Bangladesh’s spin-bowling consultant Saqlain Mushtaq confirmed he would be with the team for the home series against New Zealand in October, but will not be available during the preparation period for the series.
Saqlain will hold a nearly month-long spin bowling clinic for West Indies cricketers during the period, after being contracted by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to impart spin bowling training to current and emerging Caribbean cricketers starting in Barbados next week.
“I am look forward to joining the Bangladesh camp by the end of September. If not, October 1st is a must,” Saqlain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, though he refrained from answering any further queries.
Saqlain – the pioneer of “doosra” - will be working with twelve spin bowlers from various age groups along with three West Indies women cricketers, reported Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The former Pakistani cricketer is pledge-bound to work with the Bangladeshi spinners for a minimum of 100 days a year. At the present time however, he has served for just one month in April ahead of Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe. Bangladesh’s spinners were looking forward to Saqlain’sinput ahead of the important series against New Zealand, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 match.
Bangladesh will begin their preparation for the series on September 3 with a three-day match in Khulna. The cricketers will later join their respective teams in the Dhaka Premier League which is supposed to begin on September 10.
