The Dhaka phase of training session for the upcoming Pakistan Test series is set to start on August 3 with more cricketers joining in this phase.
The cricketers who could be in the Test squad have been training in the Chattogram for the last one month while some more cricketers were with HP team in Australia to play four-day matches against Pakistan A team as part of their preparation for the upcoming series.
Four Bangladesh cricketers---Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam and Towhid Hriodty who played the Lankan Premier League (LPL) in Sri Lanka had already returned to the country and would join the training session in Dhaka, a board official said.
Shakib Al Hasan, along with the likes of Rishad Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin will play Global T20 league in Canada. While Shakib will be a crucial cog in Bangladesh's Test squad, Rishad and Saifuddin are unlikely to be the part of the side's longer version format at this moment. But when Shakib will join the side is yet to be known.
Bangladesh will leave the country for Pakistan in the second week of August with the first Test starting from August 21 in Rawalpindi. Karachi will host the second and final Test from August 30.
After the Test series in Pakistan, Bangladesh will visit India in September for two Tests and three-match T20 series. They are also scheduled to play four more Tests in this year against South Africa and West Indies. With a long Test schedule coming, the BCB put a comprehensive plan to prepare the players for longer version format. As part of that plan, two-day and four-day matches are being organized regularly before the Test series. —BSS
