India-Pakistan-Bangladesh TriSeries - Kitply Cup 2008

After IPL's success as a being a thriller among the indian public the tri-series in Bangladesh will be a test of patience. Spectators will have to appreciate the building of an innings as they sit through the pedestrian run-rate of one-day cricket, and watch as overs are bowled without a six being hit or a wicket falling. For the Indian and Pakistani players involved with the IPL, the challenge will be to readjust their batting styles to the longer format: not to go for broke from the onset, think about keeping wickets in hand, and to give a few overs to the bowler if he's in the middle of a dangerous spell.

The tournament's format - three league matches - is such that it allows no room for error. India and Pakistan have the mos t to lose. One slip-up and it will be down to net run-rate to qualify for the final. The irony is that if there's an India-Pakistan final, it is more likely to fade from public memory as most one-day matches eventually do.

Series Fixtures:
1st Match: Bangladesh vs Pakistan at Mirpur Jun 8, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
2nd Match: India vs Pakistan at Mirpur Jun 10, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
3rd Match: Bangladesh vs India at Mirpur Jun 12, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST
Final Match: TBC vs TBC at Mirpur Jun 14, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 15:00 PST

The Teams:

Bangladesh Squad

Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafe Mortaza (Vice-Captain), Abdur Razzakz, Alok Kapali, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mushfiqur Rahim (w.k), Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Dhiman Ghosh, Junaid Siddique, Mosharraf Hossain, Rubel Hossain

India Squad

MS Dhoni(captain,w.k), Yuvraj Singh (Vice-Captain), Piyush Chawla, Gautam Gambhir,Praveen Kumar,Pragyan Ojha, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina,Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Manpreet Gony,Robin Uthappa

Pakistan Squad

Shoaib Malik (Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (Vice-Captain), Bazid Khan, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Anjum, Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed,Naumanullah,Shahid Afridi, Sohail Khan,Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Sohail Khan

The Kitply Cup marks the restart of a hectic international calendar. It may not be the most eye-catching tournament but nevertheless, India and Pakistan won't want this series to be remembered for their inability to make the final.