Bangladesh HP captain Irfan Shukkur has set his sights on winning the Top End T20 title as the team arrived in Darwin for the tournament.
The entire competition will be played in Darwin, where the Bangladesh High Performance side have already begun their preparations. Bangladesh finished runners-up on their first appearance in the Top End series but were knocked out in the group stage in the most recent edition.
Shukkur is determined to go one better this time, while stressing the importance of taking the campaign one match at a time.
“I think every time we came here, our goal was to become champions. We were runners-up once, and another time we were probably knocked out in the first round. This time, our goal will be to win the championship, but we will try to take it match by match,” Shukkur told Bangladeshi media in Australia.
Former Bangladesh internationals Mahmudullah Riyad and Imrul Kayes are part of the HP coaching setup. Both are still playing first-class cricket, and Shukkur believes their recent experience will be valuable for the young squad.
“If you look at both of them, they haven’t completely left cricket yet. They are still playing first-class matches. So I think sharing their experience from the field with us will be a very good thing,” he said.
Bangladesh HP have included Sabbir Rahman in their squad for the Top End T20 series. Shamim Hossain Patwary, Ripon Mondal, Mrityunjoy Chowdhury and Jishan Alam are also part of the squad.
The Top End T20 series will begin on August 21, with Bangladesh set to make their third appearance in the tournament organised by Northern Territory Cricket in Australia.
Alongside Nepal’s national team, New Zealand A will also feature in the competition. Big Bash League franchise Hobart Hurricanes, Cricket Victoria, Adelaide Strikers and the host Northern Territory Strike Academy will make up the rest of the field.
According to the schedule, Bangladesh will begin their campaign on Saturday, August 22, against Nepal.
