Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to leave Dhaka on Sunday but Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is yet to announce squad for the upcoming prestigious South Asia Games which will take place in Nepal.
Almost all Bangladeshi athletes reached in Nepal but Bangladesh's men cricket team will fly for Nepal on December 1 morning. The BCB selectors have already submitted the squad.
According to the selector, Nazmul Hasan Shanto will lead Bangladesh SA Games cricket team. Shanto led Bangladesh team in recent concluded Emerging Team's Asia Cup which was held in Bangladesh. Despite showing spirit show throughout Emerging teams Asia Cup, hosts Bangladesh suffered crushing defeat against Pakistan in the final.
According to the source, Bangladesh's most of Emerging teams' players will play in the upcoming SA Games. Bangladesh cricket team won gold in 2010 SA games. The last edition of SA Games was held in 2016 but there was no cricket event in that edition. Nepal will host 2019 SA games where cricket will return in this edition. As usual cricket-mad Bangladesh is one of favourites in this discipline.
With promising leg spinner Aminul Islam ruled out due to injury, Bangladesh added batsman Saif Hasan and pacer Manik Khan. BCB selector Habibul Bashar hinted international experienced Soumya Sarkar will also be added in SA Games squad.
"We can include three players who are over 23 aged. That's why we chose Soumya. We don't want to make big change in Emerging team. This is a balanced side and played several series recently. We don't want to break the combination." Habibul Bashar said on Friday.
Bashar one of the selectors of Bangladesh cricket team will also go in SA Games as Bangladesh team manager. Bangladesh's women's cricket team has already reached in Nepal.
Bangladesh men's team will launch their campaign on December 4 against Maldives. They will play against Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka in their rest group matches on December 6,7 and 8 respectively. All the matches will be held in Kathmandu.
The 13th edition of the 7-nation South Asian Games, the biggest sports carnival of the region, will be held in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and in the tourist town of Pokhara on December 1-10.
Bangladesh Women's Cricket team, led by Salma Khatun, left Dhaka on Friday to compete in the women's cricket competition beginning in the tourist town on December 2. Bangladesh women's team was placed in the three-team Group B along with Pakistan and Maldives while the four-team Group A comprises of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan.
Bangladesh women's will play Maldives on December 2 and Pakistan on December 5, both at the Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara.The top two teams from each of the groups will play semi-finals on December 7 while the final will be held on December 9.