A 15-member Bangladesh cricket team will leave Dhaka today (Wednesday) for West Indies to play three-match One Day International (ODI) series beginning August 20 without all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, hoping to play competitive matches, reports UNB.
Tigers are heading towards the Caribbean after 2009, taking it as a big opportunity to remove the stigma of losers they are carrying this year.
Mushfiqur Rahim leads Bangladesh on the back of a dismal record this year with nine defeats in 10 matches in the ODI format.
Before embarking on the tour, the Tigers played two practice matches after rounding up a four-week conditioning camp with their Lankan head coach Chandika Hathurusingha at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS).
Earlier, at a press briefing on Sunday, Captain Mushfiqur Rahim expressed the hope to perform better and play competitive matches during the tour. He said: "If we play competitive matches, we can do well against any strong team at any ground. We always try to give our best and will also try in this tour."
"We want to look forward instead of the past, focusing more on all aspects for better team performance. We can beat any team if the team plays well. Team performance is the main thing," the captain said.
"If Shakib was in the squad, it could have been better. But it doesn't mean that when he is in the squad, every other player will be relaxed," he said citing the absence of suspended all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in the squad.
Bangladesh will play three ODIs in this tour against host West Indies.
Tigers will play the 1st ODI at National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada on August 20 and the 2nd ODI on August 22, also at the same venue. The last match of the 3-match ODI series will be played on August 25 at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.
Before the main matches, Bangladesh team will play a practice match to adjust with local pitch and environment.
Apart from the three ODIs, Bangladesh will play two Tests and a T20 international match against host West Indies during the tour.
Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Mominul Haque, Rubel Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mithun Ali, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Sohag Gazi, Taskin Ahmed, Imrul Kayes and Al-Amin Hossain.
