As part of their Asia Cup preparations, Bangladesh’s cricket team was ready to play a crucial practice match yesterday.
Shakib Al Hasan, who arrived back in the nation on Monday, has been quite busy, and yesterday was no exception. The practice match was postponed by rain, thus the newly designated ODI skipper arrived to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium but did not play.
The practice game was scheduled to begin at 2:30pm, however rain was expected and delayed the game’s start. In the end, the game didn’t begin until after 4:00. Before the practice game, Shakib briefly peeked his head out of the dressing room door, but he was never again seen.
Shakib ultimately did not play for the team that participated in the intra-squad practice game.
Shakib, on the other hand, didn’t remain still; it was later revealed that he had a private conversation with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. The meeting revealed the Asia Cup schedule. On August 27, the Tigers are scheduled to fly out to Sri Lanka to compete in the event, which will take place there and in Pakistan.
The practice game was organized so that the team management would have adequate video to evaluate the players. One section of the stands had cameras, and it was discovered that the team management would get video feeds from a variety of angles.
Before the practice game, Shakib spoke with the players and discussed his plans for taking over the ODI team after the Asia Cup. While Shakib spoke about his strategies for the many opponents that Bangladesh would face in the forthcoming continental competition, the players’ film from prior practice sessions were also addressed.
Mahmudullah Riyad and Soumya Sarkar had already been dropped from the Asia Cup roster, but they attended the meeting with Shakib along with the rest of the team. Mahmudullah did not participate in the practice game, although Soumya Sarkar was seen preparing for it afterwards. Under the direction of coach Sohel Islam, both of the stars who were cut have been working out with the reserves.
With the ODI World Cup rapidly approaching, it’s possible that Shakib is trying to unite everyone under one roof and that players like Mahmudullah and Soumya are included in the preparations.
In their first match at the Asia Cup on August 31, Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in Kandy. On September 3, they will travel to Lahore, Pakistan, to face Afghanistan.