NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh national cricket team departed for Pakistan on Monday to participate in a two-match Test series. The first Test is scheduled to commence on August 21 in Rawalpindi.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday revealed the squad for the Pakistan tour, which features a strong pace attack. The team welcomes back Mushfiqur Rahim, Taskin Ahmed, and Shakib Al Hasan, who were absent from the previous series, reported IANS.
Unfortunately, Shahadat Hossain, whose last appearance for Bangladesh was against Sri Lanka in March, has been omitted from the squad for this tour.
"Bangladesh's Team is heading to Pakistan for the #WTC25 clash. The first Test begins on August 21 in Rawalpindi and the second on August 30 in Karachi," the Bangladesh Cricket posted on X.
The Bangladesh cricket team is set to touch down in Lahore on August 13, marking the beginning of their tour. Upon arrival, they will head to the Gaddafi Stadium, where they will undergo training sessions from August 14 to 16. This preparation period will allow the players to acclimatize to the conditions and fine-tune their skills before the commencement of the Test series.
Following their stint in Lahore, the team will journey to Islamabad on August 17. They will then shift their focus to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where they will engage in practice sessions from August 18 to 20. These sessions will provide the team with valuable opportunities to familiarize themselves with the pitch and the overall playing conditions at the venue.
"The emphasis was on picking our best players for this version," chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said. "This is a well-balanced squad. The likes of Mushfiqur (Rahim), Mominul (Haque) and Shakib (Al Hasan) have played 216 matches combined and there is no substitute for that kind of experience.
Taijul (Islam) and Miraz (Mehidy Hasan) have been leading the spin department for a long time and have over 350 wickets between them. We also expect Shanto (Najmul Hossain), Litton (Das) and the other batsmen to step up because to be competitive against Pakistan, we will need a team effort."
"We have selected five pacers mindful of the fact that Taskin Ahmed will only play the second Test. He hasn't bowled in a Test since June last year and we have decided to include him in the 'A' Team for the second four-dayer against Pakistan 'A' to get him into the rhythm for longer version matches," he added.
Bangladesh Test squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Syed Khaled Ahmed.
