Tough conditions a test of skill, says Bashar

Tough conditions a test of skill, says bashar0

Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Tamim Iqbal are experienced. We want to see how the kids react since this is their first time playing in such conditions.

– Bangladesh selector Habibul Bashar

Although the first of the three-match ODI series against Ireland was abandoned due to rain, a common feature of Bangladesh’s stint in Chelmsford, the visitors want to take the challenge of weathering the tough English conditions over the next two games, selector Habibul Bashar informed yesterday.

In the opening ODI, Irish seamers got early swing in cloudy conditions, defeating the Tigers. After losing openers Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das in four overs, the visitors were battling on 122 for five after 27 overs.

Mushfiqur, who turned 36 on Tuesday, was the only Bangladeshi to score 50. Najmul Hossain Shanto gave a glimmer of his outstanding recent form but was removed after scoring 44 while Shakib Al Hasan suffered the price for attempting to play too aggressively and managed 21 runs.

With the following two games set on May 12 and 14 respectively, rain might make things much more tricky for the Tigers as they seek to acclimate to the demanding circumstances. According to Bashar, it will be a great experience for the batters in the future if they can get used to seam-friendly conditions.

With the upcoming ICC World Cup scheduled in September this year, head coach Chandika Hatahurusingh and the team management will also look at the Ireland series as a way to have a look at a few areas.

“We are not using this series to select World Cup players. We’ll host Afghanistan next month and the Asia Cup before the World Cup. Bashar told The Daily Star that harsh circumstances will let batters test their talents.

The team management is also looking forward to utilising Mehedi Hasan Miraz as a secod specialist all-rounder alongside Shakib. He was bumped up to No. 7 and the right-hander played some encouraging innings.

Mushfiqur added an important 65-run partnership with Miraz to give Bangladesh impetus later in the innings. Miraz was caught after scoring 27 from 34 balls with four boundaries, missing a massive score.

The former Bangladesh captain said they would watch the younger cricketers to see if they can make the World Cup squad.

“Players like Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are proven and they have the experience. What we want to see is how the youngsters react since they are playing in such conditions for the first time,” he said.

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