Bangladesh team will try to gain some momentum and much-needed confidence as they met hosts United Arab Emirates in the first of two Twenty20 matches on Sunday.
Bangladesh stand-in captain Nurul Hasan Sohan said they will assemble their XI according to the needs and conditions in the upcoming T20 World Cup as Sohan wants to fix the balance of the team With the UAE series.
The Tigers have won just two T20s this year, losing six and having one game rained out. Sohan and his team will need at least two wins to improve their recent record in the shortest format and gain some confidence before heading to New Zealand for a tri-nation T20 series against the hosts and Pakistan - the Tigers' final stage of preparation before the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
“We will try to find the balance for World Cup. There are two matches here and also in New Zealand, we will try to find the best combination. In the World Cup there will be matches with different teams and the team combination will be depended on the time and needs of the team. This is a good opportunity to find our balance,” Sohan said in a video from the Middle East. T20 captain Shakib al Hasan will not be available for the UAE T20s due to his stint for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League T20.
Nurul added that he has been in touch with Shakib but the two members of the leadership group will make plans once they meet in New Zealand. Shakib, who is playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, is not available for the series against UAE and as a result Nurul is leading the side. Shakib, who has the NOC till October 4, will join the team in New Zealand before the start of the series.
"Every team wants players like Shakib bhai but it will be a chance for someone who will be replacing him in the XI. We are regularly talking but nothing great as he is busy with the CPL. We will talk when he joins us in New Zealand," Nurul concluded.
Bangladesh squad for UAE series: Nurul Hasan (c), Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Liton Kumar, Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Rishad Hossain.