Shawdesh Desk:

A 21-member Bangladesh preliminary test cricket team left Dhaka for Sri Lanka on Monday noon to play a two- match test series against the Island nation.

A chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying a large 41- member Bangladesh team including cricketers, coaches, supporting staff, newly appointed Deputy Manager of BCB Cricket Operations and former national opener Shahriar Nafees and other BCB officials left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital at around 12:30pm, airport sources said.

After reaching Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh team will go to Negombo for a three-day room quarantine from Apr 12-14.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the 21-member preliminary squad including three new faces.

The final squad for the two-match Test series will be announced after the preliminary team reaches Sri Lanka and plays an intra-squad practice game scheduled for April 17-18.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation, Bangladesh team will have to play practice match among themselves and for that reason, the BCB has decided carry all the 21 cricketers to Sri Lanka.

The series will begin on April 21 with the first Test, and the second and final Test will start on April 29, both will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

For the two- match series, BCB included three uncapped pace-bowlers –Shohidul Islam, Shoriful Islam and Mukidul Islam Mugdho– while old guy Shuvagata Hom made a surprise comeback to the Test set-up after a gap of four years.

The 21-member preliminary Test team of Bangladesh for the Sri Lanka tour:

Mominul Haque (Captain) , Litton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shadman Islam, Abu Jayed Rahi, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Saif Hassan, Yasir Ali, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Mukidul Islam Mugdho, Shuvagata Hom, Shohidul Islam and Nurul Hasan Sohan