‘United’ Bangladesh begin WC preparation in Dharamshala
The Bangladesh team took part in its first training session in Dharamshala yesterday ahead of the Word Cup opener as the players try to put the chaotic buildup to the tournament in the rearview and take the field as a united unit.
The Tigers are now in Dharamshala after their two warm-up games in Guwahati, where they defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets and lost to England by four wickets.
They are now preparing for their first game in the tournament against Afghanistan on October 7.
But the talks before the match is not just centred around on how the team will tackle Afghanistan's deadly spin attack as there is still concern about how the team will cope up with the off-field controversies before the tournament.
However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus, who flew to India yesterday to join the Bangladesh contingent, told reporters in Dhaka before his departure that the team is united despite the drama following the World Cup squad announcement.
"Once they (cricketers) put on their jerseys, they aren't thinking of anything else. They are focused on the tournament and the matches coming up. They are very spirited and the team-spirit is high. So there is no problem regarding that," Jalal said.
"I had been with the team before and during the Asia Cup as well. They are focused and they are very much united and only focused on matches. They aren't bothered at all, I have talked to them quite a number of times [since the team's departure]. They are looking forward to a very exciting cricket match [against Afghanistan]," he added.
The team received a big boost on the day as skipper Shakib Al Hasan returned to the nets session. He earlier didn't take part in either of the warm-up games after suffering an ankle sprain during a training session.
In the warm-up games, young opener Tanzid Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz came good with the bat.
Bangladesh are without their most experienced opener Tamim Iqbal. Hence two of the three options for the opening slot scoring runs in both warm-up games is a reassuring sign for the Tigers.
"Tanzid is very good and he is still young. We are still not expecting a lot of things from him. He has just started his international career and he is a very promising cricketer," Jalal felt.
The World Cup in India is likely to be a high-scoring affair and Jalal believes Bangladesh have enough firepower in their squad to achieve big totals.
"We are a capable team and are capable of big chases. Of course, everyone will not score all the time. But if four to five batters turn up and we get one or two good partnerships, it's sometimes enough."