Phil Simmons, the head coach of Bangladesh, stated on Monday that his team must change their focus from Twenty20 cricket to the Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh is entering the Champions Trophy after competing in the Bangladesh Premier League, the nation's only franchise-based T20 competition, whilst other nations are preparing by playing bilateral ODI cricket between themselves.
On February 8, Bangladesh began preparing at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. "I acknowledge that this preparation is not the best. However, the fact that they were playing white-ball cricket indicates that their skills are sharp. In the next six or seven days, we need to get them mentally prepared for 50-over cricket. They are capable. They are acting. Phil Simmons said to reporters on Monday, "It is about finally reaching that 50-over attitude."
"Over the course of the following few days, we will practice twice. In the morning, we bat and bowl, and later, we do the same thing under the lights. "We are preparing to bat for fifty overs," he stated.
"Dubai is covered in the first part of the preparation. I believe we can get the tournament off to a strong start once we can shift our mindset and focus on the correct things for Dubai. After that, we will return to Pakistan in familiar surroundings," he stated.
As of the first few days of training camp, we have not seen any BPL residue. In 50-over cricket, players want to receive some middle-field time so they can get into the mindset of bowling in the appropriate places and batting long. He went on, "I do not think that will have any impact on them."
Simmons went on to say that even if national captain Najmul Hossain did not consistently find a spot in the playing XI of the tournament's winners Fortune Barishal, he will not have any issues because of his strong mentality.
"Najmul put a lot of effort into his work when he was not playing. All of the team members will need to have a strong mental attitude. Simmons stated, "I believe Shanto has that, so I am excited to follow his work further."
Simmons also mentioned that Nahid Rana, a pace bowler, is settling in after taking a break after the BPL. "Over the past two games, Nahid Rana has appeared to be playing more slowly than usual. As the wicket approached, the run-up was not as good as usual. He took some time to relax after they were knocked out early. In yesterday's training, he looked smart. The tempo was returning. Simmons noted, "The run-up was as fast as it was in the Caribbean."
Simmons went on to say that Liton Kumar Das, who was left out of the Champions Trophy squad because of poor form, will be missed in the competition but is also making every effort to return as soon as possible.
"Liton was obviously sad that he was not chosen, but I believe he is handled it well. During the BPL, he was honing his batting technique. We witnessed him regain some of his former form. Although we all know that he has come to terms with the fact that he was not scoring runs when the team was being chosen, you will still miss a player like him. "He is putting in a lot of effort to return," the former West Indies opener stated.
Simmons went on to say that if they can give it their all, he believes they can win the Champions Trophy. "I would not be here if I did not think we could make it all the way." When you enter a tournament, I believe you prepare as well as you can. You play your greatest games on that day. That is why I try to do it every time. In my opinion, we have made significant progress in the Caribbean. I believe that if we play to the best of our abilities, we have a decent chance.
According to information obtained, speed bowler Hasan Mahmud will participate in Bangladesh's preliminary ICC Champions Trophy preparations but would go back home when the competition starts. On February 14, the Bangladeshi squad is scheduled to depart for the United Arab Emirates, where they will warm up against Pakistan A before to the commencement of their Champions Trophy campaign.
On February 20, they will play their first game against India in Dubai. On February 24 and 27, they will play important matches against Pakistan and New Zealand in Rawalpindi, respectively.