Mominul to lead Bangladesh
BCB announces squad for Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Sports Reporter
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced a 15-member Bangladesh squad for the upcoming Emerging Teams Asia Cup-Bangladesh 2017.
The second edition of the 50-over tournament will commence from March 27 at four different grounds of Coxs Bazar and Chittagong across the country. The maiden edition, patronised by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was held in Singapore in 2013.
Top-order batsman Mominul Haque will lead Bangladesh in the eight-nation tournament. Spin all-rounder Nasir Hossain will assist him as the vice captain. They will get the service of experienced Abul Hossain Raju and Mohammad Mithun.
Uprising spin all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Haider Rony along with Saif Hasan, Afif Hossain, Azmir Ahmed will join with Salman Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Rahatul Ferdous Javed and Yasir Ali Chowdhury.
Of them, Abul Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin, who both went to Sri Lanka to play a 50-over practice match, are expected to join the team in Coxs Bazar on March 24 after returning home from Sri Lanka.
Miraj, who already arrived in Dhaka from Colombo after playing two Test series against Sri Lanka including the historic centenary Test, is scheduled to join the team in Coxs Bazar just two days following his arrival.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan, pacer Shafiul Islam, leg-spinner Tanvir Haider Khan and spinner Yeasin Arafat included as the standby. Mizanur Rahman Babul will supervise the home side as the head coach, while BCB selection panel member and former skipper Habibul Bashar Sumon will guide them as team manager.
Yesterday Bangladesh squad left Dhaka for Coxs Bazar, where they will play another two practice matches to be held at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium (SKICS) on March 22 and 23 respectively before moving into the tournament. The board meanwhile announced the squads for the practice matches. They will be accommodated at the Hotel Coxs today.
Mominul Haque will lead the Team Red, where Saif Hassan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mohammad Mithun, Nasir Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nayeem Hasan (U-19), Rahatul Ferdous, Shafiul Islam, Abu Haider Rony, Nayeem Hasan (jr) and Yeasin Arafat Mishu will be there.
Tanvir Haider will guide Team Green, where Mehedi Maruf, Azmir Ahmed, Sadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Salman Hossain, Afif Hossain, Al Amin Hossain, Qazi Onik Islam, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed Rahi and Nasum Ahmed will also be the same team.
Bangladesh, who have been clubbed in Group-B with Pakistan, Nepal and Hong Kong, will embark on their campaign with the match of Hong Kong at the SKICS on March 27. They will next face-off Nepal and Pakistan at the same ground on March 28 and 30 respectively.
Group-B has been comprised of defending champion India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) and MA Aziz Stadium will host all the matches of the Group-A and semifinal matches. But the final, a day-night affair, will be held at the ZACS on April 3.
When asked about the arrival of the overseas teams, AEM Kawser, senior national manager of BCB game development, said that they all are slated to arrive here in Dhaka on March 25.
All the foreign teams are scheduled to reach Dhaka on March 25. They will then go to their respective host cities from Dhaka, said Kawser.
