Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons said on Wednesday (October 7) that their only issue at the moment is how the cricketers arriving from the just concluded Japan’s Asian Games adjust to the conditions ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled at Abu Dhabi from October 9.
Cricketers arriving from Japan a couple of days ago completed their first practice session in Abu Dhabi’s heat and looked to be facing some difficulty adjusting to conditions in the UAE, considering they came from a relatively cooler part of the world.
Furthermore, Bangladesh had very little chance to prepare in Japan: due to rains, they were mostly locked in their hotel room. Simmons felt the adjustment was more mental than anything else.
“Well, that’s the only issue right now (how they adjust in the UAE coming from Asian Games) as the guys who came from Japan and are not doing much there and then having to come in this weather,” said Simmons.
“Two days in this weather and it’s how they adjust, because it’s a mental thing at the end of the day, and it’s how they adjust,” he said.
“And today they look good for their first day in the heat and I’m sure they will adjust themselves properly,” he added.
Simmons said that he is expecting a good wicket in Abu Dhabi but added that it can be slow and as a result can be quite challenging considering the opponents have a versatile spin attack.
“I’m looking at the wicket and the wicket looks good. It looks like it can be a little bit slow but it looks to be a good wicket,” said Simmons.
“So, we’re preparing for a good wicket and we know that we’re going to have to come up against a number of spinners and so we’re preparing for all that,” he said.
“The preparation has been good and the guys have worked well and we’re looking forward to a couple days from now,” he added.
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