Tigers look to bounce back in first WC warm-up match

Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati tomorrow in their first World Cup warm-up fixture. 

The Tigers reached India yesterday and trained at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium today. The Shakib Al Hasan-led team will be looking to find some form from the top-order which crumbled regularly in the just-concluded home series against New Zealand, where Bangladesh lost 2-0 to the visitors with both teams resting key players due to the upcoming World Cup.

How Bangladesh can bounce back from the dramatic atmosphere of the past few days would be in focus, especially the exclusion of Tamim Iqbal from the World Cup squad and the subsequent furore over the decision. The players will need to find that focus and find their route back to cricket amidst the drama surrounding the World Cup squad exclusion of Tamim.

Batters such as Liton Das and Tanzid Tamim would be hoping to get back among some runs from the warm-up matches. Team director Khaled Mahmud was hopeful that the warm-up games would help them prepare for the event.

"We know that our performance was not good against New Zealand and both teams didn't play their key players. But the World Cup is a completely different stage," Mahmud had said before the team's departure on Wednesday.

"We are getting time before the world cup starts, to play two warm-up matches, to prepare ourselves.  I think these 15 cricketers definitely have a dream. It is important to fulfil that dream. That's why not only the cricketers, but everyone including the support staff must be on the in one thread," he had added.

Bangladesh will play England on October 2 in their second warm-up game at Guwahati before travelling to Dharamsala for their opening World Cup match against Afghanistan.