For years, there have been whispers of Kylian Mbappe's potential move to Real Madrid. Putting an end to all speculations, Mbappe's transfer to Real Madrid is no longer just hearsay; it's official. Real Madrid made the announcement in an official statement on Monday (June 3), confirming that the French sensation will be donning their jersey for the next five seasons.
The T20 World Cup is just around the corner, scheduled to kick off in the United States and the West Indies at the beginning of June.. The teams are warming up ahead of the biggest competition in the shortest version of cricket. Pakistan played a five-match series against New Zealand to prepare for the World Cup. Babar Azam's team is currently playing a T20I series against Ireland. Following this, Pakistan will intensify their training regime with a four-match T20 series against the defending champions England. Meanwhile, West Indies and South Africa are poised for a three-match clash. Indian players are honing their skills in the IPL. In contrast, Bangladesh opted to prepare for the World Cup by facing Zimbabwe. While teams like Uganda successfully qualified for the World Cup, Zimbabwe did not. The Tigers prepared for the World Cup by playing against this weak team.
Mustafizur Rahman stands as the sole representative of Bangladesh in the esteemed Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most popular franchise cricket tournament, with Shakib Al Hasan absent this season. The cricket enthusiasts of Bangladesh had their focus on Mustafiz. Despite the pressure, the left-arm pacer, nicknamed the 'Cutter Master', rose to the occasion and delivered memorable moments while playing for the Chennai Super Kings.
"2023 will be the greatest year in the history of Bangladesh cricket. I wholeheartedly believe that Bangladesh will achieve lots of success in all formats," the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket Shakib Al Hasan came up with these remarks in an interview at the end of 2022. However, Shakib's words did not prove true. Despite some success in the bilateral series, the year was very disappointing for the Tigers as well as its supporters. As 2023 was the year of the World Cup, the success or failure of the team will depend on the performance of the World Cup. Bangladesh was completely outclassed in the 50-over World Cup on Indian soil. Although the men's team did not shine, the women's cricket team played brilliantly. Nigar Sultana Joty and Co have achieved new milestones throughout the year. However, the Bangladesh U-19 team has surpassed everyone in terms of success. Bangladesh celebrated the joy of conquering Asia in the late part of the year, for the greatest performance of the youth.
Just before the Youth Asia Cup - 2023, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby as the captain in place of Ahrar Amin. After taking the responsibility of leadership in the shoulder, Rabby said that his team will step into Dubai to clinch the Asia Cup title. Most people, at that time, might have thought of this speech of the Bangladesh leader as 'incidental remark'.
Najmul Hossain Shanto has shown his capability of leadership in the very first test match as a captain. Under the skillful leadership of this young man, the Bangladeshi boys created a new history, defeating the mighty New Zealand. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with a massive 150-run victory in the Sylhet Test. This is the first test victory against the Kiwis on Bangladesh soil. Though Taijul Islam, the left-arm legspinner, was adjudged the 'Man of the Match' award for his excellent bowling, Shanto is also earning praise for leading the team from the front. Cricket lovers started to think Shanto the future captain of Bangladesh.