Bangladesh return to the Sharjah Stadium for the first time in 29 years when they meet 'host' Afghanistan in the opening game of a three-match ODI series on Wednesday.
They are also playing the 50-over format for the first time in more than eight months but the Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes the series is a good platform to build on their preparations for the Champions Trophy.
“We are familiar with this team [Afghanistan] and have a clear game plan,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“Those at the top of the order need to take responsibility for handling the new ball. The start is crucial in any format, but I don't want the batters to feel overly pressured. I want them to enjoy the game and contribute their best.”
Bangladesh’s preparations for the Champions Trophy – that starts in Pakistan on February 19 – extends to a tour in the West Indies, with Shanto emphasising that these matches were important to restore the team’s confidence.
“The six matches against Afghanistan here and three more against the West Indies are really important for us,” he said.
“Obviously we want to win every game and building the confidence would be helpful for the Champions Trophy. The results here and on the tour to the West Indies will give us a clearer idea of our team’s form.”
Bangladesh head into the series on the back of two Test defeats to South Africa while Afghanistan enjoyed their first bilateral ODI series win over the Proteas in Sharjah last month.
The Tigers have been forced into major changes to their squad due to non-availability and fitness issues with key players Shakib Al Hasan opting out of the series while Litton Das is down with a fever and Tanzim Hasan is out with a shoulder injury.
“These things are beyond our control,” Shanto said of the absentees. “As players, it's essential to make the most of our abilities and available resources. We've played many matches against this team [Afghanistan]. If external issues can be managed smoothly in future series, it would be beneficial for us.”
Bangladesh suffered further setbacks as their left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and pacer Nahid Rana were unable to travel due to visa delays. And that leaves them without a left-arm spinner for the first ODI.
However, Shanto is confident leg-spinner Rishad Hossain can step up to fill the void effectively.
“We're hopeful that Nasum and Rana will join us soon,” he said. “The cricket board is handling it well. There's still time, so we're optimistic they'll arrive, though it would have been better if they'd come a bit earlier. But it's beyond our control.
“We also have leg-spinner Rishad Hossain as a good option. His performances in T20s have been outstanding.”
Afghanistan have brought in opening batter Sediqullah Atal and left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad in place of the injured pair of Ibrahim Zadran and Mujeeb ur Rahman.
Atal was in the spotlight at the recent Asia Cup for emerging teams, where he struck three quick fifties to finish as the highest scorer. There is also the 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Bilal Sami, who used the short ball effectively against Sri Lanka A at the recent emerging team's tournament.
Noor recently took 22 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League to finish as the Player of the Tournament along with quick Fazalhaq Farooqi.
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