The Bangladesh national cricket team kicked off their preparations for the upcoming Asian Games with a training camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

Out of the 15 players selected in the Asian Games squad, there were some absences in the day’s session.

Pacer Shoriful Islam is currently on leave and is expected to join the camp on September 15. Hasan Mahmud is yet to return from England after his stint with Kent in the County Championship.

Players currently representing the Bangladesh 'A' team in South Africa are also scheduled to join the Asian Games squad after returning from the tour. 

The 20th Asian Games will be held in Japan's Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4. The men's T20 cricket competition will begin on September 24.

Bangladesh, along with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has qualified directly for the quarterfinals based on ranking.

The Tigers will begin their campaign on September 28 against the winner of Group B, featuring Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman.

A total of 14 teams will compete in the men's cricket event. The group-stage matches are scheduled for September 24-26, followed by the quarterfinals on September 28 and 29, the semifinals on October 1 and the final and bronze-medal match on October 3.

Bangladesh won the bronze medal in men's cricket at the previous Asian Games. The team has now started its preparations with the aim of clinching the gold medal for the first time in Asian Games since 2010.

Bangladesh Squad

Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy (vc), Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud.