Tigers set to begin Test preparations

Bangladesh Cricket Team’s focus has been on the shortest format of cricket with the T20 World Cup looming, but the selectors showed a willingness to prepare for the longest version of the game as well, with the stage set for the start of a fresh season of the National Cricket League from next month.

The first-class competition was initially postponed and later cancelled earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, after having already announced 20-member squads for participating teams, the country's premier first-class competition is now tentatively slated to begin from mid-October. That means members of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup squad will not be able to participate from the start of the tournament since they are scheduled to travel to the middle-east in the first week of October. Selector Habibul Bashar nevertheless opined that the NCL would be good preparation for players ahead against Pakistan in November a two-match Test series. "We have a few Test matches right after the World Cup. It's a good opportunity to prepare players. We didn't get much of a chance to play Tests. Obviously, there is a difference between a practice match and a competitive match. I think the NCL will be adequate preparation for the Pakistan series," Bashar told media yesterday. The former Bangladesh captain expressed hope that it would be a competitive competition considering the amount of time the players have to prepare. "This time we are starting the NCL with enough time on hand. Teams will get sufficient time, around a month, to prepare. 

The players will undergo a fitness test on October 1 and are expected to start skills training by October 5.  As the pitches will also get plenty of rest, we are hoping to have a competitive league this time around," he added. The Tigers fared horribly in the previous World Test Championship cycle, failing to register a single win. But Bashar is confident of a better showing in the second cycle, starting with the series against Pakistan. Despite the fact that a majority of players will be engaged in the T20 World Cup, the upcoming NCL will help prepare red-ball only cricketers, including the likes of Test skipper Mominul Haque, Saif Hasan, Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed and Ebadot Hossain. "I think the NCL is going to be very good preparation for us ahead of the Pakistan series. We also had two four-day practice matches between the A team and High Performance squad and I think that was also very fruitful," Test opener Shadman Islam told on Sunday.