Shakib Al Hasan, who was just named captain, arrived for the Asia Cup picture session in Kandy, Sri Lanka, later than the other squad members because he raced there.
The Tigers had the day off, and there was no planned formal practice. While the athletes were busy with the official photo shoot, Mushfiqur Rahim was seen taking in the city’s scenery, as shown by a snapshot he posted on social media.
The management of the Bangladesh squad is still awaiting the arrival of opener Liton Das after they arrived in Kandy yesterday. The team’s opener was unable to go with them because he had a fever.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to wait until Liton felt well enough to go even though his fever had abated. Sources claim that he is still “unlikely” to play in the Tigers’ Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka on August 31 since it would take him some time to recover from his fever and be match-ready.
Liton will fly after he recovered, according to team manager Nafees Iqbal, who spoke with the media yesterday afternoon.
While waiting for the squad to assemble yesterday evening, Tanzim Sakib, the replacement for the injured Ebadot Hossain, left for Sri Lanka yesterday.
On Tuesday, the Tigers will participate in their first practice since arriving in Sri Lanka.
“We held a team meeting this morning and decided to do gym or rehab sessions with [BCB head of physical performance] Nick Lee for those who required them since we had a long travel yesterday [Sunday]. Team manager Nafees informed media in Sri Lanka yesterday that we would be in training on Tuesday.
The players, according to Nafees, are nevertheless optimistic about their possibilities since the surroundings of the island country are comparable to those back home.
“Asia Cup is a significant competition with several strong teams. We also think of ourselves as a solid team with a successful track record. According to the weather and the pitches, the situation is comparable to Bangladesh, according to Nafees.
Given that Liton’s participation in the first game is still in some uncertainty, the Tigers would struggle to fill the opening berth. If Liton doesn’t make the team for the first game, Mohammad Naim and Tanzid Tamim may likely be given the nod instead.
However, the squad were cheerful throughout the picture shoot, and Shakib in particular dazzled the photographers with some boxing techniques.
The management of the squad is happy with the preparation the players received before to departing for Sri Lanka, despite the fact that there was no training yesterday. The players’ efforts led head coach Chandika Hathurusingha to state in a press conference that they “competed till the last ball until I asked them to come off.” There were a few closed-door sessions as well as a closed-door practice match.
Nafees, the team manager, continued to have faith in the Tigers’ preparations.
“That [the camp’s atmosphere] demonstrates that our planning was sound, and everyone is really content and in excellent spirits. We have a great record in this format. As a team, we want to go match by match before trying to build momentum. Bangladesh are a dangerous squad, and if we can get that momentum and play well, we will know it,” Nafees remarked.