Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan’s cricket team, said that the team’s loss by 546 runs in the lone Test that Bangladesh played against them last month would serve as a good lesson as the tourists prepare to shift to more familiar white-ball surroundings when they play Bangladesh in the first of the three-match ODI series tomorrow in Chattogram.
Shahidi said that he was not overly burdened by the loss and that it would serve as a good lesson.
The Bangladeshi fast bowlers played a significant role in the Tigers’ record-setting victory in the Test match, and in light of the recent improvements made by the hosts’ speed unit, the tourists spent 14 days at a training camp in Abu Dhabi working on their strategies for facing the seamers.
“We learned a lot of valuable things from the test. Since we spent the previous two weeks at a training camp in Abu Dhabi, we are now in a position where we are really well prepared. We are ready for everything, even [to provide] the information that was lacking in that Test. Even if some of the players on the One-Day International side were not involved in the Test match, we are still aware of what to anticipate and we are well-prepared for it. According to what Shahidi shared with media in Chattogram the other day, “We did a lot of practice in terms of facing pacers.”
The Tigers’ strengths in the One-Day International format were brought to the attention of the Afghan captain, who opined that his team had also been in good form. As a result, the Afghan captain was anticipating a difficult competition, particularly because the Tigers will be bolstered by the return of star cricketer Rashid Khan, along with players such as Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, who were not a part of the lone Test match.
“The fact that we have Rashid on our team instills a great deal of confidence not only in me, but in the rest of the team as well.” The fact that he did not take part in the test means that he is now accessible, which is a good development. “I have no doubt that he will perform admirably for us,” he said.
Because Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be playing one other in their first match of the ICC World Cup in India this year, the One-Day International series is going to be quite important for both of these countries.
“This series is important for both teams because we are familiar with one another and the Asia Cup is coming up [soon].” This series will provide us with a fantastic chance to evaluate Bangladesh as a competitor, therefore we should take use of it. According to Shahidi, “We will evaluate their bowling and batting, and that will provide us with some useful information for both the Asia Cup and the World Cup.”
Shahidi said that the away side was familiar with the conditions and pitch despite the fact that they had not yet seen the surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. He explained that this was due to the fact that they had previous familiarity with the stadium.