Bangladesh women's cricket team's batting coach David Hemp was cautiously optimistic about his side's chances in the forthcoming ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers despite the team's lengthy preparation given the "challenging" nature of the competition.

The Tigresses are set to depart for Lahore, Pakistan today to feature in the six-team tournament comprising hosts Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland and Thailand, scheduled on April 9-19.

The women's team will face Thailand in their tournament opener on April 10 before they face the other four teams in the competition. The top two sides in the round-robin tournament will join six other teams in the main event in India later this year.

Ahead of the tournament, the women's team had a training camp in Mirpur which began on March 22 and ran till yesterday, with the girls sacrificing celebrating Eid with their families to prepare for the tournament.

"The last 10 days have been very good. Some of the meetings we had and the feedback the players have been given, they have been very honest. They have been told where they are at the moment and what they need to do to be successful in Pakistan," Hemp told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Overall, the coaching staff is pleased with the preparation. We want to qualify for the World Cup and that's why it's a very important tournament. Any team would want to play in a major competition and Bangladesh is also no different.

"There are six very good teams going to it and only two will qualify. So, it's not going to be an easy tournament. Qualifying tournaments like these are always challenging," he added.

Hemp is working with the women's team only for the qualifiers and afterwards will join High Performance Unit as their head coach.

Presumably Hemp's experience as the head coach of the Pakistan women's team from 2020 to 2022 prompted the board to bring him in ahead of the qualifiers.

However, the 54-year-old former Bermudian batter, said they would have to assess the conditions as a team after landing in Pakistan and highlighted the importance of all the players stepping up in their roles to attain success.

"About the wickets, we have to wait before we get there. We actually have to gain the understanding of the situation… Obviously, I was the head coach of the Pakistan team so I do know some of the players. I have come in contact with them before.

"I think there are some good young talents coming through [in Bangladesh] but also you got some very good and experienced players. In major tournaments, you need everybody to stand up and manage their particular roles within the team. I'm looking forward to the tournament and see what this group of players can actually achieve."