|| CF Correspondent ||

Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes said on Thursday that the unavailability of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan due to their respective injuries can be a blessing in disguise as it will help to understand the depth of the host.

Shakib is out of cricket for three months due to his finger injury while Tamim Iqbal will also not be after he hurt his wrist in the just concluded Asia Cup.

‘’We know we are two players light. Our process will be to make sure that we do our duty well. We don't have to worry about the opposition."

"I see it as a real positive. It is opportunities for other people,’’ said Rhodes.

‘’If those guys grasp their chance, it would show we have depth in our squad. If there are competition for places, people will always try perform at their best. It is a healthy thing. We want depth,’’ he added.

Rhodes said that he is confident that bowling department will not be hugely affected by the absence of Shakib as other spinners are getting into the groove to act as stop-gap arrangement.

"Apu[ Nazmul Islam] is a quality spin bowler and he has shown that in the shortest format and we know that he can do well in the ODI format,’’ said Rhodes.

 If Apu plays, we have two quality spinners. RIyad[ Mahmudullah] is a far better bowler than people think,’’ he said.

‘’Fazle, if he plays, can also bowl some overs. Shakib is an unbelievably talented spinner, batsman, fielder and tactician and he can't be replaced,’’ he added