Visitors New Zealand cricket team, who arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday night to play two-match Test series, visited Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday where the first Tes will be take place from December 28.
The Black Caps, after having a rest day will begin their practice at the venue from today.
The World Cup semifinalists were supposed to play a two-day warm up matches, but it was cancelled at the request of their board due to the fatigue World Cup journey.
The second and final Test will be held at the Tigers’ home of cricket, Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from December 6.
The series is the first World Test Championship series for Bangladesh in 2023-25. Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh in absence of Shakib Al Hasan who fractured his index finger during a match against Sri Lanka in the World Cup 2023. Litton Das who led the Bangladesh’s last Test match against Afghanistan in June was approved a paternity leave for a month.
Veteran opener Tamim Iqbal skipped the series while fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain were ruled out due to injury.
Meanwhile Tamim’s elder brother and former national dashing opener Nafees Iqbal was reappointed as the team manager of the Bangladesh national cricket team for the series against New Zealand, the BCB’s Cricket Operations department confirmed.
Nafees, the former Bangladesh opener, who took the charge from Shabbir Ahmed, had been working as Bangladesh’s ICC T-20 World Cup 2022 team manager till the ODI series against New Zealand in September, the side’s last bilateral engagement before the ODI World Cup 2023.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Naeem Hasan, Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shahadat Hossain, Hasan Morad.
New Zealand: Tim Southee (Captain), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Neil Wagner.
