17-member camp and the World Cup idea, explained by chief selector Lipu

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a 17-member Bangladesh team for the preparation camp before the series against Zimbabwe. This announcement was made today (Tuesday) at a press conference where the chief selector of the national team, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, spoke about the overall situation. It's not just about focusing on the series against Zimbabwe; rather, there's consideration for upcoming series and tournaments, including the T20 World Cup 2024. Efforts will be made in Chattogram to refine the management and coach through match scenarios.

Bangladesh will play a T20I series against Zimbabwe from May 3 to May 5. Alongside this series, BCB has also announced the team for future series and tournaments. Notably, Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman are excluded at the moment, with Shakib currently with his family in the USA and Mustafiz busy with the IPL.

It has been assured by Gazi Ashraf that the team announcement for the upcoming major tournament has been made due to the limited time available for preparation. He said, "We don't always get ample time for preparation, even for bilateral series. We feel this lack of preparation for bilateral series. We also feel this lack of preparation time for playing in any international global tournament."

He added, "So, in the same format, we have matches against Zimbabwe at home, then three matches against the USA, and then we'll enter the T20 tournament. So, there will be some practice in the scenario of these matches. The team management and head coach will brief them on how to approach our game in different situations in this T20 format, what the planning will be, what role the batsmen will play, and what role the bowlers will play."

On April 26, 27, and 28, these 17 cricketers will prepare in Chattogram's Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium for the match scenarios. Their performance and improvement will be noted by the coaching staff members who are also part of the selection.

The 17 or 19 (including Shakib and Mustafizur) cricketers will give an idea of what kind of team Bangladesh will have for the World Cup. This preparatory camp will be crucial in shaping Bangladesh's entire strategy.

Talking about the World Cup squad, the chief selector mentioned, "Here, you see, we will try to take the maximum advantage. By the 1st, we have set a deadline for the team formation. There's no saying that this team will be the one for the World Cup. A lot of things can happen, there can be injuries. But this team will be close to the final team. It's up to the board to decide whether to announce it or not. It's necessary to give the team as soon as possible."