SPORTS REPORTER

Bangladesh players enjoyed a rare moment of quiet during the Eid break ahead of a busy international year with plenty of cricket coming up. Following their 2-0 Test triumph against Pakistan, the majority of the stars spent time with family, but focus will soon shift to One-Day Internationals as the Tigers begin camp on June 6 to prepare for the three-match home series against Australia, starting on June 9.

The camp was pushed back due to Dhaka Premier League commitments, BCB cricket operations officials confirmed. The likes of Litton Das, who had been enjoying his time off out of the country, have also returned. Ahead of the start of preparations, chief selector Habibul Bashar relayed that all players are available for selection, bar Tanzim Sakib, who is out injured.

The ODI series will take precedence, with 2027 World Cup qualification still on the line. Pakistan, courtesy of a spin-friendly wicket, won the first ODI against Australia at Rawalpindi on Saturday. However, Bangladesh are on a run of three consecutive ODI series wins, so the team management may prefer similar conditions to the recent 50-over series against New Zealand and Pakistan.

Travis Head will join the Australia side for the Bangladesh tour, having skipped the ongoing Pakistan ODIs. Yet Bangladesh may feel there is a pace advantage with veterans Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins missing from the Aussie squad.

The chief selector was not keen on talking about conditions and felt that a focus on Australia’s strengths was not going to prove advantageous.

Asked about 50-over priorities, Bashar said: “Next World Cup is fifty overs and although all series are important.

“Even if Australia send their second-string or even lower-strength side, they would still fare well, so we can’t think of Starc or Cummins not being there, as the rest are good bowlers too. They are the world champions and we can’t really concern ourselves too much with who is coming and who is not.”

It could be surmised that the Tigers would be focused on what they can do well, buoyed by recent wins against New Zealand and Pakistan at home. Looking back at last year’s home series against the West Indies, pitches provided a great deal of turn during the Tigers’ 2-1 series win.

However, with the pace attack reaping the rewards of continued hard work, the likes of Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman will be raring to take the challenge to Australia’s batters. The Tigers also have a formidable spin unit, forming an “overall good bowling attack”.

With balance in the bowling attack, the Tigers will be hoping the batting clicks into gear, with Australia slated to arrive on June 5.

“What we want to focus on is playing good cricket.”