'Have formed the basic structure'

With less than two months to go for the ICC World Cup in England, some participating teams have already announced their final and preliminary squads for the mega event and for the rest, there has been a lot of talk about the cricketers who may make it to the 15-member team.

Bangladesh national selectors are busy with last-moment discussions as they also have kept a close eye on the ongoing Dhaka Premier League and, according to chief selector Minhajul Abedin, they are going to announce the 15-member World Cup squad along with the lineup for the tai-nation series in Ireland on April 18, five days before the ICC deadline of April 23.

"We are going to sit officially with the World Cup squad tomorrow [Tuesday]. We have already formed a basic structure of the main squad as there are one or two slots that we will decide upon over the next few days and we are expected to announce the squad on April 18," Minhajul told The Daily Star yesterday.

Keeping UK conditions in mind, it is likely that Bangladesh will name five pacers in the squad. ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and pace-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin all range between certainties and strong possibilities. And for the fifth option, names of pacer Abu Jayed and Taskin Ahmed are being discussed.

Taskin injured his ankle towards the end of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2019 in February. He was even named for the ODI series in New Zealand and was set for a comeback after picking 22 wickets from just 12 games in the group stage.

The 24-year-old has already started bowling in the nets and is eyeing a return to action through the ongoing DPL.

"Shaon bhai [physio] was there during my bowling session and I later spoke to [BCB chief physician Dr] Debashish [Chowdhury]. They are overall happy with my fitness at this point. I am working as per their plan. I look forward to being back on the field soon," an optimistic Taskin told the media yesterday.

Meanwhile, there was also talk about a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad as batsman Yasir Ali's name was heard following his consistent performances in the BPL and then in the DPL.

Another young cricketer, Mosaddek Hossain, is also under consideration for the probable World Cup squad, mainly for his off-spin and batting in the lower middle order.

However, the remaining slots of the squads are almost confirmed with the likes of Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar set to be the probable partners of Tamim Iqbal in the opening position. 

The Tigers are expected to hold a five-day training camp from April 22 in Dhaka before departing for Ireland for the tri-nation series involving West Indies and the hosts starting from May 7.

Bangladesh will then travel to England and have a five-day conditioning camp at Leicester before the mega event starts from May 30.