Josh Little was granted permission to miss the tour of Bangladesh and the two Tests against Sri Lanka to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He has made a mark in the tournament. He has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 8.56, including a player of the match-winning performance 2 for 25 agianst Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

He will now miss a couple of matches in the tournament and will represent Ireland in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh in England. This is a crucial series for Ireland as a single loss could see them miss out on a chance to make a direct entry into the ODI World Cup, which will be held in India later this year.

Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan says he is looking to to have a consistent performer like Little back into the fold.

"Yes very much looking forward to have Josh back with us," Malan told Cricbuzz.

"He has developed into a consistent performer on the world stage in different leagues in the last 6-8 months and we are very much looking forward to have his skills and experience with us. He wants to have an impact in the game whenever he gets the ball in hand and that stands out as probably his biggest trait," he said.

Having already mastered the art of bowling excellent yorkers and swinging the ball, Malan is pleased that the left-arm pacer has developed the skill of bowling accurate bouncers. "He had the ability to swing the ball and bowl quality yorkers and has now developed a good bouncer," Malan said.

"With more playing experience he will be able to identify what is needed in the situation and having the skills and experience to implement [what is required for the team]," he said.

The three-match series is scheduled to be played on May 9, 12 and 14 at County Ground, Chelmsford. Bangladesh will play a warm-up game against Ireland Wolves ahead of series without Shakib Al Hasan, who will not make it in time for the game.

All-rounder Mehidy Hasan believes his side still have a lot of time to acclimatise to English conditions.

"Everything is very good. We came to England after four years [the first time since the 2019 World Cup]. We have a match here against Ireland. Our initial target was to adapt to the conditions. We've already had two days of practice and the sessions were very good. A little bit cold here but we're coping with the condition very quickly," said Mehidy ahead of the practice game," Mehidy said.

"We will try to play well in the practice match as well as to adapt to the conditions. Overall, the preparation has been very good. All cricketers are in good touch. We come here a little bit earlier so it has become easier for us to adapt to the situation," he added.

Ireland will gather at Chelmsford ahead of the series on Saturday (May 6) and will begin their preparations the following day.