Selectors keeping a close eye on Bangladesh A series

The ongoing three-match four-day series between Bangladesh A and their visiting West Indies counterparts emerged as a good scope for good match preparation for a few in Bangladesh's Test team ahead of the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.

The second game will begin today and selectors will be keeping a watchful eye on the likes of Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Nayeem Hasan, who are in contention for a place against Afghanistan.

"Some of our regular Test players are featuring for Bangladesh A in the ongoing series. We are keeping a close eye on their performances and I think it is an ideal platform for them to prepare ahead of the Test series against Afghanistan," chief selector Minhajul Abedin told The Daily Star yesterday.

Selectors will announce the squad for the Afghanistan Test in the next few days ahead of the start of training in Mirpur on May 29.

Minhajul said they were considering including a few more players for the third and final four-dayer.

"We are planning to include the likes of Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali and Nurul Hasan for the final four-dayer. We are willing to have a look at some of the cricketers before the Test."

The first four-dayer ended in a draw, but the hosts were pushed hard by the visitors before rain eventually rescued the result for Afif Hossain and Co. The hosts' batting was the biggest area of concern for coach Jamie Siddons, with Bangladesh forced to follow on after the visitors declared their first innings on 427 for seven.

Saif Hasan top-scored with 95 runs in the first innings, but the right-hander faced just 71 deliveries and his attacking approach did not embody a longer-version mentality.

"I want to see the batters bat for six hours. I don't want to see quickfire thirties and flashy twenties. We want to see batters knock the bails off at the end of the day and be ready to bat the next day. That's what four-day cricket is all about. Letting the coach and captain declare. Not being bowled out cheaply," Siddons told the media yesterday.

However, Siddons praised the sporting green-tinged pitch at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, which allowed young pacer Mushfik Hasan to show a glimpse of ability in the first game.

"I was really happy with the pace bowlers. I was surprised with how well they bowled in good areas. A couple of unlucky lbws that would have changed the game a little bit. Maybe we will see a couple of different bowlers, but we are hoping to see the same performance."