National team to face All-Star XI ahead of Pakistan series

Bangladesh’s national cricketers will begin their preparations for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan with a match on the field. On Saturday (March 7), a special practice game will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, where the national squad selected for the Pakistan series will take on a BCL All-Star XI formed from standout performers of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL).

The All-Star side features several players who impressed in the recent BCL. The team will be led by Under-19 World Cup–winning captain Akbar Ali. The squad also includes Ripon Mondol, Abdul Gaffar Saklain, Robiul Haque, Mahfizul Islam Robin, Naeem Sheikh, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Soumya Sarkar, Nayeem Hasan, Khaled Ahmed, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat and Zisan Alam among others.

The match is scheduled to begin at 2:15 pm and is expected to finish around 9:55 pm. After the game, the national players will shift their full focus to preparations for the Pakistan series.

If all goes as planned, the three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Pakistan will start on March 11. The remaining two matches are scheduled for March 13 and March 15, with all three games set to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

BCL All-Stars squad:

Akbar Ali (captain), Naeem Sheikh, Soumya Sarkar, Mahfizul Islam Robin, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Tanvir Islam, Ripon Mondol, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Abdul Gaffar Saklain, Robiul Haque, Rakibul Hasan, Zisan Alam and Nayeem Hasan.

Bangladesh squad for the Pakistan series:

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Mahidul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Nahid Rana.