Bangladesh Test squad to arrive in Pakistan four days earlier than planned

The Bangladesh senior men's team will be arriving in Lahore on August 13, ahead of schedule, for their upcoming two-Test series. They will have a total of six days to prepare, with three days of training at both the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The first Test will be held in Rawalpindi starting on August 21.

The players' preparations had been disrupted as a result of the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh. The overseas coaching staff of the team also couldn't join the players at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka last week because of security concerns. BCB is currently following up with the coaches' respective embassies for security clearances.

The departure ahead of schedule came after an invitation from the PCB to the BCB to ensure the visiting players have "adequate and fair training opportunities" ahead of the Tests.

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"Sports is not only about winning and losing, it's also about [camaraderie]," Salman Naseer, PCB chief operating officer, said in a statement. "I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the players to showcase their best skills and talent on the global stage."

The Bangladesh players have been training individually at the Shere Bangla under coach Shohel Islam for the last three days.

"We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan," BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said in a statement. "This will certainly help the players to [acclimatise] to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series."

Bangladesh's Test cricketers had a training camp in Chattogram that was disrupted because of the anti-government protests across the country last month. There have been political rallies inside the Shere Bangla premises, too.

The BCB ended up managing to send the high-performance team to Australia, and the Bangladesh A team to Pakistan. The latter's departure was delayed by a few days, and the team reached Islamabad on Saturday. Bangladesh A will play two four-day matches and three one-day matches in Pakistan, which will run alongside the senior team's Test matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Bangladesh squad for the Tests is expected to be announced on Sunday.