Batsmen in 'good shape'

Bangladesh team manager Habibul Bashar has said that the team are in much better shape after their three-day practice match, which was played against St Kitts and Nevis at St Kitts.

The three-day match that ended as a draw saw Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim and middle order batsman Nasir Hossain both score centuries. Imrul Kayes and Shuvagata Hom also played well, scoring 48 and 46 respectively.

While the top order failed in the first innings, the likes of Tamim Iqbal and Shamsur Rahman bounced back by sharing a 94-run stand in the second innings.

“The batsmen are more confident now. They needed the boost especially after their performance in the ODI series,” said Bashar.

“Today (Wednesday) we had our first training session and as of now we seem in good shape. We have not gotten a chance to see the wickets as yet so we still have not decided on our team's combination,” he added.  

The first Test is going to be played at St Vincent from Friday.

The tied highest wicket-takers at St Vincent are Mahmudullah Riyad and Muttiah Muralidaran, each with eight wickets in their only Test there.