Tigers, Aussies begin practice after quarantine

Following three days' strict quarantine at the team hotel since their return from Zimbabwe, the Bangladesh cricket team got on the field on Sunday ahead of the five-match T20 series against Australia.

The players and coaching staff took to the field at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the morning as they start short preparation for the five-match series, starting from Tuesday. The five matches are scheduled at the Mirpur venue on August 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9. All the matches are scheduled to start at 6:00pm. The training started with warm-up followed by a brief session with football before rain forced the session to go indoors. The training sessions are conducted under strict Covid protocol, as per Australia's demand, with no-one except for the players and coaches allowed inside the ground. The Aussies had their training in the afternoon at the same venue.  The Bangladesh and the Australia teams landed in Dhaka on Thursday; Bangladesh following their tour in Zimbabwe while the Aussies from the West Indies.

Australian all-rounder Ashton Turner, earlier in the day, said he was excited about playing on the spin-friendly pitches of Bangladesh. “Coming from Australia and especially in winter, we don't get to play on too many wickets that spin like this. So as a spin bowler I'm really excited to have wickets that offer something for spin bowling which is not always the case in Australia,” Turner said in an online press briefing. Bangladesh are looking for their first-ever bilateral T20I series against Australia as Russell Domingo, the Tigers' head coach, stated this series is emphasizing the importance of “playing on good wickets” ahead of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Bangladeshi surfaces have historically been spin-friendly, regardless of the format, and the availability of wristspinner Adam Zampa and left-arm spinner Ashton Agar makes Australia's spin attack a serious threat even in foreign conditions. Domingo, on the other hand, believes the pitch at Shere Bangla National Stadium would provide the type of challenge the hosts need to prepare for the T20 World Cup. “We want to play on good wickets because that's what you're going to be facing when playing World Cups away from home. So, I don't expect the wicket to be a major factor in the series. I don't think it's going to spin that much” Domingo said during a virtual press conference. The two teams have only met four times in T20Is, with Australia holding a 4-0 advantage in the series. Prior to this series, which begins on August 3, Bangladesh only hosted Australia in the shortest format once, in April 2014. “Obviously, winning is always important. It's a great opportunity for us to try and win a series against Australia, it will do wonders for our confidence.