'We'll give Eng a good fight'

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that he is confident that the Tigers can give England a good fight in the upcoming series set to begin in October.

The Sri Lankan, who returned to Dhaka on Sunday following a short break, spoke to reporters for the first time since his arrival at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur earlier today.

While he admitted that the absence of international matches in the last few months could prove to be a disadvantage for the Tigers during the initial stages of the upcoming series, he was content about the fact that the Tigers have so much time to prepare.

“It's not ideal when you don't have matches. But we are trying to practise according to our plans, like making them play as per certain match conditions and playing a few practice matches after the camp. We are taking it as a positive. Because we have time in our hands, we can prepare very well.

“But it's not like playing international matches. Ideally, the players would like to play games and keep their confidence going. When you start a new series, it's a little bit tensed at the start, unless you get into the series. That's the disadvantage we might have because we are playing after a long time. But we can't control that,” explained Hathurusingha.

After the camp, the players will be playing practice matches and then take part in the Bangladesh Cricket League, the country's premier first-class competition before going into the series against England in October.

The terrorist attack in Gulshan on July 1 spread a bit of uncertainty with regards to England's arrival.

On July 4, England's Eoin Morgan admitted that there were big concerns with regards to security issues in Bangladesh. It's an aspect that the Bangladesh Cricket Board is working on.

The board has already sent a security plan to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Members from the ECB are expected to visit Dhaka in the middle of August in order to assess the situation.

Hathurusingha though has asked his players not to be concerned with regards to the uncertainty of the tour and instead wants them to focus completely on their game.

“The situation is not ideal, but we can't do anything about it. That's what I told the boys. All we can do is try to be prepared to the best of our ability and take the time that we have in our hands as an advantage and not as a disadvantage,” said Hathurusingha.

Furthermore, he also said that both Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny would retest their respective bowling actions in an ICC accredited lab either towards the end of this month or early September.

The head coach also said that he was happy with the way players outside the national team had performed in the Dhaka Premier League recently. According to him, their performances have put pressure on the national members.

“They have put up their hands and have done good service to Bangladesh cricket. But we had a good run in the last one and half years so it's difficult for anyone to find places. However, that competition is healthy,” he said.