New Delhi, 23 July (H.S.): Bangladesh fast bowler Ibadat Hossain will miss the upcoming two-match Test series against Australia. According to the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Ibadat will remain in Bangladesh following the birth of his first child and will not travel with the team for the Australia tour.

Bangladesh will face Australia in a two-match Test series beginning on August 13 in Darwin. The series is part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Bangladesh are currently placed fourth in the WTC points table and will look to strengthen their position with a strong performance against Australia.

However, amid Ibadat’s absence, Bangladesh have received some relief as experienced fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) to focus on preparations for the Australia tour.

Explaining his decision, Taskin said his priority was to be fully prepared for the challenging Test series in Australia.

My main focus is preparing for the Australia tour. We played six consecutive matches in Zimbabwe. If I had also participated in the LPL and then travelled directly to Australia, my Test preparations would have been affected. Therefore, despite taking a small loss, I decided to withdraw from the LPL. Test series against Australia do not come around frequently, Taskin said.

Fitness concerns over Nahid Rana and Litton Das

Bangladesh are also monitoring the fitness of another fast bowler, Nahid Rana, whose availability depends on the results of a scan after he suffered an injury on the side of his body.

Experienced batter Litton Das is also recovering from a calf injury, and the team management remains hopeful that he will be fit and available for the Test series against Australia.

The Bangladesh team is expected to arrive in Australia early next month and will play a three-day practice match against Cricket Australia XI in Darwin from August 3.

Confidence in batters despite recent setback

Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful has backed the team’s batters despite their heavy defeat against Zimbabwe in the recent Test series.

Ashraful said the challenge in Australia would be difficult, but arriving 10-12 days early and getting the opportunity to play a practice match would help the team prepare better.

Australia will be a tough challenge, but the positive thing is that we will reach there 10-12 days earlier and get a chance to play a practice match. If all players remain fit, we can perform well, Ashraful said.

He added that Bangladesh’s batters had performed consistently well over the past seven months and one poor series or Test match should not lead to disappointment.

The batters have performed exceptionally well over the last seven months. One bad series or one poor Test does not mean we should lose confidence. Playing in different conditions has given the players valuable experience, and we believe they can perform better in Australia, he said.

Series Schedule:

First Test: August 13-17, Darwin

Second Test: August 22-26, Mackay

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar