Soumya, Ariful to fly to West Indies tonight

Soumya Sarkar and Ariful Haque will leave for West Indies tonight to join the Tigers' squad ahead of the T20 series against the hosts starting on July 31, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector Habibul Bashar informed.

Soumya was included in Bangladesh A team's squad for their tour of Ireland and is set to lead the T20 side as the captain. He will also act as deputy to Mominul Haque for the one-day series which is set to begin on August 1.

Ariful featured for the A side during the recently concluded home series against Sri Lanka A. Ariful is hoping that the experience will come good against West Indies.

"If you look at the Sri Lanka A side, you will find that many of their players came from the national side. Playing against a side like that increased my self-belief. That is why I think that if given the chance, I will give my best."

Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will return home after the ODI series against West Indies with the final match in the series scheduled for July 28.

The Bangladesh A team will depart for Ireland on July 28 and will take on the hosts in a five-match one-day series followed by a three-match T20I series.