Tigers to be based in Brisbane
Bangladesh will play a total of four practice matches in Australia before they begin their 50-over World Cup campaign, set to begin in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 next year.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to send the national team 12 days ahead of the start of the mega event. The Tigers will leave on January 26 next year for Brisbane.
“The official practice matches for the World Cup will begin on February 6. But we are sending them 12 days ahead in order to help them acclimatise to the conditions early,” BCB Director Jalal Yunus told reporters at Mirpur yesterday.
According to Yunus, Bangladesh will kick-start their campaign with two 50-over games against a 'tough' invitational Australian eleven. Both these games will take place at the Allan Border Field, a cricket ground at the suburb of Brisbane where the Australian Cricket Academy is based.
The Tigers will then play two official ODIs against international teams. The board, which had received an offer to play two more 50-over games, however, declined in a bid to avoid overstressing the players.
The board had initially planned to send the Bangladesh team for a camp much before the World Cup. However, that plan was cancelled as the BCB wanted the players to participate in the Dhaka Premier League which is expected to begin in the first week of October.
The Tigers will take part in two bilateral series -- against the West Indies in August-September and Zimbabwe in October -- before the mega event. The Tiger are in for a long series against Zimbabwe with three Tests and five ODIs.
Bangladesh, who will begin their World Cup campaign on February 18 against Afghanistan and will play three group-stage matches in Australia and two in New Zealand.
Apart from Afghanistan, the Tigers will face Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Scotland in the group stages.
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