Google Weather showed the temperature at Zayed Cricket Stadium Oval 1 hovering around 36°C, but in reality it felt like 53°C. Intense heat, no doubt. For the Bangladesh players experiencing such conditions for the first time, it was even more exhausting.
Ahead of their clash against Hong Kong on September 11, the entire Bangladesh squad along with the coaching staff arrived at the ground under the scorching sun. As usual, practice began with prayers in a team huddle.
Under the supervision of trainer Nathan Kiely, the players kicked off the session with different running drills. A few cricketers were already seen breathing heavily in their sweat-soaked training kits.
The skill sessions followed. Three nets were set up. Two were dedicated to the top-order batters including openers Tanzid Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon, along with skipper Litton Das, who faced the new-ball pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mohammad Saifuddin. In the middle net, Jaker Ali Anik and Towhid Hridoy took on spinners Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain, preparing for their middle and lower-middle order roles.
In the side net, opener Saif Hassan, later joined by Tanzid, faced seamers Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam. Toward the end, wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan Sohan had a long hit, facing around five overs on his own.
Before that practice session at Captains day press conference Bangladesh captain Litton said, they are eying every match to win in the group round of Asia Cup.
“We have played three series recently and did really well. All the players are very excited. Every team in the Asia Cup is strong, so we must give our hundred percent. That’s the main challenge if we want to win matches.”
Litton emphasized their recent success in three consecutive series, saying those wins would provide a major boost for their Asia Cup campaign.
“We have been playing good cricket recently and also had a strong training camp. We are well prepared for the Asia Cup. Of course, all the teams here are strong and the competition will be tough. But we are looking forward to that challenge and will try to give our best,” Litton added.
