‘Not a matter of standards’
Bangladesh Under-23 might not even get to play against their Indian counterparts in the final match of their ongoing five-match one day series as there is a heavy chance of rain in Lucknow today. But even if the weather permits, a win for the visitors would not make much of a difference as Bangladesh have already lost the series 3-1 with the last match to be played today.
Bangladesh's batsmen struggled throughout the series. However, Bangladesh Cricket Board selector Habibul Bashar, who is currently with the team, explained the reason behind the team's batting debacle.
"Obviously India Under-23 team is very strong. We actually had to leave four batsmen from the squad at the last moment when we came here. Afif [Hossain], Nazmul [Hossain Shanto], Naim Sheikh and [Aminul Islam] Biplob were left behind as they were supposed to play for the national team. So for that reason, our batting unit became a bit weak," explained Bashar to The Daily Star yesterday.
There has been a question mark over the standard of Bangladesh's domestic cricket. Bashar however thought that it is not the difference in local cricket standards that caused such result.
"It is nothing like that [on the standards of Indian domestic cricket being better than Bangladesh's]. As I said, we left out four batsmen who would usually play for the under-23 side. That was a factor. Also, one other thing is that it has been raining here and it made the playing conditions a bit difficult. Batting became difficult because of the conditions here. As you see, some of the matches could only be played for 20 or 22 overs. There is forecast for rain tomorrow [today] as well. The chances of the match taking place is very slim."
Whether the standard has been an issue or not, Bashar seemed confident that Bangladesh could get some future prospects from this squad as he mentioned that players like Sheikh Mahedi, Tanvir Islam and Shafiqul Islam has shown great potential.
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