Australian cricket captain Steve Smith says his squad is "disappointed" about the cancellation of the Bangladesh tour, but is confident the Matador Cup will serve as excellent preparation before the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba in a month's time.
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Cricket Australia officials officially postponed the tour to Bangladesh on Thursday evening after security experts advised there were high risks to Australians who travelled to the country affected by terrorism.
Consequently Australian players Smith, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill and Stephen O'Keefe have been added to the NSW squad for the Matador Cup, which begins in Sydney on Monday.
The other would-be Bangladesh squad members have also joined their respective states.
Smith said he of all people was eager to play in Bangladesh, given it would have been his first full series in charge.
"It was a new team with some new players and we were all really looking forward to getting over there and playing, so it's extremely disappointing," Smith said. "I really feel for them [Bangladesh fans]. They were looking forward to us coming over there and playing, hopefully we can get a chance to postpone it and get over there at some time."
There is an irony in the cancellation of the tour for players such as O'Keefe and Tasmanian Andrew Fekete. Through auspicious conditions as well injuries and player management, they would have pressed for Test honours, but appear outside chances to feature this summer against New Zealand and the West Indies.
Their disappointment of not touring, however, is no different to that of fringe state players who will now have to make way for the Australian representatives.
"That's part of playing at NSW," said Smith of the NSW selectors' decision to drop Ben Rohrer, Josh Lalor, Ryan Gibson and Chris Green from the squad, none of whom were selected in the updated CA XI announced on Friday. "It's always been the case here, five of us coming back from the postponed tour of Bangladesh. It's disappointing for them."
Smith will lead arguably the strongest NSW squad assembled since they last won a one-day domestic competition in 2005-06 with 12 of the 14 players in the squad having played for Australia in one format or another.
Josh Hazlewood is set to increase his bowling loads before getting some match practice midway through the tournament, while it is understood Mitch Starc will play the first three games before being rested.
The Australian captain said plenty of white-ball cricket, a Sheffield Shield match starting on October 28 as well as a two-day "red ball" Australian camp at Hurstville Oval will give his men enough preparation in home conditions before they face New Zealand in the first Test on November 5.
"That's a positive out of the [Bangladesh] situation; that all the Australian players are going to be available for the Matador Cup, so it's going to be an extremely competitive competition ... the preparation will be fine," Smith said.
Asked if would like to bat three or four during the summer, Smith said it might depend on the composition of the team rather than personal preference, but for NSW, Smith will bat three after scoring 36 for them at first drop in a trial against Victoria on Thursday.
Unlike his captain, Shane Watson will make a rare appearance for Sutherland in Sydney grade cricket on Saturday, less than three months after walking out to bat in the opening Test of an Ashes series.
Watson and six other players with international experience will feature in round two of grade cricket action.
