Saif urges quick transition to ODI mode ahead of Pakistan series

Top-order batter Saif Hassan said on Monday that he is keen to bridge the gap in One Day International cricket as Bangladesh comes off a heavy dose of T20 matches over the last 12 to 18 months.

This year, however, Bangladesh are scheduled to play as many as 22 ODIs as part of their preparation for the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

“If you look at the last year or year and a half, I didn’t really get much opportunity to play ODIs,” Saif told reporters on the eve of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. 

“We did play a few, but those were in between T20 matches. So now, with the upcoming ODI series, preparation during these gaps becomes even more important. I think that’s where the focus should be,” he added.

Bangladesh will begin their busy international schedule by hosting Pakistan in March, where the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh Cricket Board is currently hosting the BCL one-day competition as part of its preparation for the series. Saif, who is representing Central Zone in the four-team tournament, lauded the opportunity for game time ahead of an international assignment.

“Before any series, having match practice is obviously very important for a batsman. So wherever I play, I always try to give my 100%,” he said.

Central Zone will take on North Zone in Tuesday’s day-night encounter, a match Saif believes will help them gain confidence leading up to the international fixtures.

“Since we’ve reached the final, we have the opportunity to play one more match. It’s very good preparation for us ahead of the ODI series. Hopefully, we can play even better cricket in tomorrow’s match,” he said.

“I don’t have any extra expectations from myself, but I’ll try to play as good cricket as possible and get into the best possible shape,” he added.

He is also expecting a good sporting wicket in the final. “Naturally, Bogura and Rajshahi usually offer very good wickets. And since tomorrow’s game in Mirpur is a day-night match, hopefully the wicket will be good there as well,” he said.

“Honestly, we don’t know what the wicket will be like. But in the recent T20 tournaments we played, the wickets were quite good. If it’s similar, I think it will be a sporting wicket where both batsmen and bowlers will get some assistance,” he added.

Saif also shared his feelings on Bangladesh’s decision not to participate in the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, while highlighting the need to move on. 

“Deep down, in our hearts, everyone is disappointed. There’s no denying that. But I think as professional cricketers, it’s very important for us to move on. Since we’re now heading into ODI cricket and there’s an ODI World Cup ahead, the sooner we prepare ourselves for it, the better it will be,” he concluded.