Chief selector Faruk Ahmed believes the Bangladesh A team’s upcoming month-long tour of the West Indies will be an acid test before the national squad is named for the bilateral series in the Caribbean in August.
The Bangladesh A team is scheduled to leave Dhaka on May 22 and the second-string squad is likely to feature several national players along with a few performers from the domestic circuit and the Under-19 side. The national selection panel has already approved the Bangladesh A team squad and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is expected to announce the line-up in a day or two.
“The A team’s tour is a vital one for us as this will be a full tour before the national team visits them [West Indies] in August-September. There will be few new faces in the [A] team as it will be easier for us to assess them in the longer version,” said Faruk to the media yesterday.
Faruk informed that the scheduling of the three-match ODI series at home against India was perfect as it will allow the cricketers of the Bangladesh A side to get some much needed match-practice under their belts. The Bangladesh A side will play two four-day matches against their West Indian counterparts before the India series gets underway.
“The second four-dayer is set to conclude on June 5 or 6 and afterwards we will be able to bring back the national cricketers home for the India series. By that time we will get to know who has performed in the two four-day games in the West Indies. And we have the final of the BCL [Bangladesh Cricket League] going on now so all the games before the India series will be taken into consideration,” he said.
The under-performance of the Bangladesh cricket team since January this year has raised quite a few eyebrows and the subsequent inclusions of some off-form players in the team only worsened the criticisms that were levelled at the national side. When queried if there will be wholesale changes in the national side for the India series, Faruk said, “I didn’t try to make that many changes when I took charge as the chief selector three months ago. Yes, we didn’t have a good time on the field in the Sri Lanka series, the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 but that doesn’t mean that drastic changes in the team is the way to go.”
The resignation of head coach Shane Jurgensen left the national side without a coach before the India series in June. Cricket’s governing body plans to rope in a renowned coach but there are lingering doubts at this moment due to the time available.
Faruk said the team is in desperate need of a ‘good’ coach but that is for the board to decide.
“Our team is a prepared one so all the coach needs to do is keep the team motivated. The coach won’t make a big difference in the three-match series to be honest so the job can even be done with an interim coach at the helm,” Faruk added.
