangladesh have strengthened their chances of progressing to the Super League stage from Group C.
The long-serving Bangladesh skipper has come under heavy criticism for the two heavy losses with critics questioning his decision to field first on batting-friendly pitches in both Potchefstroom and Bloemfontein.
Such is the situation that Bangladesh may be forced to field a half-fit Mustafizur Rahaman. On injury status of Mustafizur Rahman, Mortaza said, "Even if he is at 20 per cent, he has to play. We don't have any players." Asked whether Shuvagato Hom Chaudhury and Saqlain Sajib are suitable replacements for Taskin and Aarafat, Mortaza said they are very much capable, but there is a stark difference between in-form players and novices at international level. "The two replacements are very much capable, but the point is that someone who is in form in international cricket, and someone who is coming into international cricket - these are two different things. I think both Taskin and Sunny have been brilliant; Hom and Sajib will surely do their best," he said. Asked about the plans against Australia, Mortaza said the team has been playing good cricket in the last one and a half years, but they did not play as good as they played in Asia Cup.
Australia have withdrawn from the under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh later this month because of concerns over the 'safety and security' of the squad, Cricket Australia said.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said his team could have done it if it had even one batsman of Indian skipper Virat Kohli's calibre.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear their team will participate in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh only after getting a clearance from their government due to security concerns in the violence-hit neigbouring country.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam became the first cricketer to claim a hat-trick on his debut in a One-day International as he set up a five-wicket victory for Bangladesh over Zimbabwe on Monday.
When Bangladesh take on India in the Asia Cup final, on Sunday, the immensely talented but disgraced Mohammad Ashraful will watch from the sidelines wondering why his moral compass deviated, leading to a match-fixing ban and a regret that will last a lifetime.
International Cricket Council will surely be involved in a simmering row as their president Mustafa Kamal has resigned.
