Tigers set to roar in Champions Trophy

Dhaka, 12 Feb --Bangladesh is all set to travel to the UAE on Thursday to play the ICC Champions Trophy, which will also be played in Pakistan. Before travelling to the UAE, Bangladesh's captain held a press conference on Wednesday, where he said the team needs collective efforts to do well and needs to score 300-plus to compete against top teams like India, Pakistan and New Zealand.

In their first match, Bangladesh will take on India on February 20 in Dubai. In this match, India will miss their premium bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is not part of their squad for this event.

“Each cricketer in every team can win the game for their team,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said, addressing a question about whether Bumrah’s absence would be helpful for them.

“There are 'X factors' within each team. Bumrah is definitely a great bowler,” he added.

The Bangladesh captain downplayed the significance of Bumrah’s absence, but said they have a plan for the whole Indian team, which is a great team, he admitted.

“We don't want to plan separately for anyone,” Shanto said. “There is a team plan on how to handle which bowler and how to stop which batter. There is an overall team plan.”

He also said that not only India, Pakistan and New Zealand are also balanced teams. Along with India, Bangladesh will have to tackle New Zealand and Pakistan in the first phase of the Champions Trophy.

Following the India match, Bangladesh will travel to Rawalpindi for their group-stage matches against New Zealand on February 24 and Pakistan on February 27. With the expectation of batting-friendly wickets in both Dubai and Rawalpindi, Shanto stressed the importance of posting big totals.

“I’m expecting more than 300 runs in Pakistan,” he said. “If we bat first, we must score such totals.”

The Bangladesh captain estimated that 260 or 280 would be good scores in Dubai. However, he also added that the pitches in Dubai play differently at different times of the year.

While Shanto is expecting a total passing the 300-run mark, there were instances in the past when 300 or scores close to 300 were not enough for them to win, meaning the Tigers will have to bat their best to make the Champions Trophy a memorable event.

While the team performance is what Shanto is concentrating on most, his own batting will also be under scrutiny in this mega event. He played only five matches in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), by the date of Bangladesh’s first match, his absence from a competitive match will be five weeks.

But he is focusing more on the "positive aspects" of the time off.

“I have regularly had the opportunity to spend extra time batting in practice so that I can prepare better. The coaches helped. I have also worked on fitness. I was able to prepare very well during the BPL period. I hope if everything is okay, the tournament will go well,” Shanto, the left-handed batter, added.

Shanto also added that the team is simulating match scenarios in the practice sessions to give the players a feel of the real situations. The Bangladesh captain believes this approach will help them bridge the gap.