The Tigers set to start Asia Cup preparation
File Photo
||CF Correspondent||
Bangladesh national cricket team will start their preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from Monday.
The opening day’s activities will have two parts with the opening phase having fitness tests and the second half will focus on strength and conditioning along with a fielding session.
Bangladesh Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Mahmudullah Riyad will not be available from the start of the preparation camp, as Shakib is in Saudi Arabia while Mahmudullah is currently playing in the Caribbean Premier League.
Shakib is expected to return on August 29 and Mahmudullah will arrive on September 7.
Bangladesh Cricket Board [BCB] officials said they could take a decision regarding Shakib’s participation, on Tuesday, as they are expected to know his condition from the Tigers’ physio Thihan Chandramohan by then.
“We can take a decision on Shakib soon as we are expecting Thian to arrive today,” said a BCB official.
“The opening session will be conducted largely by the local coaches while head coach Steve Rhodes is expected to arrive tomorrow and join us,” he added.
BCB will seek for an expert opinion from Australian doctors before deciding on the surgery of Shakib’s injured finger.
As part of their plan, BCB asked Chandramohan to consult the matter with Australian physicians, who had earlier treated Shakib when he hurt his left little-finger during the tri-series tournament final against Sri Lanka.
Melbourne-based physician Chandramohan left for Australia after he returned with the team following their grueling tour of West Indies. Shakib expressed his desire to undergo a surgery on his injured finger before the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, which would effectively rule him out of the tournament.
BCB president Nazmul Hassan, however, quickly dismissed the idea and said that they would prefer to have the surgery during the Zimbabwe series in October, when Bangladesh would play two Tests and three one-day internationals.
Nazmul believes Shakib’s absence during the Zimbabwe series would not cost the team much as they are already planning to make some experiments against the African minnows.
Shakib’s injury problem started in January when the 31-year old hurt the base of his left little-finger while fielding during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka at Mirpur.
Shakib missed the subsequent Test and T2I0 series against the same opponents and also failed to play in the first few matches of the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka, in March.
During his healing period, Shakib took treatment in Thailand and Australia but his pain returned during the recent T20I series in the West Indies and the United States, where he played the last two matches with painkillers.
All the coaching staff including Neil McKenzie, Ryan Cook, Sunil Joshi, and Courtney Walsh are expected to arrive before the skill training session. The first overseas coach to have arrived already is trainer Mario Villavarayan.
BCB announced a 31-member preliminary squad for the upcoming Asia Cup that is scheduled to begin on September 15 with the opening match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
