BCB XI named for West Indies warm-up as domestic performers get their big audition

A group of domestic performers will get the chance to sharpen themselves before the two-match World Test Championship series against the West Indies. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a 14-member BCB XI for a two-day warm-up match against the Caribbean visitors. Jaker Ali is the only player in the squad with experience of playing Test cricket for the national team.

The West Indies team arrived in Dhaka last Sunday. After a day's rest, they trained in Mirpur. From tomorrow, the visitors will take on the BCB XI in the warm-up match at the Bashundhara Sports City cricket ground. The match was originally scheduled for three days but was shortened to two at the West Indies' request.

The Anvir Cricket Stadium in Bashundhara will host the game on 22 and 23 October, when the BCB XI and the West Indies meet in the warm-up fixture. For both sides, it is the last chance to adjust to the conditions before the main series begins.

Several players who have performed in domestic cricket have been picked for the warm-up squad. Special attention will be on Mahfizul Islam, the right-handed opener from Mymensingh who has scored two centuries and two fifties in five innings in the National Cricket League. After that consistent run, he now gets the chance to prove himself against an international side.

Dhaka's Jisan Alam and Barishal's Iftikhar Hossain are Mahfizul's likely opening partners in the squad. Khulna batsman Kalam Siddique, who has scored 195 runs in four innings, has also been included. For each of them, the match is a stage on which to catch the national selectors' eye.

Another familiar face in the squad is Shamim Hossain, a known name in Bangladesh's T20 side. The warm-up is a chance for him to present himself as well, and a strong showing in the longer format could open a path into future Test discussions.

In terms of experience, Jaker Ali is the squad's biggest name. He was also in Bangladesh's Test squad for the most recent series against Afghanistan. The national team's regular Test cricketers have not been kept in this warm-up side, so the main responsibility falls on young and domestic performers, with Jaker's experience an added source of assurance.

The announced BCB XI comprises Mahfizul Islam, Jisan Alam, Kalam Siddique, Iftikhar Hossain, Jaker Ali, S M Mehrob Hossain, Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan, Aich Mollah, Shamim Hossain, Abdul Halim, Anik Deb Barman, Fahad Hossain, Hossain and San. The hosts will go into the two-day match with this 14-man squad.

The real contest begins right after the warm-up. The first Bangladesh-West Indies Test starts on 28 October at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The second and final Test begins on 5 November in Sylhet. With World Test Championship points at stake, the series matters to both teams.

All told, the warm-up is not just a rehearsal for the visitors but a major test for a crop of players who have done well in domestic cricket. A strong performance against an international side could turn their careers, and it could also give the selectors a glimpse of new faces for the future Test team.