‘No idea about the conditions in Rawalpindi’

Bangladesh will be leaving for Pakistan tomorrow for the second phase of their three-phased tour of the country. And Mominul Haque, who was retained as captain in the longer format and will be leading the Tigers during the tour's first World Test Championship fixture in Rawalpindi scheduled to begin from February 7, said that he did not know how the pitch in Rawalpindi will behave.

"To be honest, I do not have any idea," said Mominul today when he was asked about the condition that the Tigers might face in Rawalpindi.

The Tigers will have just a single practice session in Rawalpindi before facing Pakistan in the first Test. The national players featured in the first round of the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) but according to the head coach Russell Domingo, just playing in BCL could not be an ideal preparation before such a challenging series.

"It is not ideal. You always want to go there at least seven or eight days before a Test match. Play a warm-up game, have a couple of days' practice. It is not great preparation for us, but there's nothing we can do about it. The guys will practise and play here. We will reach there on Wednesday morning, practise Thursday and play on Friday. So it is not good [preparation]," opined Domingo yesterday during the last press conference before leaving for Pakistan.

However, Mominul had a different view as according to the left-hander, the Tigers have had good preparation.

"Overall it was good preparation. Batsmen have played good innings. Seniors, those who played with A team, those in the Test squad… I think they played good innings. So I think it was good preparation," said Mominul yesterday.

However, when confronted about Domingo's view and the fact that the Tigers will have only one day of practice before the game, an optimistic Mominul talked about making the best use of what they have and play fearlessly.

"It is difficult to comment on it because it is not in my hand. I cannot control it. Whatever I have, I will have to go with it. Like going to war, whatever you have, you have to go with it. There is nothing you can do. We try to adjust as much as we can in that situation. So without thinking of being on the back foot, it is better to go ahead with whatever you have."