A lot is happening in Bangladesh cricket at the moment, but new head coach Phil Simmons wants the focus to be firmly on the upcoming Test series against South Africa.Things are messy. Simmons took over as Bangladesh's head coach on Tuesday,

Simmons, however, said that his focus remains on cricket, leaving behind all the outside noise as they prepare to take on the Proteas.

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons stressed the importance of focusing on cricket rather than external distractions ahead of two-match Test series against South Africa.

Retiring Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has withdrawn from the squad for next week's first test against South Africa amid uncertainty over whether can return to his homeland.

(Reuters) -Bangladesh left-arm spinner Hasan Murad has replaced all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for their first test against South Africa next week, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Friday. Shakib had earlier said he was almost certain he will not return home for a farewell test following public anger over his silence during deadly protests in the country.

In what could be the end of an illustrious Test career for Shakib Al Hasan, the allrounder has had to make himself unavailable for the first home Test against South Africa after he was unable to make it to Dhaka while traveling from New York earlier this week.