New Zealand to reach Sylhet tomorrow for 1st Test against Tigers

Dhaka, 21 Nov -Visiting New Zealand will reach Sylhet tomorrow for

the first of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

They will however land in Dhaka tonight and will stay at a hotel before boarding an early morning flight for Sylhet tomorrow.

The visitors will start practice on Thursday. The World Cup semifinalist was supposed to play a two-day warm-up game, which later was cancelled at the request of their board as they want the players to take some rest after a grueling World Cup journey.

The first Test commences from November 28 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium while the second and final Test will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from December 6.

The series is the first World Test Championship series for Bangladesh in 2023-25 cycle.

Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh in absence of Shakib Al Hasan who fractured his index finger during World Cup. Liton Das who led the Bangladesh's last Test match against Afghanistan in June was approved a paternity leave for a month.

Veteran Opener Tamim Iqbal skipped the series while fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain were ruled out due to injury.

Meanwhile Tamim's elder brother Nafis Iqbal was reappointed as the team manager of the Bangladesh national cricket team for series against New Zealand, the BCB's Cricket Operations department confirmed.

Nafis, the former Bangladesh opener, was working as Bangladesh's team manager till the ODI series against New Zealand in September, the side's last bilateral engagement before the World Cup.

During the third and final ODI of that series, while the match was still
going on, Nafis left the dressing room all of a sudden. It was later revealed that he was excluded from the Bangladesh contingent for the World Cup.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Naeem Hasan, Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shahadat Hossain, Hasan Morad.

New Zealand: Tim Southee (Captain), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Neil Wagner.