After the Eid holiday, the atmosphere at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur became lively again. On Wednesday, the Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha met with national selectors Minhajul Abedin Nannu, Habibul Bashar, and Abdur Razzak before heading to Sylhet for a three-day training camp in preparation for their upcoming tour to the United Kingdom for a three-match ODI series against Ireland next month. A photo was taken by Firoz Ahmed.
Chandika Hathurusingha is skilled at creating tailored strategies for different situations, and he identified technical improvement as an important area for Bangladesh. To address this, he organized a three-day training camp in Sylhet to assess how well the team can adjust to the conditions there.
The team left for Sylhet yesterday, but before that, Chandika had a meeting with some selectors and coaches in Mirpur. As Chandika had arrived in the country earlier than the other coaching staff, it was a chance to talk about future plans now that everyone was available again after their vacations.
The Tigers will have skill practice sessions from April 27th to April 29th before going back to Dhaka. They will then travel to England for the ODI series against Ireland, which is part of the ICC ODI Super League. However, they are also preparing for other challenges they may face throughout the year.
Sylhet’s conditions are relevant to Test cricket, which tests mental endurance the most, even though the Bangladesh ODI team is practicing there. Swing with the new ball is possible in Sylhet, and consistent bounce on wickets allows for effective stroke-play.
Chandika desired a way to test the team outside of the Dhaka Premier League, as the pitches were exhausted and did not provide much support for pacers.
The head coach mentioned that when playing in Sylhet, some pitches are similar to those in England, but it is very hot in Dhaka. Due to the number of matches being played, they can’t get the desired wicket.
The training sessions in Sylhet will help with overall progress, and while Chandika didn’t explicitly state it was to simulate English conditions, it was in preparation for difficult conditions with swing and bounce, especially when playing away.
The focus is not only on playing in English conditions, but on improving the overall development of our cricket game. Winning or losing against opponents is not a concern, as the goal is to enhance our skills for future matches both at home and away. We have many Test cricket matches scheduled for next year, and we want to improve regardless of the location.
Chandika stated that the goal of the training camp was solely to enhance their cricket skills.
Almost all the players will attend the camp except for Shakib Al Hasan, who will join the team in England later. Liton Das and Mustafizur Rahman, who are currently playing in the Indian Premier League, will arrive in England by May 5.