The Bangladesh national cricket team is currently gearing up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur with the ultimate ambition of clinching a gold medal at the Asian Games. Although training has officially commenced, many members of the 15-man squad were notably absent during Sunday’s session. Among the missing players, pacer Shoriful Islam is currently on leave, while Hasan Mahmud has yet to return from his stint playing county cricket in England.
According to updates from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), these players are expected to join the camp shortly. Shoriful is scheduled to rejoin team drills on September 15 following his recovery from an injury, and Hasan is anticipated to cut his county stint short to prioritize the national squad’s preparations. The opening day of the camp also missed players currently on tour in South Africa with the ‘A’ team. However, pace bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana—who are not in the Asian Games squad but remain in the rehabilitation program—were present for the initial fitness and net sessions, overseen by the coaching staff.
Head coach Mohammad Salahuddin is set to lead the squad in Japan, where the team aims to secure the top spot on the podium. Before departing for the tournament, the team is scheduled to play two internal practice matches on September 21 and 22 to finalize their preparations. These games will be held during daylight hours.
The 20th Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, running from September 19 to October 4, with the men’s cricket tournament starting on September 24. Thanks to their current ranking, Bangladesh has earned a direct entry into the quarter-finals and will bypass the group stage. The Tigers are set to play their quarter-final match on September 29, where they will face the winner of Group B, which features Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman.
