SOUMYA SARKAR

Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar said that they have been working hard to cope with the conditions since starting their camp in Sussex seven days ago.

The Tigers are doing all they can to capitalise on the time in the camp despite rain sometimes limiting them to indoor practice. Rain also spoiled the second session of their first warm-up game against Duke of Norfolk XI on Monday after stand-in skipper Mushfiqur Rahim hit an unbeaten hundred.

“We came 10 days early just to adjust to the weather and conditions here. We are trying to adjust to the weather and are trying to properly utilise the time during batting and bowling skill sessions,” said Soumya yesterday.

“We believe that the faster we can adjust to the conditions, the better it will be for the team,” he continued.

He also added that they were not worried about the rain as it was not in their hands; they were instead focused on making full use of the time they have to prepare for the challenges ahead.

ALL HANDS ON DECK SOON

The national team is also likely to witness its first training session with all the members of the squad this Saturday as the missing members -- Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman -- are likely to be present in Sussex along with the camp by then.

Mustafizur returned home from India yesterday evening after his short stint in the Indian Premier League. He is likely to leave for Sussex tonight. Mashrafe, who had to make a sudden return back home for his ailing wife, is also likely to leave tonight. According to sources, Mashrafe's wife was brought back home late on Tuesday night. However, Mashrafe's return has not yet been finalised.

Shakib will fly a day later since he has to attend his younger sister's wedding, which is set to take place tonight. Shakib is expected to arrive today and is scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. The Tigers will play their second and final warm-up game against a Sussex XI tomorrow before leaving for Ireland where they will play a tri-series involving New Zealand and hosts Ireland.

After that they will come back to England again to take part in the ICC Champions Trophy from June 1.