The three-day practice match that Bangladesh will play against Zimbabwe Board XI is very crucial to their preparation for the one-off Test, the players told reporters before leaving home on Wednesday. The Tigers left for Harare on a Qatar Airways flight in the morning to play a Test and five one-day internationals against Zimbabwe in August The only Test match of the series, which will start on August 4 in Harare, will mark a new beginning of the Bangladesh team under new coach Stuart Law. It will be their first Test in 14 months meaning they will have to start afresh, which is the main concern for the Tigers, up against a side who are also returning to Test cricket after five years of self-imposed exile. The preparations of the Tigers were marred by a poor weather at home and the Bangladesh Cricket Board also failed to arrange a tour to South Africa that was proposed to help them make preparation. The only chance for them to adapt to condition is now being provided by the warm-up game, beginning on July 30. ‘For us the practice match is very important,’ said batsman Mohammad Ashraful, the only batsman to have the experience of playing a Test match in Zimbabwe previously. ‘It is cold over there right now whereas we are going from a hot and humid condition, so it is very important for us to adapt to the condition quickly,’ said Ashraful. Pace bowler Shafiul Islam, who has to shoulder the burden of pace attack in the absence of Mashrafee bin Murtaza and experienced Shahadat Hossain, also felt the same way. ‘One who adapts to the condition quickly, he will be successful, so the practice match is very important,’ said Shafiul. For batsman Shahriar Nafees, the warm-up match has an extra significance. He is the most in-form batsman now in the side, but still a place in the starting line-up for the Test is not guaranteed for him. Shahriar looks to continue his form in the warm-up game which can help him to return to Test cricket after a long gap. ‘It is important as it can give us a picture of who will play in the Test and who will not,’ said Shahriar, who last played a Test against India in January 2010. Coach Stuart Law is looking forward to this tour as this will be his first assignment with the national cricket team since he joined them this month. ‘To start a new regime there is no good place than Zimbabwe, so I am looking forward to the challenge ahead,’ said Law. ‘I am expecting high quality cricket from our boys with a lot of skill involved in their cricket that again with the right mental approach,’ said Law. ‘These guys got a lot of talent so sky is the limit for them,’ he said. The one-off Test will provide batsman Tamim Iqbal a rare opportunity to become the first Bangladeshi to hit three centuries in three consecutive Tests. Tamim scored a century each at Lord’s and Old Trafford against England in Bangladesh’s last two Test matches. Tamim said there is no need to become extra cautious to achieve the feat. ‘I always carry the same mindset and I think it should be the way for me. When I bat some day it will look fantastic and someday it will look ugly when I will get out playing a bad shot. ‘But I have accepted it and my success and failures will be measured through this,’ said Tamim.
Posted in: News
0 comments:
Post a Comment