After Bangladesh’s seven-wicket triumph in the dead rubber third and final match yesterday, Afghanistan won the one-day international series 2-1. With the conclusion of an important series before to the Asia Cup and World Cup, the Tigers will now turn their attention to preparations for those events.
The manner in which and the state in which ODI captain Tamim Iqbal will rejoin to the team after his vacation will be of crucial importance to the preparations.
Tamim had unexpectedly announced his retirement the day after leading the team out for the first One-Day International (ODI), but Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was able to convince him to withdraw his retirement just before the second ODI. However, the left-handed opener would be taking a break from cricket for the next one and a half months.
Given that Tamim will be away from the team environment when preparations begin, there are a lot of unanswered questions regarding how things will turn out, at least in terms of the planning.
After the 30th of July, the BCB cricket operations head Jalal Yunus notified the media yesterday that preparations for the Asia Cup would commence.
“Everyone will have some time off till the 30th of July. Some of them will go outside to play. After that, we are going to start getting ready by going to a conditioning camp,” Jalal added.
Tamim is still believed to be the captain of the team; yet, during Jalal’s conversation with the media, it was not made clear whether or not he would return to his role as captain. “Allow Tamim to get back on the road first. Currently, we are having this conversation with him. Concerns have been raised about his physical condition. Jalal was the one who informed us that the man had instructed them to wait for him to return before discussing these matters.
After that, Tamim will travel to Dubai, but not before consulting with medical professionals in the UK about his fitness concerns during his sabbatical.
“Tamim will first stop in Dubai, and then on either July 25 or 26, he will make his way to the United Kingdom. He will meet with physicians at each of the medical centers where he has appointments today. Jalal stated, “He will keep me apprised of the situation from there and give me updates.”
In preparation for the Asia Cup, the Tigers will put together a preliminary roster, and the day on which Tamim will be able to join the team will be determined based on his current state of health.
“We will present a preliminary squad of between 25 and 26 members. Jalal offered the following hypothesis: “We will be monitoring his fitness in order to decide on that, and we will know when he can join.”
The possibility of former One-Day International captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza serving as a mentor at the World Cup was also discussed. It is up to the board to make the choice. It is anticipated that he will join us for the discussion. He stated his conclusion by saying, “Let us know formally, and then we will make a decision.”