Big Picture

When the players finally take the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s green, it will end Bangladesh’s nine-month wait for international cricket.

The frustration of watching every other team play will then give way to the usual nerves, excitement and reality of playing it themselves. Once West Indies confirmed that they would be keeping their commitment to tour, following a thorough inspection by CWI, it became a countdown for everyone involved with the Bangladesh team.

They will play under a new captain, with Tamim Iqbal appointed last March. He has had to wait through the nine months of postponements, but now he has a full-strength side, especially with Shakib Al Hasan returning to the side following his one-year ban. But it’s almost as if Shakib was never sidelined – for failing to report a corrupt approach to the authorities – because there was very little cricket for the home team due to Covid-19 since the ICC announced the suspension in October 2019.

Due to the strict protocols of the bio-secure bubble, the Bangladesh selectors have picked a squad of 18, including three newcomers in Shoriful Islam, Mahedi Hasan and Hasan Mahmud.

Tamim has a settled top and middle-order, with only the bowling combination to be determined, but that would depend a lot on the conditions. There would, though, be a lot of attention to those players who have shown good form and fitness in two recent domestic competitions, unlike the visitors who are now the most travelled international team during the pandemic.