Bangladesh Test team's early arrival in Pakistan, five days ahead of schedule, marks the beginning of their final preparations for the upcoming two-Test series against the hosts, starting from coming Wednesday. This decision follows weeks of unrest at home, which severely hampered their ability to prepare adequately.
Initially, the Tigers were set to commence practice on August 3. However, the absence of many foreign coaches, who were unable to attend sessions at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium due to advisories from their respective embassies, forced the team to resort to individual training sessions.
The Tigers will start training at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore before travelling to Islamabad. Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and Shoriful Islam will join the squad in Islamabad after completing their franchise league commitments in Canada's Global T20 League.
Shoriful Islam, who returned to Bangladesh on Monday, trained with the red-ball in Mirpur after playing only white-ball cricket since the T20 World Cup in June. He acknowledged the challenges of adjusting to red-ball cricket but remained optimistic. The pacer also expressed hope that the batters would stand their ground against Pakistan's formidable attack and take advantage of the batting-friendly wickets in Rawalpindi, who departed for Pakistan on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh Tigers' programme was an exception, allowing red-ball players to train and participate in two intra-squad matches in Chattogram, despite the political turmoil disrupting schedules.
Several key players, including Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Nayeem Hasan, are already in Pakistan with the 'A' team, participating in a four-day match against their Pakistani counterparts in Lahore.
The recent 2-0 home Test series loss to Sri Lanka sparked a debate over the players' preparation time for red-ball cricket. Despite having ample time this time around, the situation did not allow for smooth preparations.
The chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu acknowledged the shortcomings in preparation for the Sri Lanka series and expressed concerns about the current situation. He explained that the team was supposed to begin practice on August 3, but individual sessions became necessary as national team coaches could not be present. To compensate for these shortcomings, the team decided to head to Pakistan earlier than scheduled.
The Tigers will have a few days to practice with the entire squad in Pakistan before the first Test in Rawalpindi begins on August 21. This period will be crucial for the team to gel and prepare for the challenges ahead. The question remains whether the early arrival and additional preparation time will be enough to overcome the disruptions and lead to a successful series against Pakistan.
