First ODI against WI today

As many as four players -- bowlers Shohag Gazi and Abul Hasan and batsmen Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque -- could be given Bangladesh debut when the five-ODI series against the West Indies gets underway at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium here today.
Of the four, Shohag, Mominul and Anamul are all set to take the field this morning while Hasan may replace fellow paceman Rubel Hossain.
The match starts at 9:00am and satellite television Channel 9 will provide live coverage.
When Bangladesh take on the West Indies, it will be the hope that the home team can get everything right taking on the certainty that the visitors have the personnel to overcome Bangladesh even if they do. The odds are stacked against Bangladesh in the match as they face an arsenal of explosive talent, that too without the one man who can match them blow for blow.
Champion Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will miss the first two ODIs because of a shin injury, and for the Tigers it could not have come at a less opportune time. His bowling will be sorely missed, being the most accurate and incisive of the Bangladesh bowlers, and particularly because it will be the first match in which the new ODI rules will be enforced, one of which makes life more difficult than it already is for bowlers.
The changes comprise three new rules -- bowlers will be allowed two bouncers per over instead of one; there will be two blocks of Powerplay overs instead of three (the first will be during the first ten overs of an innings with a maximum of two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle and the second to be taken by the batting side will be a block of five overs, during which a maximum of three fielders will be allowed outside the circle, to be completed by the 40th over); and the maximum fielders allowed outside the circle during non-Powerplay overs has been reduced to four from five.
The last time the two teams locked horns was in a three-match ODI series in late 2011 in Bangladesh, which the West Indies won 2-1, but they were a considerably weaker team at that time.
The pitch is almost certain to be a batting-friendly one, while a bit on the slower side. Irrespective of the conditions, the Tigers will have a task on their hands to overcome a side that contains the likes of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Kemar Roach and Kieron Pollard.
It is worth remembering that the last time Bangladesh played ODI cricket was during the Asia Cup in March where they performed fabulously to narrowly miss the title. They will have to reprise that level of performance if they are to take anything away from today's match.