Bangladesh will be looking to leave behind their latest ODI series debacle against Afghanistan and cash in their recent T20I performances as they shift their focus to the shortest format of the game.
The Tigers had a disappointing one-day international series against Afghanistan which they lost by a 1-2 margin and their performance in the opening two encounters came as a huge surprise, mostly because it was a home series for them and they had an excellent record here in recent years.
Apart from that, they also had performed brilliantly in the recent two T20I series played on home soil. The Tigers whitewashed England in a three-match T20I series in March which was followed by a 2-1 series win over Ireland in the same month.
However, Bangladesh’s record against Afghanistan in this format is the most worrying thing as they won only three out of nine matches while losing the other six games.
“I think we should not be too worried about Afghanistan as we have beaten England on our own soil. So we certainly have some confidence under our belt,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin told The Daily Sun on Wednesday.
“We know that Afghanistan are a very strong T20I unit but we are also developing well in the shortest format. Now we need to execute our plans. It was the reason why we were able to beat the world champions in the shortest format,” he said, adding that they might play players at different positions in the series.
“There are certain spots where we might try different options just to see who fits in certain positions. Making those adjustments in a new position is the key to success because, unlike the other two formats, our batting order can change in this format. So cricketers need to be mentally fit to adapt to every situation,” he added.
The teams left Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport at 12:00pm (BST) and reached Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport at 02:30pm.
The opening game of the series will be held on Friday while the second match will take place on July 16, both at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
