Sports
Shanto resigns as Bangladesh Test captain
Following a batting collapse, Bangladesh suffered an innings and 78-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the Colombo Test. After the match, Najmul Hossain Shanto announced his decision to step down as Bangladesh’s Test captain. He made the announcement during a press conference on Saturday (June 28).
Bangladesh suffer innings defeat in Colombo Test
The signs of trouble appeared on the second day and turned into a bitter reality on the morning of the fourth day. Bangladesh lost the Colombo Test to Sri Lanka by an innings and 78 runs. Even with nearly two days of play remaining, the Tigers couldn’t avoid a crushing defeat.
Bangladesh announce ODI squad for Sri Lanka series
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, with the notable inclusion of Mohammad Naim Sheikh, who returns to the national side after a prolonged absence.
The biggest challenge for women in sports is discrimination
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a discussion titled “Gender Discrimination in Sports.” I also had to speak during the event. What emerged from the discussion is that injustice, discrimination, and neglect towards female athletes and organisers in the sports arena have not decreased; rather, they are continuously increasing. Opportunities and rights for women are becoming more limited. Women are still subjected to social scorn when engaging in sports. In most cases, society fails to realise that, like men, women also have equal rights to participate in sports. They have the right to represent the country through sports. In Bangladesh’s sports landscape, men have always had dominance in various sports, and individualism has prevailed.
Cost of errors, failure to capitalise opportunities
Hamza Choudhury has experience playing in the English Premier League and has also played for England’s U-21 national team. Shamit Shome plays in the Canadian league and has experience playing for that country’s national team. Fahmidul Islam, though playing in a lower-tier league in Italy, is a forward enriched with speed and a never-give-up attitude. Tariq Kazi, raised in Finland, is a symbol of reliability in Bangladesh’s defence. These players have enriched the Bangladesh national football team with their skills; but the task of weaving this talent into a coherent unit didn’t happen! That’s the coach’s job
Rumors of another shake-up at BCB
The rumour that Faruk Ahmed may resign started gaining traction shortly after midnight on Wednesday and has since been rapidly spreading. While it remains unofficial, recent reports in local media suggest that this speculation may soon become a formal announcement. Whether that happens or not is a matter of time, but one thing is clear—the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in a state of turmoil, and that instability is reflecting on the field as well.
Youths can bring positive change in sports; but they lack opportunities
Those who work with trends in the country’s sports arena regularly observe that in age-based international tournaments, our boys and girls compete in various sports in South Asia, and even further in Asian-level competitions, with equal emotion, courage, and confidence. This reflects that, just like in other fields, the youth of our country are not lagging behind those of other countries in sports either. This is significant. There is no alternative to ability and creativity.
A poor father's dream
This isn’t fiction—though it often feels like something out of a novel. I am lucky to be living through a story that may someday become part of football folklore. It’s the story of Shahidul, a poor young man from a remote village in Bangladesh—who, with nothing but fire in his heart and football in his soul, is determined to turn his three-and-a-half-year-old son, Peter Dawn, into a world-class footballer
Touch of colour in black-and-white: Mohammedan’s title glory
According to Transfermarkt.com, Inter Milan's squad value stands at €663.80 million, while Barcelona’s squad is valued at a staggering €1.02 billion. Yet it was the Italian side that marched into the UEFA Champions League final, defeating Barcelona. Squad value is often just a number—a notion that gets proven time and again. The latest edition of the Champions League confirmed that yet again. A similar story played out in domestic football, where traditional powerhouse Mohammedan SC defied the odds and outperformed expectations, throwing paper calculations out the window.
Practice of existing sports more needed than reforms
People are now vocal in favour of change in the sports arena—because awareness has increased to some extent. People are realising that the sports sector has not progressed the way it should have over the past five decades. That is why the nation’s dream of a thriving sports sector has remained unfulfilled. After independence, the journey of sports in the new country began with aspirations and commitments. But the sports arena is still plagued with a crisis of trust and confidence. It keeps stumbling in various ways. The sector has not been freed from a kind of uncertainty and instability. Beautiful words, promises, and so-called publicised initiatives cannot lead sports in the right direction. What is needed is a realistic, collective effort. The united sincerity of people, coordination among them, and a shared determination.