Bangladesh to play an intra group practice match today

The players of the Bangladesh cricket team, splitting into two groups, will play their first intra-group 50-over practice match at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown today ahead of the ensuing ODI series against New Zealand.

Already Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squads of the two groups for the practice match. Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal and Nazmul Hossain Shanto will captain the two teams of Tamim Iqbal XI and Nazmul Hossain XI in the match which will start at 11 am local time (4 am Bangladesh time). 

Apart from Bangladesh cricketers, 5 local cricketers from New Zealand will also take part in the XI. Of them, two players including batsman and bowler each will play for Tamim XI, whilst three local players will play for Nazmul XI. 

All-rounder Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, who earned a call-up to the side for the tour after a long hiatus, will miss the practice match as he sustained injury on his knee on the first day of the training in Queenstown.

Bangladesh arrived New Zealand last month after which they completed a 14-day mandatory quarantine set by the New Zealand Cricket (NZC). Of them, the initial seven days were so rigorous, where they can’t be allowed to come close to each other. They had to even eat themselves from their respective room in hotel.

After the completion of such restrictions, the touring party is now free to move in the country and play team-wise game. Even they can take help from the local players.     

According to the schedule, the first ODI match of the series will be played in Dunedin on March 20. The next two matches will be decided in Christchurch and Wellington on March 23 and 26 respectively. 

The Tiger will conclude their over month-long tour with the T20 series which will commence in Hamilton on March 28. The next two matches of the three-match T20I series will be held in Napier and Auckland in March 30 and April 1correspondingly.

Squads:

Tamim XI: Tamim Iqbal (c), Naim Sheikh, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah Riyad, Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Al Amin Hossain along with one New Zealand batsman and one bowler.

Nazmul XI: Liton Kumar Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Rubel Hossain and three local New Zealand cricketers.