ICC U-19 World Cup
Bangladesh youth team named
Sports Reporter
The chief selector of the age group cricket on Wednesday announced the 15-member Bangladesh U-19 Cricket Team without naming captain and its assistant ahead of the next ICC U-19 World Cup, New Zealand 2018.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will soon declare the names of the captain and the vice-captain of the youth team within the next one-two days. Ehsanul Haque Seezan, the chief selector of the Age Group Cricket, revealed all at the press conference of the Media Block of the Sher-e-Bangla National Crikcet Stadium (SBNCS) yesterday.
Seezan was accompanied with selectors Sazzad Ahmed Shipon, Hannan Sarkar, Hasibul Hossain Shanto, BCB media manager Rabeed Imam and Bangladesh U-19 head coach Damien Wright.
Pace all-rounder Yeasir Arafat Mishu has not been kept in the 15-man main squad due to his injury. He is now in the process of the rehabilitation. If Mishu could be healed within the three-four weeks, he will then be joined in the team as Seezan said.
Bangladesh youth team meanwhile resumed their intense training camp since December 1 returning home from Malaysia after completing their 2017 ACC U-19 Asia Cup. It will go on till the departure for New Zealand on December 26.
Before taking off, they will play three practice matches at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Prothisthan (BKSP) on December 13, 15 and 17 respectively.
Moreover, the youth Tigers will hold a 10-day conditioning camp in New Zealand to dovetail with the wickets and condition. They will set their base in Dunedin, whereby they will play another three practice matches, 50-over affairs, against provincial teams.
Therefore, they will travel to Christchurch to play two official warm-up practice matches against Pakistan and Afghanistan before entering into the main campaign of the Youth World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on January 13 and will end February 3. With the participation of the 16 different teams including 12 Test playing nations along with four member states, the upcoming edition of the Youth World Cup will roll onto the pace and bouncy wickets.
Though Bangladesh have kept four pace bowlers including pace all-rounders Hasan Mahmud and Qazi Onik Islam, alongside Robiul Haque and Roni Hossen, they missed the service of their fastest fast bowler Akidul Islam Mugdho, who sidelined with injury. Even they also lost Shakawat Hossain Rony.
Sozib Hossen, Rayan Rafsan Rahman, Shakawat Hossain, Saidul Islam Pramanik, Yeasir Arafat Mishu, Abdul Halim and Monirul Islam remained as standby.
Considering the condition in mind we have formed our team. We have kept four pace bowlers in the squad, Ehsanul Haque said. Bangladesh have clubbed in the Group-C, the group which is comparatively easier, where they will playing against England, Namibia and Canada.
Though the condition is tough, they believe that their team will play in the semi-final stage of the showpiece event.
I believe if we could get off to a solid start, in that case, we could be gone to semifinal. We have tried our best to utilize the resource what we have in the stock, Seezan told of the target.
Bangladesh will kick-start their World Cup campaign with the match of Namibia at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln on January 13. They, thereafter, will play against Canada U-19 in their second fixture of the group-C at the same ground on January 15.
The youth tigers will face off their English counterparts in their third and last group encounter at the Queenstown Events Center in Queenstown on January 18.
Bangladesh U-19 squad: Pinak Ghosh, Naim Sheikh, Saif Hassan, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Towhid Ridoy, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mohammad Rakib, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan Ankon (WK), Shakil Hossain (WK), Robiul Haque, Nayeem Hasan, Qazi Onik Islam, Roni Hossen, Hasan Mahmud and Tipu Sultan
