Bangladesh Champions completed their final practice at Bashundhara Sports City on Monday before heading to the UAE for the World Championship of Legends Season 3, with the absence of senior all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan emerging as one of the talking points ahead of the tournament.

All-rounder Nasir Hossain admitted the squad would miss the former Bangladesh captain, who was expected to feature in the competition.

“Of course, we miss Shakib bhai. There is no doubt about that. It would have been very good if he were here,” Nasir told reporters. “Every player in the team will miss him on this tour.”

Another all-rounder, Ziaur Rahman, also mentioned the squad’s strong bonding could prove valuable, while acknowledging that the absence of Shakib would be felt.

“Shakib bhai’s situation is probably different. I do not know the management side of it, but obviously it would have been good if he had played,” Ziaur said.

The tournament has reunited several former Bangladesh internationals, including Nasir, Mahmudullah Riyad and Rubel Hossain, who once shared the national dressing room.

“We never expected that we would all play in the same team again. Personally, it feels very good. This is still a game where we represent Bangladesh, so it feels like a national team assignment in many ways,” Nasir said.

Bangladesh will open their campaign against Pakistan Champions at Sharjah on 3 October at 5:30pm Bangladesh Time. They will then face England Champions at 9:00pm on 5 October and Australia Champions at 5:30pm on 7 October, both in Sharjah.

West Indies Champions await in Dubai on 9 October at 9:00pm, followed by India Champions at the same venue on 11 October at 9:00pm.

Bangladesh will complete the league stage against South Africa Champions in Sharjah on 14 October at 9:00pm.

Coach Mohammad Rafique also stressed the quality of the field, saying the tournament would feature former internationals who remain highly competitive.

“Everyone has played international cricket and has a background behind their name. It will be challenging, but if we focus on playing good cricket, I believe we can get a good result,” the former international concluded.