Bangladesh will have an eye to fix their team combination for the World T20 later this year in Australia when they would start playing three-match T20 International series against Pakistan.
The Tigers is set to leave the country tonight for the much-speculated series through a chartered flight.
Bangladesh have formed the T20 squad with lots of youngster and it only implies that they are not only thinking of the Pakistan series but also wants to experiment for the sake of the World T20.
There are a lot of top-order batsmen in the team that includes Tamim Iqbal, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Naim Sheikh, Liton Kumar Das and Afif Hossain and Soumya Sarkar.
According to the head coach Russell Domingo, they are ready to give exposure to the youngsters at different phases in the tour.
”It is a young group of players. It shows the depth within our system. Hopefully some of these players can make an impact to get into the World Cup squad. It is not finalized yet,” Domingo said recently.
”Depending on how they do (whether team management will continue with the young group of cricketers). If a player is out of his depth, we can’t keep going with him. If a player has potential to develop, you have to run with those players.
After this series, we have to keep our squad as small as possible. I think we can play with a maximum of 16 or 17 players in the next couple of series,” he said.
Even though Bangladesh is desperate to win the series against Pakistan, Domingo said he is open to experiments.
“Guy like Soumya, who batted at No. 3 in India, may end up batting at No. 6 in Pakistan. Mahmudullah may bat at No 5. Afif might come up to No 3 or 4. Shanto has finished his campaign well. The best players can play under any conditions, in any positions,” Domingo added.
”It is a great opportunity for the young players to find new strings to their game. I am excited by it. If a guy like Liton has to bat at No. 4 for a game or two, that’s fine. If Mithun has to bat at No 3, that’s okay. If Afif has to go from No. 6 to opening batsman, he has to learn to do those things,” he added.
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad, whom Domingo advocated to give longer run as captain in the T20 format at least, echoed the sentiment with the coach.
“I think the young players are desperate to show their credentials. There is no Shakib and Mushfiqur in the team. So obviously some young players would made the cut and they should use the opportunity to perform maximum,” Mahmudullah said.
“I and Tamim have the big role to lead the side from the front but at the same time, the youngsters should come up to show their mettle. If they can perform to their potential, it will be really good for our cricket,” he added.
