The Bangladesh Test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe is set to depart Dhaka in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Following a day’s quarantine, the tourists will get to business with practice sessions at Harare Sports Club, followed by a two-day practice game before the lone Test match, scheduled to begin on July 7.
The members of the ODI squad will leave Dhaka for the African nation next month for the three-match series that is part of the ICC Cricket World Super League.
With yet another series approaching, the ability of the fairly young cricketers has come under focus.
Bangladesh for many years have been relying on the veterans in Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah to produce the goods.
On occasions when this group fails, the team expects the young ones to take control, but instead they have flattered to deceive.
Such is the situation that the younger group first needs to cement their respective positions in the national dressing room.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun and top-order batsmen Soumya Sarkar and Nazmul Hossain Shanto have been part of the national fold for a long time, but are still struggling.
The trio were given opportunity in all three formats for Bangladesh, but now below to only one group.
For the tour of Zimbabwe, Soumya has been made part of the T20 squad, while Mithun has been named for the ODIs.
Left-handed batsman Shanto has been kept part of the Test team.
There are other cricketers too among whom talent is not a question but simply that, they are not being able to live upto expectations.
Shanto, who scored his maiden Test hundred in the tour of Sri Lanka in April this year, has aimed to gain consistency by scoring runs regularly, and expects the confidence to open his door in the other formats of the game once again.
“At the moment my focus is fully on the lone Test in Zimbabwe. My aim is to remain consistent and score runs in whatever format I play. Scoring runs on a regular basis will surely help me to gain more confidence, and that is the area I am looking to work on in the coming days,” said Shanto before leaving for Zimbabwe Monday.
Right-handed Mithun feels that only a few chances is left for him to prove his worth, and for the team think tank to keep trust in him.
The stumper-batsman will look to cash in on the opportunity that has come after he was made part of the ODI setup in the tour of Zimbabwe.
“International cricket is always pressure and as a player, you have to absorb that and perform. I always had to fight for my place so I am looking forward to remaining consistent and perform for the team,” said Mithun.
Perhaps left-handed Soumya is one of the few Bangladesh cricketers to have announced his arrival in a grand way.
The top-order batsman who is at times pushed down to the middle order for the sake of the combination was seen as a big prospect for Bangladesh.
But as it happened, inconsistency got the best of the Satkhira-born cricketer, hampering his confidence as he struggled to make himself regular in the Bangladesh dressing room.
“As I am only in the T20 format for the Zimbabwe tour, my aim will be to play well and make a comeback to the other two formats for Bangladesh. Obviously, Zimbabwe are a tough opponent on their home soil but I will look to work on my own game and gain the confidence for the coming days,” said Soumya.
