Bijoy expects ‘highly competitive’ four-day opener

Bangladesh A skipper Anamul Haque Bijoy on Monday expressed his optimism about having a competitive four-day opening match against their Pakistani counterparts as he felt that both sides have some highly experienced cricketers.

"We are very excited about facing the Pakistan Shaheens side in their backyard. The Shaheens squad looks strong, especially the fast bowling department. With the highly experienced players on either side, the first four-dayer will be highly competitive," Anamul was quoted as saying in a Pakistan Cricket Board press release on the eve of the first of two four-day games, scheduled to start on Tuesday at the Islamabad Club.

Both teams have packed their sides with players who will feature in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures, to be played in Rawalpindi and Karachi on 21-25 August and 30 August-3 September, respectively.

Test probables in the Pakistan Shaheens are Saud Shakeel (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Sarfaraz Ahmed, while Hasan Mahmud, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan and Zakir Hasan are the Bangladesh 'A' players who will join the Test side following the first four-day match.

The second match will be played at the same venue from 20-23 August but the abovementioned mentioned cricketers won't be available due to their national team engagement.

Anamul believes the series is a very crucial one for the Bangladeshi players for their Test series preparation while he feels that youngsters can rise to the occasion.

"This series is also crucial for the Bangladesh players looking to prepare for the upcoming Test series and youngsters who aim to stake a claim in the senior side," he concluded.

The two sides had most recently played a two-match series in Darwin, Australia, which ended in 1-1.

"Bangladesh are always competitive, particularly with spin. We look forward to the challenge on our home turf," Pakistan skipper Shakeel said.