August 12, 2024

Mushfiqur, Taskin Back in Bangladesh Test Squad for Pakistan Series

Shakib Al Hasan has rejoined the Bangladesh Test squad after making himself available for selection last month. Mushfiqur Rahim and Taskin Ahmed have also been recalled for the upcoming two-match series against Pakistan, set to begin later this month. However, batsman Shahadat Hossain, who was part of the squad in the previous series against Sri Lanka in March, has been omitted.

Mushfiqur Rahim missed the Sri Lanka Tests due to a thumb injury, while Taskin Ahmed took a break from red-ball cricket to manage a shoulder injury. Taskin will only be available for the second Test in Karachi, starting on August 30, but will participate in the second four-day game for Bangladesh A on August 20.

Senior allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who made himself available for selection last month, is also part of the squad. With Shakib no longer a member of parliament following the fall of the Awami League-led government on August 5, he will be a key player to watch.

Six members of the Test squad arrived in Pakistan on Saturday, joining the Bangladesh A team. Among them are Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque, who are slated to play in the first four-day match in Islamabad, starting on August 13.

“The emphasis was on picking our best players for this version,” chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said. “This is a well-balanced squad. The likes of Mushfiqur (Rahim), Mominul (Haque) and Shakib (Al Hasan) have played 216 matches combined and there is no substitute for that kind of experience. Taijul (Islam) and Miraz (Mehidy Hasan) have been leading the spin department for a long time and have over 350 wickets between them. We also expect Shanto (Najmul Hossain), Litton ( Das) and the other batsmen to step up because to be competitive against Pakistan, we will need a team effort.”

Taskin Ahmed last featured in a Test match during the series against New Zealand in January. Although he participated in the T20 World Cup and played in the Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh is taking a cautious approach to reintegrate him into the longer format, according to Ashraf.

“We have selected five pacers mindful of the fact that Taskin Ahmed will only play the second Test. He hasn’t bowled in a Test since June last year and we have decided to include him in the A Team for the second four-dayer against Pakistan A to get him into the rhythm for longer version matches.

“A couple of the pacers may join the A-team for the one-day matches, therefore we needed backups. Our attack has variety with bowlers who can bowl fast and also swing the ball and I am looking forward to seeing them perform against world-class batsmen.”

Ashraf was also glad about Bangladesh getting extra days to train in Pakistan.

“Pakistan are very tough opponents, especially in their home front and it will be a challenging tour for us,” Ashraf said. “It is good that we will get additional time to prepare in Lahore. Also, some players who are in Pakistan already with the Bangladesh A side, will join the national team for the Test series. Their experience of the conditions should come in handy.”

The first Test is scheduled to begin on August 21 in Rawalpindi, with the second Test taking place in Karachi on August 30. Prior to the series, the squad will hold training sessions at the Gaddafi Stadium from August 14 to 16, before traveling to Islamabad on August 17 in preparation for the opening match.

Bangladesh Test squad

: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed

Ricky Ponting on Cricket at The Olympics: ‘Opens Up Completely Different Audiences to Our Game’

T20 cricket is set to be featured in the next Olympic Games, scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics will be highly advantageous for the sport.

“It can only be a positive thing for our game. I’ve sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years, and it’s always been on the top of almost every agenda – how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it’s there,” Ponting said on The ICC Review. “It’s only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US.”

Cricket is making a return to the Olympics after 128 years. It was last featured in the 1900 Games, where only two teams—Great Britain and France—competed, with Great Britain securing the gold medal.

“The thing about the Olympic Games, it’s not [about] the host nation. It’s about the audience that it opens up,” Ponting said. “The Olympic Games being viewed by so many people all around the world, it just opens up completely different audiences to our game that’s seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway. It can only be a real positive thing for the game.”

Ponting said infrastructure and qualification pathways would still need to be appropriately figured out but, with its inclusion, the game is moving in the right direction overall. “Facilities and infrastructure and those things are going to be key, and how many participating teams they actually decide on. I think it’s only six or seven teams that they’re talking about, so qualification is going to be at a premium – how you actually qualify to get into the Olympic Games.

“So all those are things to think about, [but] I’m really excited about where the game’s headed and the growth of different markets that we’re seeing emerge.”

Cricket at LA28 will be played in the T20 format, with both men’s and women’s teams set to feature.

The game had been in the spotlight in the USA earlier this year too, when the country co-hosted the men’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies.