CHITTAGONG: Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal said he was still not “100 percent” fit to play but nonetheless planned to take the field when the one-day series against Afghanistan begins Wednesday.
The three-match series will begin in Chittagong, with Afghanistan looking for their first ODI series win in Bangladesh at the third attempt.
Tamim missed last month’s 546-run thrashing of the tourists – the biggest Test victory by runs in nearly 90 years – last month due to a back injury.
“I am available for tomorrow. I am better, but I am not 100 per cent,” Tamim told reporters.
“I need to see how much I can cope with. I am not going to do anything that makes the team suffer,” he added.
Afghanistan will be bolstered by the return of the talismanic Rashid Khan, who was rested for the Dhaka Test with the Asia Cup and World Cup in mind.
Fast bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai also return in a much-needed boost for Afghanistan as they seek a rebound from the shock of their Test defeat.
Bangladesh sweat on Tamim fitness for Afghanistan Test
“We are playing ODIs for a long time, we are playing very well, especially in the last two years,” skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said.
“We built the team, and we are working on it and improving match by match. So we have a better team in ODIs.”
Afghanistan has played two previous ODI series in Bangladesh, in 2016 and 2022, losing both 2-1.
The series in Chittagong is a dress rehearsal for the two sides’ World Cup encounter in India.
Afghanistan and Bangladesh will begin their respective World Cup campaigns against each other in Dharamsala on October 7.
The second and third ODIs will also be held in Chittagong, on July 8 and 11, followed by two T20 matches in Sylhet on July 14 and 16.
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