Bangladesh have started preparing for a key challenge ahead of the Asian Games, with the team management focusing on the drop-in wicket expected to be used in Japan.
The Tigers started their preparation at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday, with Mohammad Salahuddin, the former senior assistant coach of the national team and current head of the BCB High Performance Unit, leading the full strength squad.
Bangladesh are scheduled to leave for Japan on September 24 and will play two practice matches in Mirpur on September 21 and 23. The matches could be against the HP Unit or be intra-squad fixtures, giving the players valuable preparation before facing unfamiliar conditions in Japan.
The Asian Games wicket is expected to be a drop-in surface prepared by former BCB curator Gamini de Silva, making an early assessment of its characteristics a priority for the team management.
With the wicket in Japan expected to be a drop-in surface, the Bangladesh team management are keen to get a clearer understanding of the conditions before departure.
Gamini de Silva, the former BCB curator, is preparing the surface, and the management plans to speak with him before sharing the information with the players, a member of the national team coaching setup told TIMES of Bangladesh.
With some members of the Asian Games squad yet to join the camp, the available players took part in Sunday’s session, which included work on both the centre wicket and the slab. Mustafizur Rahman was the only bowler to bowl on the centre wickets.
“We had a regular net session today (Sunday), using both the centre wicket and the slab. Everyone batted, with two wickets set up in the centre. Mustafizur was the only bowler who bowled on those wickets,” the coaching staff member said.
Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Yasir Ali Rabbi were among seven cricketers who batted extensively during the session as Bangladesh began adapting to the switch back to T20 cricket after not playing the format since July.
The team management wants to make the most of the remaining time in Mirpur, particularly with training facilities expected to be limited after their arrival in Japan.
“Since we have not played T20 cricket for quite some time, we are also working on our T20 preparation from now on,” the coaching staff member said.
Bangladesh will begin their men’s cricket campaign on September 28, entering directly at the quarter-final stage. They will face the winner of Group B, with the semi-finals scheduled for October 1 and the bronze-medal match and final on October 3.
The Tigers won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and took bronze in Hangzhou in 2023 after beating Pakistan by six wickets. Their target this time is to reclaim the title.
“The goal remains winning the gold medal,” the coaching staff member said.
