At least four suspected bookmakers have been thrown out of cricket stadiums during the ongoing scandal-tainted Bangladesh Premier League, in efforts to ensure the tournament is graft free, an official said on Thursday. BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick said anti-corruption officials had spotted the four whom they suspected of placing bets on behalf of clients during Twenty20 league matches, which is illegal in Bangladesh.
Fifteen more Bangladesh Cricket Board officials resigned on Wednesday as the interim government's plans to depoliticise the authority gathered steam.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim faces a race against time to be fit for the one-off Test against India next month after the wicketkeeper-batsman was advised a week's rest to recover from a finger injury.
Bangladesh have axed opener Shahriar Nafees to accommodate Junaid Siddiqui in a 15-man one-day squad to tour New Zealand from next month.
Bangladesh took full advantage of a complacent India as they recorded a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the Women's Asia Cup T20 competition, in Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday.
Ali Asghar has quit his post following a disagreement with the authorities.
Bangladesh axed Habibul Bashar as Test skipper and appointed batsman Mohammad Ashraful in his place.
Mustafizur is expected to arrive on April 7, says Tom Moody.
The fast bowler, who played the last of his 18 Tests against England in 2005, was recalled for the two-Test series against Australia.
The Bangladesh seamer replaces Pakistan's Naved Rana in the Asian squad for the one-day matches against Africa.
A place in the final at stake, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would expect their batsmen to fire as they lock horns in a virtual semi-final of the Nidahas Twenty20 tri-series, in Colombo, on Friday.
South Africa's cricket team apologised to the Bangladesh military for using a drone at a practice session in Dhaka and breaching national security ahead of the start of their tour.
Bangladesh will not tour India in April next year as planned.
The Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at the mosque when the shooting occurred but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.
The commercial prospects of day-night Tests, however, have not been lost on the world's richest cricket board and it announced last month it would host a floodlit Test against New Zealand when the Black Caps tour later this year.
- "If we do that the result will be there. But we are not worried or thinking about a whitewash. We are just hoping to do our best" - "Keeping this form is going to be a greater challenge for us"
The Bangladesh cricket team's injury problems were compounded after senior pacer Mashrafe Mortaza was ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup due to a side strain.
Pakistan didn't harbour any hopes of India fulfilling its commitment of playing the series.
Bangladesh has criticised the current scheduling system in international cricket as a new tri-series in Zimbabwe threatens their qualification for the 2017 Champions Trophy.
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.
Cricket teams have previously abandoned tours amid outbreaks of violence.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim may not keep wickets in the one-off Test against India, starting next week.
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.
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.
With the win, Bangladesh have strengthened their chances of progressing to the Super League stage from Group C.
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.
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.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said his team could have done it if it had even one batsman of Indian skipper Virat Kohli's calibre.
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.
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.
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.
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.
International Cricket Council will surely be involved in a simmering row as their president Mustafa Kamal has resigned.