Mashrafe returns to action

Bangladesh limited-overs captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will return to cricket today at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium today as he leads out Team Green against a Nasir Hossain-led Team Red in the first practice match for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

Mashrafe has been out of action since fracturing his right thumb during the third and final T20I against New Zealand at the Bay Oval in January.

"Mashrafe is now fit and that's why he has been included in the ODI squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka. But as he has been out of cricket for two months, this practice match will help him a lot and he can fully understand his position," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin yesterday.

Shuvagata Hom, Sanjamul Islam and Nurul Hasan -- who are also part of the ODI team for the Sri Lanka series -- have also been drafted into the practice team. The three of them, along with Mashrafe, will fly for Colombo on March 18 after playing the first practice match.

The Green and Red teams will play three more practice matches as part of their preparations for the eight-team team Emerging Teams Asia Cup, which will kick off in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar on March 27.

After the second practice match at Fatullah on March 18, the remaining two matches will be held in Cox's Bazar on March 22 and March 23.

The national selectors will meet today to finalise the 15-member Bangladesh Under-23 squad.

Bangladesh were drafted in Group B alongside Hong Kong, Pakistan and Nepal and they will play their group matches in Cox's Bazar.

Squad

TEAM GREEN: Mehedi Hasan Maruf, Azmir Ahmed, Shahriar Nafees, Tushar Imran, Tanveer Haider, Salman Hossain, Zakir Hasan, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Ebadat Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Qazi Anik Islam, Shuvagata Hom, Nayeem Hasan, Rahatul Ferdous and Syed Khaled Hasan.

TEAM RED: Afif Hossain, Saif Hasan, Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Hossain, Nasir Hossain (captain), Yasir Ali, Abul Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Abu Hider, Nasum Ahmed, Nayeem Hasan Jr, Shafiul Islam, Yeasin Arafat, Nurul Hasan and Sanjamul Islam.