Biggest focus is the battle against their own selves

Bangladesh cricket team are set to take on New Zealand in the first of the two-match Test series -- part of ICC's new Test Championship cycle -- at Mount Maunganui today, first day of the year hoping to turn around their fortunes and with determination to play to their potential. The task looks increasingly difficult given the recent set of bad results that has thrown Bangladesh cricket into chaos.

Missing key stars like Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, who have both been hailed for facing up to New Zealand conditions in the past, Bangladesh will now have to look to a set of new faces to start the new year on a positive note in conditions that are alien to them. However, as per team director Khaled Mahmud, the new-look Tigers had been able to cut through the gloom of the past few weeks and there is a fresh belief on return to action following performances in the warm-up match. Bangladesh have lost all nine Tests they have played on Kiwi soil and Mahmud felt that the team was not under any illusion regarding the challenge." The boys are ready. There was some stress with the quarantine but it's not there anymore. They are looking fresh and we don't have any injury concerns. Everyone wants to play good cricket and their biggest focus is their battle against their own selves. The mental side of the game is crucial and it's about the work we're doing and how we can implement it on the field," Mahmud told the media on Friday." Everyone knows what our results are in New Zealand and we also know how much teams from the subcontinent struggle here. Even England have struggled here. The challenge is very big. We are working on these mental aspects and looking to keep our thought processes intact when going forward," Mahmud said. Tigers' top-order was creaky during the home series against Pakistan and in New Zealand, where conditions are conducive to pace and swing, the batters will be put to the test. Mahmud opined that the biggest focus has been on how the batters can apply themselves to persevere.

"Our training had a purpose. We analysed what kind of deliveries the batters were likely to face. At this level, it's not only about how you strike deliveries but also how to leave deliveries alone. What counts now is how much they are able to absorb mentally in game situations," Mahmud dictated." The focus will be on how we can use the sessions, the way we did in 2017. It was proof that when we apply ourselves, we can play well." While technical details can be somewhat ironed out, the mental application was the priority going into the first Test. "You can't go in with the thought that it's impossible to do well in New Zealand. What's clear is that they are geared up to play and they want to do their best in the new year without focusing on the result," Mahmud concluded.