Sri Lanka has seized control of the ongoing Sylhet Test against Bangladesh. At the close of day two, they hold a commanding lead of 211 runs with five wickets in hand. Batting first after losing the toss, Sri Lanka posted 280 runs, buoyed by centuries from Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis. Bangladesh's Khaled Ahmed and debutant Nahid Rana impressed with three wickets each. Sri Lanka lost half of their wickets before first day lunch, but from there, de Silva and Kamindu put up a partnership of 202 runs—that remarkable comeback guided Sri Lanka to a fighting score of 280 runs. In response, Bangladesh faltered for 188 in their first innings, losing wickets at regular intervals. Taijul Islam, coming in after three wickets fell on day one, top-scored with 47, while Litton Das contributed 25. Sri Lanka secured a significant 92-run lead. Vishwa Fernando led Sri Lanka's bowling attack with four wickets, supported by Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara with three apiece. In their second innings by day two's end, Sri Lanka reached 119 for five, extending their lead to 211 runs with five wickets intact. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne notched a half-century. Nahid Rana starred for Bangladesh with two crucial wickets, dismissing Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis, both caught behind. Shoriful Islam, Taijul, and Mehdiy Hasan Miraz chipped in with a wicket each.

Bangladesh stumbled to 32 runs for the loss of three wickets at the conclusion of day one of the Sylhet Test on Friday. This came after Sri Lanka posted 280 runs in their first innings, with Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis orchestrating a remarkable recovery from 57 for five. In response to Sri Lanka's total, Bangladesh lost Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Mominul Haque. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Taijul Islam remained unbeaten on 9 and 0 respectively. Vishwa Fernando claimed two wickets, while Kasun Rajitha took one. For Sri Lanka, Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis displayed exceptional resilience, forging a formidable partnership of 202 runs for the sixth wicket, with both batters notching up centuries. Despite Bangladesh's initial dominance, Sri Lanka proved resilient, surviving numerous attempts to break the partnership. The early stages of the match hinted at Bangladesh's fortunes favoring them, especially with the overcast conditions providing assistance to their pacers. Sylhet Test: Khaled takes three wickets as Bangladesh make impressive start Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks, losing their first wicket in the second over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz took a stunning catch at third slip. Even before posting 50 runs on the board, they lost four wickets. They lost the veteran Angelo Mathews before lunch too. However, the partnership between Dhananjaya and Kamindu thwarted Bangladesh's hopes of a swift conclusion to Sri Lanka's innings. The breakthrough eventually came from Nahid Rana, the debutant pacer, who dismissed both centurions with his pace and bounce. Kamindu fell to a back-of-length delivery outside off, edging it to wicketkeeper Litton Das, while Dhananjaya's innings ended with a catch at square leg by Mehidy off short ball. Both batters scored 102 runs each before Nahid claimed his third wicket by removing Prabath Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka finished their innings at 280 runs. Despite their recovery from a precarious position at 57 for 5, they might rue missed opportunities to score more, considering their score of 259 for 5. Tawhid enters Test squad to replace injured Mushfiqur Khaled Ahmed and Nahid Rana were the standout performers for Bangladesh, claiming three wickets each, while Shoriful Islam and Taijul Islam contributed with two wickets apiece, with two dismissals coming from run-outs.  

Bangladesh failed to capitalize on their early advantage in the Sylhet Test against Sri Lanka, with the visitors managing to post a total of 280 runs in their first innings after finding themselves struggling at 57 for 5 on Friday. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis displayed exceptional resilience, forging a formidable partnership of 202 runs for the sixth wicket, with both batters notching up centuries. Despite Bangladesh's initial dominance, Sri Lanka proved resilient, surviving numerous attempts to break the partnership. The early stages of the match hinted at Bangladesh's fortunes favoring them, especially with the overcast conditions providing assistance to their pacers. Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks, losing their first wicket in the second over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz took a stunning catch at third slip. Even before posting 50 runs on the board, they lost four wickets. They lost the veteran Angelo Mathews before lunch too.  Sylhet Test: Bangladesh lose quick wickets after Dhananjaya, Kamindu help Sri Lanka post 280 However, the partnership between Dhananjaya and Kamindu thwarted Bangladesh's hopes of a swift conclusion to Sri Lanka's innings. The breakthrough eventually came from Nahid Rana, the debutant pacer, who dismissed both centurions with his pace and bounce. Kamindu fell to a back-of-length delivery outside off, edging it to wicketkeeper Litton Das, while Dhananjaya's innings ended with a catch at square leg by Mehidy off short ball. Both batters scored 102 runs each before Nahid claimed his third wicket by removing Prabath Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka finished their innings at 280 runs. Despite their recovery from a precarious position at 57 for 5, they might rue missed opportunities to score more, considering their score of 259 for 5. Sylhet Test: Khaled takes three wickets as Bangladesh make impressive start Khaled Ahmed and Nahid Rana were the standout performers for Bangladesh, claiming three wickets each, while Shoriful Islam and Taijul Islam contributed with two wickets apiece, with two dismissals coming from run-outs.

Bangladesh made an impressive start to the Sylhet Test against Sri Lanka, claiming five wickets in the first session under slightly overcast conditions on Friday. Sri Lanka's top and middle order struggled against Bangladesh's pace attack early in the innings. Injury setback: Mushfiqur out of Sri Lanka Test series Khaled Ahmed took three wickets, while Shoriful Islam got one. Another wicket fell due to a run-out. Debutant pacer Nahid Rana bowled with an average speed of over 140 km/h, causing trouble for the Sri Lankan batsmen. Having won the toss, Bangladesh chose to bowl first, considering the conditions and the potential for their pacers to perform well. Young blood injected as BCB announces squad for first Test against Sri Lanka Sri Lanka lost their opener, Nishan Madushka, in the second over. Khaled bowled a delivery outside off, and Madushka's attempted drive resulted in a thick edge to the third slip, where Mehidy Hasan Miraz took a stunning catch. Despite losing an early wicket, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis tried to settle in. However, Khaled continued to take wickets. BCB announces squad to play 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka; Litton Das dropped In the 12th over, Khaled dismissed both Karunaratne and Mendis. Mendis faced a wide short ball with extra bounce, hesitated in his shot selection, and eventually gave a catch to Zakir Hasan at gully. On the last ball of the 12th over, Khaled removed Karunaratne with a delivery shaping into the stumps. Karunaratne's attempted drive left a gap between bat and pad, allowing the ball to sneak through and shatter the stumps. By the time Sri Lanka reached 50 runs, they had lost four wickets, with Angelo Mathews being run out by Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Just before lunch on day one, they also lost Dinesh Chandimal to Shoriful Islam, caught in a leg slip by Mehidy. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis then formed a sixth-wicket partnership to stabilise Sri Lanka's innings. However, they still have a lot of work to do to post a decent total in the first innings of the Sylhet Test. Bangladesh capitalised on the overcast conditions in Sylhet, with Khaled getting extra movement. Shoriful also found his rhythm, while Nahid Rana had an impressive debut, bowling faster than any other Bangladesh bowler in this innings, as expected. Nahid had played 15 first-class matches before his Test debut, claiming 63 wickets.

Bangladesh Women's Cricket Team suffered a big defeat to Australia on Thursday in the opening match of the three-match ODI series. Chasing a target of 214, Bangladesh were all out for 95, resulting in an Australian victory by 118 runs. Women's cricketer Nahida Akter receives ICC player of the month award Despite a promising start at 70 for two wickets, Bangladesh's batting collapsed, losing their last eight wickets for just 25 runs. Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field. Australia posted a challenging 213/7 in their 50 overs. Captain Alyssa Healy led early with 24, but two quick wickets kept the scoring in check. Women's Cricket: BCB Announces Schedule for Bangladesh-Australia Series Annabel Sutherland's unbeaten 58 and contributions from Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King propelled Australia to a competitive total. In reply, Bangladesh struggled against Australia's disciplined bowling. Megan Schutt and Kim Garth caused early damage, and wickets fell regularly. Despite a fighting 27 from captain Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh couldn't forge significant partnerships and were bowled out for 95 in 36 overs. Bangladesh Women's Cricket team due to fly South Africa Saturday The second and third matches of the series will take place on March 24 and 27, respectively, at the same venue.

 Bangladesh has announced a change to their squad for the opening Test against Sri Lanka starting on Friday, with batsman Tawhid Hridoy receiving his first Test call-up as a replacement for the injured Mushfiqur Rahim, confimred the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).  Mushfiqur was ruled out of the two-match Test series after sustaining a thumb injury during the final ODI against Sri Lanka last Monday. The experienced wicketkeeper-batter’s absence creates an opportunity for the young Tawhid to make his Test debut. The 23-year-old Tawhid, a regular in Bangladesh's ODI and T20I squads, has impressed in domestic cricket. He boasts a first-class average of 48.05 after 20 matches, showcasing his potential at the highest level. Bangladesh will be hoping Tawhid can seamlessly fill the void left by Mushfiqur’s experience, as they aim for a strong start to the series.      Bangladesh squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mushfik Hasan, Nahid Rana, Tawhid Hridoy.  

After becoming captain of the Bangladesh women's team, Nigar Sultana has attended countless press conferences. But Wednesday's one will surely stand out in her memory for a long time. She arrived with a broad smile, ready with her team to face the world champions—Australia, in their first-ever full series. The number of attending media personnel was unlike anything she had experienced before. More importantly, none of the questions thrown at her doubted Bangladesh's ability to challenge Australia. “The biggest thing is, when we played the series against India, the journalists' questions were different. They were asking whether we could win, what could happen... Today, we are playing against Australia, and no one has asked me that question. They are asking, 'It will be even better if you win.' This is a big achievement,” Nigar said, her face beaming. “Thank you all for that,” she added emotionally. This series marks a historic moment for the Bangladesh team, an opportunity to test their mettle against the world champions and showcase their growing strength on the international stage. Under Nigar Sultana's leadership, Bangladesh has achieved some big successes in recent years, including an ODI win over South Africa, winning a series against Pakistan, and a tied series against India, which has solidified their rising trajectory in international cricket. These achievements have instilled a sense of confidence and belief within the team, making them an opponent for any team in the world who cannot be taken lightly. Their rise hasn't gone unnoticed. Australian captain Alyssa Healy acknowledges Bangladesh as a "real threat" and praises their inclusion in the ICC Women's Championship. This recognition from the world champions is a testament to the hard work of the Bangladeshi players and a sign of their growing respect on the international stage. The Australian captain anticipates a lot of spin bowling from Bangladesh, calling it "challenging for the team that is not from the subcontinent."

The Australian women's cricket team has arrived in Dhaka, ready to take on the Bangladesh women's team in a historic series starting on March 21. This marks Australia's first full tour of Bangladesh. Their previous visit was in 2014 for the ICC T20I World Cup, and they have never played an ODI in Bangladesh. While the first ODI is on March 21, the other two are on March 24 and 27, respectively. After the ODI series, the teams will take on each other in a three-match T20I series, too, on March 31, April 2, and 4. All the matches will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The first match of the three-match ODI series will be Australia's first ODI in Bangladesh. In their only previous ODI encounter two years ago, Australia won by 65 runs. Women's cricketer Nahida Akter receives ICC player of the month award Bangladesh's inclusion in the ICC Women's Championship has created the opportunity for this series against Australia. Bangladesh recently won an ODI against South Africa, boosting their confidence for the upcoming challenge. Their recent home success, including a win against Pakistan and a tied series with India, further strengthens Bangladesh's confidence. Bangladesh's conditions may offer a unique challenge to the Australian players, many of whom are playing in Bangladesh for the first time. Only Captain Alyssa Healy and veteran Ellyse Perry have previous experience in Bangladesh, and that was a decade ago. Young blood injected as BCB announces squad for first Test against Sri Lanka However, some Australian players have recently participated in the Women's Premier League (WPL) in India, where they experienced conditions similar to those in Bangladesh. Australia squad for Bangladesh tour 2024: Alyssa Healy (captain), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vice captain), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck Bangladesh squad against Australia series 2024: Nigar Sultana (captain), Nahida Akter (vice captain), Fargana Hoque, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi, Farzana Akter, Rabeya Khan

 Mustafizur Rahman has left Dhaka for India to participate in the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This year, he will represent the Chennai Super Kings. “Excited and looking forward to my new assignment. Heading to Chennai for IPL 2024. Keep me in your prayers so that I can deliver my best,” Mustafizur wrote on his social media page before departing Dhaka. Premier Div Hockey: Usha KC pile up huge 8-2 victory over Bangladesh SC Mustafizur previously played for four different IPL teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai Indians. On Tuesday afternoon, Mustafizur updated his social media to announce his safe arrival in India. This year's IPL will kick off on Friday with a match between the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Mustafizur is the only Bangladeshi cricketer participating in this year's IPL.

 Bangladesh's experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will miss the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka after sustaining a thumb injury during the third ODI, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed on Tuesday. Mushfiqur, the country's most prolific run-scorer in Tests, suffered the injury while wicketkeeping during Monday's ODI match in Chattogram. A subsequent X-ray examination revealed an avulsion fracture on the MIP joint of his right thumb. “After the match, Mushfiqur underwent an X-ray examination in Dhaka, which revealed an avulsion fracture on the MIP joint of his right thumb,” said national team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan. “He is currently undergoing conservative management for his injury and is expected to be sidelined for around three to four weeks, consequently ruling him out of participation in the Test series against Sri Lanka,” he added. The loss of Mushfiqur is a significant blow to Bangladesh. The veteran batsman is a key figure in the side's Test lineup.  The BCB's National Selection Panel is expected to announce a replacement of Mushfiqur shortly.