Litton's captaincy debut headlines low-key Mirpur Test

The 2021-23 cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) is over with Australia clinching the title after beating India in the final at the Oval. The 2023-25 cycle is going to begin on Friday with the Ashes, one of the most anticipated Test series of the year. So, the non-WTC one-off Test between Bangladesh and a depleted and inexperienced Afghanistan might not gain much traction. 

Afghanistan have happy memories of playing in whites in this part of the world with their only win in this format coming against Bangladesh. But that was way back in 2019 and a lot of players from that match have either retired or been dropped. 

Both Afghanistan and Bangladesh will miss their marquee players - Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan - due to injuries. The latter is now the captain of the Test and T20I side. Interestingly, after that loss in Chattogram in 2019, Shakib made a shocking statement, saying he was not "mentally fit" to lead in Tests and T20Is.

A lot, though, has changed since that match. Shakib got banned for a year, had time off the game, returned to cricket and now again is leading in those two formats. 

But Wednesday will see a new captain, in fact two, donning the blazer in Mirpur. Litton Das, in Shakib's absence, will make his captaincy debut. He has already captained Bangladesh in the other two formats but it will be his first time in Tests. Hashmatullah Shahidi will also lead Afghanistan in Tests for the first time, two years after being named captain. 

Shahidi, of course, became Afghanistan's first double-centurion in Tests in their last Test match against Zimbabwe. He will be accompanied by Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah in the batting order, providing the much-needed solidity.

The absence of the talismanic Rashid will leave a big hole and Afghanistan will expect 19-year-old leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naveed to deliver the goods in spite of his inexperience.

Left-arm wrist spinner Zahir Khan, who got the wickets of Litton, Shakib and Mosaddek Hossain in 2019, will also play a big role.

But the pitch, at least from the outside, looks different from the one used in 2019 in Chattogram. The decision of having a spin-friendly track backfired as Afghanistan toyed with the hosts. The pitch, this time around, is likely to assist fast bowlers and it was evident from Bangladesh's selection as well when they picked as many as five pacers in the squad. 

The hosts will have a couple of selection headaches as opener Tamim Iqbal's back pain has recurred. The southpaw didn't look comfortable in training sessions and could be out of the Test. In that case, back-up opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who scored a match-saving hundred against the West Indies A recently in Sylhet, will take his spot. Fit-again Zakir Hasan should be the other opener. 

Weather may have a big say in the Test and Litton has already hinted that if the condition is overcast, the team winning the toss will definitely like to take advantage of it. 

Day one of the one-off Test will begin at 10 am local time on Wednesday.