Mortaza and Rasel ruled out of first practice match

Mashrafe Mortaza will give the first match a miss © Getty Images Enlarge

Injured Bangladesh fast bowlers Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel will miss the first of two practice matches ahead of the team's departure for the Champions Trophy. The matches - postponed from last week due to poor weather - which start today will give the squad valuable practice, as well as giving the selectors a chance to test some new players.

Mortaza sprained his ankle recently after slipping down the stairs at home, while Rasel injured his foot in a motorbike accident last week. Though they have not been included in either of the squads for the matches, Faruque Ahmed, the chief selector, said that they could play the second practice match on September 30, subject to a fitness test scheduled for today.

"Shahadat [Hossain] also suffered an ankle injury but he is alright along with Mashrafe," Ahmed told the Dhaka-based The Daily Star. "We are still concerned over the condition of Rasel ... we will discuss everything during the practice match and decide on the issue."

Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, will lead Team A while Tushar Imran will captain Team B. Bashar, recovering from a finger injury, will use the matches to determine his fitness.

Bangladesh will play another practice game against the Punjab Cricket Association at Mohali on October 5, before their first match of the Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka at the same venue two days later.

Team A - Habibul Bashar (capt), Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Sakib Al Hasan, Forhad Reza, Nadif Chowdhury, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Ziaur Rahman, Shahadat Hossain, Shafaq Al Jabir.

Team B - Tushar Imran (capt), Rajin Saleh, Nazmus Sadat, Jahirul Islam, Mehrab Hossain, Manjarul Islam Rana, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tapash Baisya, Enamul Haque, Nazmul Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Dollar Mahmud, Uttam Sarker.