‘Clear skies’ clouded fielders’ perspective
The Tigers returned to Bangladesh yesterday after a disastrous tour in New Zealand, where they continued a dismal run by being whitewashed in both the three-match ODI and T20I series. In doing so, they kept alive the embarrassing record of never having won a match in the nation against the hosts in 32 games across all formats.
The entire Bangladesh contingent, barring head coach Russell Domingo and fielding coach Ryan Cook, reached Dhaka yesterday while ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal and pacer Hasan Mahmud had returned after the ODI series.
Mustafizur Rahman was among those who returned with the team, but he never left the airport. The left-arm caught a flight for India to join up with Rajasthan Royals and take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 25-year-old will join his side in Mumbai before quarantining for seven days ahead of the cash-rich tournament. The first game for Rajasthan is scheduled for April 12 and the pacer is expected to miss the first few games.
Bangladesh played poor cricket in all the three departments on their tour of New Zealand, with fielding emerging as the major concern after fielders dropped catches in crucial stages.
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, who made his T20I debut against the Kiwis, believed that the clear skies of New Zealand were one of the reasons the Tigers failed in the field.
"We had some problems in the fielding department. A reason for our poor fielding were the clear skies of New Zealand and another reason was the difference in weather. It's totally different in New Zealand and if we could have had the camp for another 15 days, we could have improved a lot," said Nasum.
The 26-year-old also pointed to the differences in the pitch compared to what cricketers get in Bangladesh as one of the reasons for the failure.
"I think we lagged behind New Zealand in terms of the pitch because the pitches we have at home are totally different. The pitch back there favours the seamers but still, we tried our best," he said.
Mounting concerns over SL tour
Meanwhile, There are concerns over Bangladesh's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka due to the recent rise in Covid-19 cases.
The Tigers are scheduled to travel Sri Lanka on April 12 to take part in a two-match Test series which is part of the ICC Test Championship.
It is still unconfirmed whether the Tigers will conduct a camp before leaving for Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) suspended the ongoing National Cricket League due to the Covid-19 situation in the country after the government declared a seven-day lockdown from today.
"Since the team arrived from New Zealand today (yesterday), we will discuss the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka with the government authorities and will inform further decisions," BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told media. It is also understood that the board is confident of hosting the ongoing series between the visiting South Africa Women's Emerging team and the Bangladesh women's emerging team.
The BCB is also keen to successfully host the Pakistan Under-19 team this month for a series of five one-day matches and a four-day game scheduled to begin from April 19 in Sylhet.
Comments