Red-ball pace trio help Tigers prepare for Dutch attack

Despite having five pace bowling options in the squad, Bangladesh are carrying three extra pacers in Nahid Rana, Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain in Sylhet to better prepare for the Dutch pace attack they are set to face in the three-match T20I series starting on Saturday.

Bangladesh have four pacers in Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam, and one fast-bowling all-rounder in Mohammad Saifuddin in their 16-member squad for the Netherlands series.

The same squad will then travel to the UAE to take part in the Asia Cup, scheduled to start on September 9.

Despite not even being in the standby list for Asia Cup, Nahid, Khaled and Ebadot-- who mostly play red-ball cricket for the Tigers -- have been practicing with the side in Sylhet in the preparation camp.

"The reason they are here is because they bowl and train with us. And also because our batters will get that level of practice before the game that we know they [Netherlands] will offer us in the games," Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons told The Daily Star yesterday.

The Dutch pace attack will be led by Paul van Meekeren, who was the player-of-the-match in Netherlands' 87-run win over Bangladesh in the 2023 ICC World Cup in India with figures of 4-23, and also features Fred Klaasssen, Ryan Klein and Kyle Klein.