Selectors closely monitoring Bangladesh A series

For some members of Bangladesh's Test team, the current three-match, four-day series against the visiting West Indies team offered a good opportunity for match practice before the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.

Today is the start of the second game, and the selectors will be closely monitoring players like Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and Nayeem Hasan who are vying for a spot against Afghanistan.

"Some of our regular Test players are participating in the current series for Bangladesh A. We are closely monitoring their performances, and in my opinion, it is the perfect setting for them to practice before the Test series against Afghanistan, chief selector Minhajul Abedin said yesterday.

Prior to the start of training in Mirpur on May 29, the squad for the Afghanistan Test will be announced by the selectors in the coming days.

For the third and final four-day tournament, Minhajul stated that they were thinking about adding a few more players.

"For the final four-dayer, we intend to include players like Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, and Nurul Hasan. Before the Test, we are willing to observe a few cricketers.

The first four-day match ended in a draw, but the visitors put a lot of pressure on the hosts before rain ultimately saved the day for Afif Hossain and company. Coach Jamie Siddons was most concerned about the hosts' batting because Bangladesh had to bat extra after the visitors declared their first innings at 427 for 7.

Saif Hasan led all scorers in the first innings with 95 runs, but the right-hander only faced 71 deliveries and his aggressive style did not reflect a longer-version mindset.

"For six hours, I want to watch the batters bat. I don't want to see flashy twenties and quick-fire thirties. At the conclusion of the day, batters should remove the bails and be prepared to bat the following day. Four-day cricket revolves around that. letting the captain and coach make a decision. Not being cheaply bowled out," Siddons said to the press yesterday.

However, Mushfik Hasan, a young pacer, was able to display some promise in the first game thanks to the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium's sporting green-tinged pitch, which Siddons praised.

"The pace bowlers really pleased me. I was taken aback by how well they bowled in favorable conditions. A few unlucky lbws that might have slightly altered the outcome. Possibly a few different bowlers will be present, but we are hoping for the same performance.