Bangladesh are ready to turn their focus back to ODI cricket. The upcoming home series against Pakistan will be an important step as the team starts its journey toward the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Bangladesh Cricket Board cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim said the series will signal the start of a new phase for the team. The three match ODI series will take place in Mirpur.
“The format we have been playing all this time, and the World Cup was in that format, is now over. Moving forward, our main focus will definitely be on 50-over matches, keeping the 2027 World Cup in mind. So, in one way, this is certainly a new beginning,” Nazmul said on Friday during Bangladesh’s first training session at Mirpur.
Bangladesh spent most of the past months playing T20 cricket. The team had focused on that format while preparing for the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, the side led by Litton Das did not take part in the event due to security concerns.
With that phase over, Bangladesh are now preparing for the longer white ball format.
Nazmul also spoke about the Mirpur pitch. He believes the surface may not behave the same way as it did in the past.
“All three matches will be held in Mirpur in this series. Recently, we’ve seen that the traditionally low and slow wickets in Mirpur are no longer the same. The wickets we’ve been playing on lately will be similar this time. We expect that scoring won’t be too difficult. It will be competitive, but scoring won’t be too hard,” he said.
Bangladesh have struggled in ODI cricket in recent years, especially with the bat. Nazmul believes the level of domestic cricket has played a role in that problem.
“I think, surprisingly, we haven’t done very well in 50 overs, but in 20-over cricket, our results over the past year have been fairly acceptable. In 50-over domestic cricket, I don’t think we’ve been playing competitively enough. The level of 50-over competitive cricket, which we were accustomed to in local domestic cricket, has declined. That’s one reason — not just a reason, a big reason. Now we are trying to overcome that,” he said.
He also said the board wants to improve the quality of domestic cricket so players are better prepared for international matches.
“Recently, in the BCL or other tournaments, the formats were different. We are trying to play high-quality domestic cricket so that players get a taste of international standards, which they can carry into international matches. I hope this is an upward trend, and if we can maintain it in 50 overs, we will perform well in this series,” he concluded.
