‘Young’ team has a ‘bit of learning to do’
Bangladesh are gearing up for a tri-nation series in New Zealand involving the hosts and Pakistan, with the tournament slated to begin with the opener between Bangladesh and Pakistan on October 7.
Tigers' batting coach Jamie Siddons said that the team management were excited by the prospect of playing against big sides ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia, but cautioned that players still have a bit of learning to do.
"We just came from Dubai and played a couple of games against the UAE. We had a week practice there and the facilities were fantastic (in the UAE).
"The boys are coming along and we have a pretty young team. Some of the senior players have retired or are not on this tour and the young team is excited, but they have a bit learning to do. We are looking forward to seeing how we fare against two pretty strong teams here," Siddons said yesterday.
Bangladesh's batting coach seemed happy with the opportunity to play in conditions similar to the ones that will test the young side in the World Cup.
Ahead of the previous T20 World Cup last year, the Tigers played on dull wickets at home which saw them outfox teams such as Australia and New Zealand. But the effect of playing on slower wickets was telling as Bangladesh's batters failed to adjust to better and faster wickets at the showpiece event.
This time, they began their preparations in Dubai before heading to New Zealand, where batters need faster hands to adjust to pace and bounce, not dissimilar to conditions in Australia.
"We came out of 40 degrees, so it's nice to be in some cool weather, at least for the Aussie guys in the group. But conditions are very similar looking at the wicket over there. The Hagley (Oval) will play a lot like Australia. I think early season Australia is pretty similar to what it is here," Siddons said.
The team had a walk around Christchurch on Tuesday and then took part in their first practice session at Lincoln yesterday.
Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar were batting in the nets and, with opening slots still being an issue, there are chances of the management making changes at the top. Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Sabbir Rahman have opened the innings in T20Is since the Tigers' last Asia Cup game against Sri Lanka, but the latter has not been impactful.
With stalwarts like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim retiring from the shortest format, Siddons said the management was excited to see what the others could make of the opportunity.
"People like Sabbir and Miraz opening the batting is certainly different from Tamim and Liton. Liton, however, is there at number three or four, so we still have a bit of experience in the team. But the youth is very exuberant and energetic and we are looking to see what they bring to the table. We can't ask for much better preparation, going up against the finalists of the last World Cup and Pakistan, who are obviously on the up and are a fantastic T20 side. So if we can challenge them, we will have gone a long way to getting ready for the World Cup," he concluded.
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