The quirks and challenges of covering Bangladesh cricket: interview with journalist Mohammad Isam

We talk to ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam on his decade-long career covering cricket and his recent anthology On the Tigers Trail.
Isam touches on the culture of cricket media in Bangladesh and offers a number of personal nuggets  - bowling to Kevin Pietersen in the nets, talking to Javed Omar about a 'Hate to Love' piece, prompting a Mohammad Ashraful breakdown, following Mashrafe Mortaza on his election trail... and much more. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)
Australia (paperback, e-copy)
USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
[podcast_subscribe id="1595"]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talking Points:

The culture of cricket coverage in Bangladesh
The journey from being a club cricketer to a journalist
Hearing of Mustafizur Rahman's potential - and helping his rise
Bowling to Kevin Pietersen in the Dhaka nets in 2010
The hopes invested in Mohammad Ashraful, and the eventual disappointment
The Dhaka Premier League and its role in the cricketing fabric of Bangladesh
The cottage industry of left-arm spinners in Bangladesh
The journalist-player relationship and retaining one's journalistic objectivity
 The brutal honesty of Mashrafe Mortaza
The fateful day in Christchurch in 2019: when the team escaped from terrorists

Participants:
Mohammad Isam (@isam84)
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Related:

For those within Bangladesh, order Isam's book here
The day I helped KP confront his spin demon - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
Javed Omar, no, yes, sorry - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
The original premier league - Mohammad Isam on the Dhaka Premier League - ESPNcricinfo
Red Sun Rising - Sidharth Monga and Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
Left-arm revolutionaries - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
A mountain of hope, a pile of Ash - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
Mashrafe's tale - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
On the campaign trail with Mashrafe Mortaza - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo