Bangladesh’s journey in the Asia Cup 2023 has been challenging. They faced back-to-back losses in the Super 4s stage, first to Pakistan and then to Sri Lanka. Against Pakistan, they were dismissed for 193 runs, and Pakistan chased the target with ease. In the clash against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh batted first, posting 257/9, but could not secure a win, losing by 21 runs. With zero points on the board, Bangladesh faces India in their next match, aiming to salvage their campaign in Colombo on September 15.

In the opening match of the Lanka Premier League, Towhid Hridoy made an impressive debut in overseas franchise cricket, leading Jaffna Kings to a 21-run victory over Colombo Strikers on Sunday.

Batting first after being asked to do so, the explosive Bangladesh batter, Towhid Hridoy, anchored Jaffna’s innings with a remarkable 54 off 39 balls. His innings included three fours and a six, becoming the highest scorer for the team, while Dunith Wellalage contributed with an unbeaten 25 runs, the second-highest score.

Despite a strong start to their run-chase, Colombo Strikers, without Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam in their side, fell short, being bowled out for 152 in 19.4 overs. Niroshan Dickwella’s remarkable 58 off 34 balls was the standout performance for Colombo.

Besides Hridoy and Shoriful, two other Bangladeshi cricketers, Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Mithun, are also part of this year’s LPL roster.

In another significant milestone, Bangladeshi umpire Gazi Sohel made his debut in a foreign franchise league during this match.

Bangladesh’s middle-order batsman, Towhid Hridoy, is all set to make his debut in the Lanka Premier League 2023, scheduled to commence later this month. Representing the defending champions, Jaffna Kings, Hridoy will join the team as a replacement for the veteran Pakistan all-rounder, Shoaib Malik, and will be available for the first six games of the season.

This overseas Twenty20 league opportunity is a significant milestone for Hridoy, marking his first foray into international T20 cricket. Shoaib Malik is currently participating in the ongoing Global T20 League in Canada and will join Jaffna Kings on August 8. In Malik’s absence, Hridoy will have at least six games to showcase his skills and contribute to the LPL side.

Confirming his availability with Jaffna, Hridoy mentioned that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has already issued him the No Objection Certificate (NOC). If everything goes as planned, he is scheduled to travel to Colombo on Friday, July 28.

The Lanka Premier League’s fourth edition will kick off next Sunday, with Jaffna Kings facing Colombo Strikers in the opening game at R Premadasa Stadium.

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty surrounding Bangladesh’s fast bowler, Taskin Ahmed’s participation in the LPL. Taskin has received an offer from Dambulla Aura, but the BCB is yet to decide on granting the NoC. Taskin is currently in Zimbabwe, playing for Bulawayo Braves in the ongoing Zim-Afro T10 League.

In a gripping contest at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain showcased their talent to guide Bangladesh to a hard-fought five-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first T20I of the two-match series.

The duo displayed maturity and resilience during their crucial partnership of 73 runs, successfully chasing down the target of 154 runs. Hridoy remained unbeaten on a brilliant 47 off just 32 balls, while Shamim provided valuable support with his 33 runs off 25 deliveries.

Bangladesh faced an early setback when opener Rony Talukdar departed in the very first over of the innings after scoring only four runs from five balls. Despite the early setback, the Tigers managed to recover and reach 37 runs for the loss of two wickets by the end of the powerplay.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, batting at number three, couldn’t convert his start and fell victim to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Shanto’s unfortunate dismissal occurred when the ball deflected off his upper body onto the stumps as he attempted a sweep shot, resulting in a score of 14 runs from 12 balls.

Liton Das, who contributed 18 runs from 19 balls, was dismissed shortly after the powerplay when he mistimed a short delivery from pacer Azmatullah Omarzai, resulting in a catch for Rashid Khan at short mid-wicket.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t capitalize on his promising start and was dismissed for 19 runs off 17 balls, slashing a wide delivery from pacer Fareed Ahmad straight to deep point. This dismissal occurred immediately after the drinks break.

However, the fifth-wicket partnership between Hridoy and Shamim proved to be the turning point, bringing the Tigers closer to victory. Unfortunately, Shamim fell to Rashid Khan in the 18th over while attempting an aggressive shot.

With only five runs required in the final over, Bangladesh faced a nervy situation as they lost three wickets in three balls, including a hat-trick by pacer Karim Janat. Amidst the tension, Shoriful Islam kept his composure and struck a boundary through point to secure a thrilling victory for Bangladesh.

It can be said that the discovery of this year’s BPL is the right-handed batsman Tauhid Hridoy. The Youth World Cup winner scored 403 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 140.41. He was third on the list of highest run scorers. Hridiya could have been at the top if he hadn’t been injured in the beginning. He got fifty in 5 matches. He was unbeaten with a maximum of 85 runs. He scored 43 fours and 13 sixes. Now it’s his turn to wear the national team jersey.

Eyes on T20 World Cup
Bangladesh is going to play the T20 series against England with an eye on the 2024 World Cup. Head coach Hathurusinghe told the story of the T20 journey in the press conference, ‘I saw this team today. It is just the beginning of the 2024 World Cup journey. There is a lot of work to be done to weave in one sutra. We need to figure out what we have, where we need to improve, and what plans we need to move forward with. This is just the beginning.

It’s time to win in T20
The victory has come in the Test, it has come in the ODI, and the rest is T20. Now it’s time to taste the first victory in the short version of cricket against England at home. However, Bangladesh-England has met only once in T20 before this. Earlier, Bangladesh got 1 win after playing 10 Tests and 5 wins after playing 19 ODIs.

Bangladesh’s big loss is seen first
However, Bangladesh will want to forget the moment of the first viewing. The red and green team flew away from the 2021 World Cup. Batting first, Bangladesh scored only 124 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. England won by losing only two wickets with 35 balls in hand.

England is ready to take the challenge
Meanwhile, England is ready to take the challenge. As Chris Woakes said, ‘Yes, we’re excited. This series is a great opportunity to leave an impression that we are world champions. We haven’t played a series since winning the World Cup. So again, this is a challenge for us in this condition. It is exciting to play here against a good team like Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 15-member squad for the first two T20Is against England. Where many changes have been made from the previous squad.

Three players have been called up to this squad for the first time. Towhid Hridoy, Rezaur Rahman Raja, and spinner Tanvir Islam have been included in the T20 squad for the first time. Rony Talukder and Shamim Hossain Patwary have returned to the team due to good performance in the BPL.

Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shariful Islam, and Ebadat Hossain have been dropped from the World Cup squad.

Tanvir Islam flew the ball in the BPL. The champion Comilla Victorians spinner took 17 wickets. Conceded 6.36 runs per over. The best performance was 4 wickets for 33 runs. The cricketer also received the award for the highest wicket.

With the bat, Rony Talukdar and Towhid spread the heart in their rhythm. Rangpur Riders opener Rony scored 425 runs in 13 matches at an average of 35.41. He batted at a strike rate of 129.17. He hit 51 fours and 12 sixes. Fifty was 3.

Rony previously played a T20I for the national team against South Africa in 2015. He scored 21 runs at number seven. After that, he was not taken again. Eight years later, he was brought back to the national team.

Besides, Towhid’s heart was durbar. It is said that the right-handed batsman is the inventor of this year’s BPL. The Youth World Cup-winning cricketer scored 403 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 140.41. He was third on the list of highest run-scorers. In the beginning, if he had not been affected by injury, the heart could be at the top. Fifty got fifty in 5 matches. He was unbeaten on 85 runs. He hit 43 fours and 13 sixes. After the ODIs, he has also been included in the T20 team.

Shamim Hossain Patwari has returned to the national team after more than a year. He didn’t do well in the BPL this time. He scored 175 runs in 8 innings in 12 matches. But his innings of 71 runs earned a lot of praise. Similarly, the performance of Rezaur Rahman Raja. The Sylhet Strikers pacer took 13 wickets in 8 matches.

After the third ODI on March 6 in Chittagong, the first T20 match will be held on March 9. The last two matches of the series will be held in Mirpur on March 12 and 14. The BCB has not yet announced the third ODI and T20 team.

Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed, Kazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shamim Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Towhid Hridoy, Rezaur Rahman Raja and Tanvir Islam.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the squad for the first two matches of the upcoming ODI series against England at home. Towhid Hridoy, the ninth edition of the ongoing BPL, has got a chance in this team announced on Thursday evening. Five people have been dropped from the previous series.

In the last series against India, the team was 16. This time the team is 14 members. Regular captain Tamim Iqbal has returned to the team after recovering from an injury. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has also returned. Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Shariful Islam, Enamul Haque, and Nasum Ahmed have been dropped from the ODI squad.

Bangladesh Squad: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadat Hossain, Taijul Islam, Towhid Hridoy.