BCB issue apology after journalist gets assaulted by security personnel during ongoing Mirpur Test

Bangladesh have been in cruise control in the Test match against Afghanistan, much to the delight of their fans. However, Day 3 saw an unpleasant scene transpire after BCB's security personnel assaulted a journalist.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director, Ismail Haider Mallick, arrived at the scene immediately after the incident and assured the troublemakers will be barred from doing duty for at least one year. Tasfiq Shahriar, who works for the Cricfrenzy website, was the victim of the assault and Haider Mallick stated that the BCB is doing their best to identify the people who committed the deplorable act.

The unacceptable incident happened on Day 3 when Shahriar was waiting for one of his colleagues to bring him his accreditation card, which is necessary for entry into the press box. Shahriar was waiting at Gate No.1 of the Shere Bangla National Stadium, a place where journalists usually wait at the venue. One of the security personnel asked Shahriar to stand on the other side of the street and he followed the instructions. However, trouble started from there as one of the members of the security team attacked the journalist when he was talking to another fellow journalist.

According to Shahriar, he was attacked by three to five men, and the scuffle left him with bruises on his nose and throat. This adds up to yet another unpleasant encounter between a journalist and BCB's security team. Similar incidents involving journalists and BCB's security personnel took place in 2006, 2015, and 2016, respectively.

Bangladesh extend their dominance in the solitary Test on Day 3 at Mirpur

By bowling out Afghanistan for just 146 in the first innings, Bangladesh secured a mammoth 236-run lead. On Day 3, the home side stretched the lead further thanks to yet another century from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 124 runs off 151 balls. The former Bangladesh Test captain, Mominul Haque, remained unbeaten on 121 off 145 balls, while Zakir Hasan and Litton Das chipped in with fluent half-centuries to set Afghanistan an improbable target of 662.

In reply, Afghanistan lost openers Ibrahim Zadran and Abdul Malik and are left with eight wickets in hand with two days of play still remaining. Currently, the visitors are struggling on 45/2 at stumps on day 3.