When the annals of Bangladesh cricket are sifted by future generations, Shakib Al Hasan will emerge and re-emerge as the greatest cricketer of its first two decades. His on-field performances and off-field professionalism set a benchmark that was followed by peers and juniors alike. As a bowler, Shakib is accurate, consistent and canny; aggression and a wide range of strokes are the keys to his batting. Even more importantly, he has self-belief an excellent temperament, unflustered by the big occasion and ready to do battle against the top teams.
The best of his ability and temperament were on display in his first Test as captain, against a weakened West Indies side in Grenada, when Shakib took eight wickets and scored an unbeaten 96 in a tense but successful fourth-innings chase of 215, leading Bangladesh to their first overseas series victory. In only his fourth Test as captain, Shakib scored 87 and 100 - his maiden Test century - in a losing cause against New Zealand in Hamilton, performances that offered further proof of his skill and ability to handle pressure. Read more
A right-arm fast bowler with a sling action, Rubel Hossain made an immediate impact in his ODI debut, troubling the batsmen with his bouncers and ending with match-winning figures of 4 for 33 against Sri Lanka. He began by playing taped tennis ball cricket in his hometown Bagerhat, but his talents were discovered during a pacer hunt programme where he topped the speed gun. He made his cricketing debut in 2007, against Khulna Division, for whom his hero Mashrafe Mortaza plays. That didn't stop him from bouncing Mortaza and picking up his wicket during their first encounter at a local competition. When Hossain entered the domestic scene, there were instances of batsmen retiring hurt because of his stock delivery. His love for speed also explains his fascination for bikes. Read more
By the time Andre Russell was little more than five years into international cricket, he was a two-time world champion. That both titles came in the T20 format defines the kind of cricketer he is. A batsman who hits the ball hard enough to make the inanimate thing scream for mercy, he functions primarily as a finisher. He generates even more pace with the ball in hand and when it is anywhere near him in the field, it doesn't matter at what pace it's travelling. Russell will probably get to it. He is less a cricketer, in the traditional sense, than an athlete. An allrounder from Jamaica, Russell made his first-class debut at the age of 19. He made his way into the West Indies A squad and captured plenty of attention with his exploits in a 50-over game against Ireland in June 2010, smashing 61 off 34 balls and taking 6 for 42. It was a performance that helped him win a place in West Indies' 2011 World Cup squad. Read more
Sunil Narine, a mystery spinner, caught the West Indies selectors' attention by taking all ten wickets in a trial match and received a call up to the Trinidad & Tobago squad in January 2009. He may not have accomplished that in international cricket , but every time Narine came to bowl, he looked like taking a wicket. His bag of tricks - an assortment of carrom balls, knuckle balls and skidders - led West Indies to the World T20 title in 2012 - the first time they claimed a World trophy since 1979.
He was one of the chief architects of Kolkata Knight Riders' two title victories in 2012 and 2014 - well worth the investment they put in him. He was bought at US $700,000 in 2012, promptly became the Man of the Tournament and has been retained by the franchise ever since. Narine once bowled more overs than runs conceded in a Twenty20 match, with 21 dot balls out of 24 in the Caribbean Premier League 2014. Read more
Kieron Pollard had a batting average of 11.30 from 15 ODIs and 17.20 from 10 T20Is when he became the joint-biggest buy at the IPL player auction in January 2010. Mumbai Indians weren't paying $750,000 (plus an undisclosed amount to break a tie with three other franchises) for Pollard's international record; they were shelling out all that money for the fearsome hitting power he had shown in domestic T20 action - most notably while smashing 54 off 18 balls for T&T against New South Wales during the 2009 Champions League T20. Read more
Ian Bell, much admired by the purists, who could swoon over his cover drive when he was in full flow, filled English cricket with elegance in a career that brought 118 Tests, 169 caps in limited-overs formats and a stack of first-class runs for Warwickshire. He never quite achieved the greatness that some predicted for him as a teenager, but he was a very fine player at international level and English cricket lost a little grace when he played his last Test against Pakistan in Sharjah in November 2015. Read more
Afghanistan's ascent up the global rankings from ICC Associate nation to Full Member and Test status has been largely propelled by a conveyor belt of fast bowling and mystery spin. But the country has struggled to unearth quality batting prospects at the same rate as their bowling unit. The emergence of the hard-hitting Hazratullah Zazai is a sign that this may change early in the country's Full Member era.
A tall, hulking presence at the crease, Zazai made waves as a 20-year-old in his debut tour with the senior team by striking back-to-back half-centuries in just his second and third matches to ensure a T20I series sweep of Ireland. In the final match at Bready, he single-handedly outscored Ireland with his 82 off 54 balls, which included seven sixes.
If that wasn't enough to grab headlines, then hitting six sixes in an over less than two months later did the trick while batting for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends in the inaugural season of the Afghanistan Premier League in Sharjah. Read more
Andrew Birch (born 7 June 1985) is a South African cricketer who plays for the Warriors cricket team. Birch represented South Africa at the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh. He made his first-class debut for Eastern Province in January 2005 against Griqualand West in the UCB Provincial Cup. A bowling all-rounder, Birch graduated through the Eastern Province ranks to become the leader of the Warriors franchise attack, finishing as the Warriors leading wicket-taker in the 2012/13 and 2014/15 Sunfoil Series. He was also the Warriors leading wicket-taker in the Momentum One Day Cup in the 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons, finishing as the competitions overall leading wicket taker in the 2012/13 season. Read more
When Shahadat Hossain was discovered during a talent-spotting camp in Narayanganj, and whisked away to the Bangladesh Institute of Sports (BKSP) for refinement, few would have predicted that he would become the first Bangladeshi cricketer to have his name etched on the honours board at Lord's. Yet that was exactly what transpired when, in Bangladesh's second Test tour of England in 2010, he picked up 5 for 98 in England's first innings of the first Test at Lord's. Read more
Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, a right-hand batsman and offbreak bowler, is a Mymensing-born player and has represented Dhaka in Bangladesh's first-class competition since the 2009-10 season. Shuvagata is known for his solid technique and aggressive intent against fast bowling, something he has developed through spending time in the National Cricket Academy team. Read more
Rony Talukdar born in Narayanganj, Bangladesh is a batsman who plays first-class cricket for Dhaka Division in Bangladesh. He was part of Bangladesh's squad for the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. He was the leading run-scorer for Dhaka Division in the 2018-19 National Cricket League, with 426 runs in four matches. He was the also the leading run-scorer for East Zone in the tournament, with 460 runs in six matches. Read more
Qazi Onik (born 18 March 1999) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his Twenty20 debut on 29 November 2017 in the 2017-18 Bangladesh Premier League. In December 2017, he was named in Bangladesh's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He was the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the tournament, with 10 wickets. In February 2018, took his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket, bowling for Mohammedan Sporting Club against Legends of Rupganj in the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. He finished the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League as the leading wicket-taker for Mohammedan Sporting Club, with 28 dismissals in 11 matches. Read more
Nurul Hasan, who made his first-class debut in 2011, is one of a whole host of talented Bangladesh wicketkeepers. Hasan is a wicket-keeper batsman born in Khulna, Bangladesh. He made his Twenty20 International debut for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe on 15 January 2016. He was added to Bangladesh's One Day International (ODI) in December 2016 as a replacement for the injured Mushfiqur Rahim, for their series against New Zealand. He made his ODI debut for Bangladesh on 29 December 2016 against New Zealand. He made his Test debut in the second Test against New Zealand on 20 January 2017. In December 2018, he was named as the captain of Bangladesh's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Read more
Mohor Sheikh (born 21 March 1997) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his first-class debut for Rajshahi Division in the 2018-19 National Cricket League on 8 October 2018. Later the same month, he was named in the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI's squad for a warm-up match with the visiting Zimbabwe team. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Dhaka Dynamites team, following the draft for the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League. In December 2018, he was named in Bangladesh's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. He made his Twenty20 debut for Dhaka Dynamites in the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League on 5 January 2019. Read more
Mohammad Naim (born 22 August 1999) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his List A debut for Legends of Rupganj in the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on 22 February 2018. Prior to his List A debut, he was part of Bangladesh's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his first-class debut for Dhaka Metropolis in the 2018-19 National Cricket League on 15 October 2018. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Dhaka Dynamites team, following the draft for the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League. Read more
Mizanur Rahman (born July 30, 1991, Rajshahi) is a first-class and List A cricketer from Bangladesh. He played for Duronto Rajshahi in the 2012 BPL tournament where he scored a half century on debut. He was the leading run-scorer for Central Zone in the 2017-18 Bangladesh Cricket League, with 439 runs in six matches. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Dhaka Dynamites team, following the draft for the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League. In December 2018, he was named in Bangladesh's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Read more
Mohammad Asif Hasan (born 24 July 1993 in Dhaka), is a Bangladeshi first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricketer since the 2014-15 Bangladeshi cricket season. Asif is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm orthodox spin bowler. In February 2018, he took a hat-trick, bowling for Legends of Rupganj against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Dhaka Dynamites team, following the draft for the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League. Read more