Bangladesh Team Arrives Early in Pakistan for Test Series
Lahore, August 10, 2024 – The Bangladesh senior men’s cricket team is set to arrive in Lahore on August 13, four days ahead of their scheduled arrival, for a two-Test series against Pakistan. The team will train for three days each at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium before the first Test, which is set to commence on August 21 in Rawalpindi.
The early arrival was prompted by an invitation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to ensure the visiting players have “adequate and fair training opportunities” ahead of the Tests. This decision was made due to the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh, which had disrupted the team’s preparations at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka last week.
“Sports is not only about [camaraderie], it’s also about winning and losing,” said Salman Naseer, the PCB’s chief operating officer. “I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the players to showcase their best skills and talent on the global stage.”
The Bangladesh players have been training individually at the Shere Bangla National Stadium under coach Shohel Islam for the past three days. “We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan,” said BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury. “This will certainly help the players to [acclimatise] to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series.”
The Bangladesh team’s preparation camp in Chattogram was also disrupted due to anti-government protests across the country last month. The BCB was able to send the high-performance team to Australia and the Bangladesh A team to Pakistan, but the latter’s departure was delayed by a few days.
The Bangladesh A team will play two four-day matches and three one-day matches in Pakistan, which will run alongside the senior team’s Test matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Bangladesh squad for the Tests is expected to be announced on Sunday.
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