Bangladesh hope for favourable weather in Asiad semi-final.
After days of relentless rain, Tigers finally saw the sun in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday as the Tigers completed their first proper outdoor practice ahead of Thursday’s Asian Games semi-final against Pakistan.
All four quarter-finals were washed out without a single toss, sending Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka into the last four on the basis of their higher rankings.
Bangladesh face Pakistan at Nishin Korogi Sports Park at 6:00am Bangladesh time, followed by India’s clash with Sri Lanka at 11:00am.
Another washout could again see the higher-ranked teams advance to the final.
That would put Bangladesh under pressure, with Pakistan sixth and Bangladesh eighth in the ICC T20I rankings. India are top-ranked, while Sri Lanka sit third.
After days of rain denied them outdoor training, Litton Das’s side finally got onto the field on Wednesday, bringing relief to the camp.
“I hope we get good weather for the match. I think this is the first time we have seen sunshine since arriving in Japan. It felt good to get on the field and train properly,” batter Yasir Ali Rabbi said via video message.
The green and red have had limited outdoor preparation for a major semi-final, but the right-hander said the players had worked to remain mentally and physically ready.
“We have not had enough practice, but we kept ourselves mentally prepared. We had gym sessions and even played football. We tried to prepare ourselves as much as possible,” he said.
The 2009 T20I World Cup winner may not have their full national side, but they still possess dangerous T20 batters in Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz and Usman Khan, while Saim Ayub and Arafat Minhas can also make an impact.
Sufyan Moqim and in-form Abrar Ahmed add further threat with the ball.
“We cannot call this a weak team. They are a good side. Whoever plays better on the day will win,” the 30-year-old said.
Bangladesh will also be without Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has been ruled out of the Games through illness.
“It is unfortunate that Shanto has had to leave because of illness. Now our focus should be on what is ahead,” Yasir concluded.
With persistent rain potentially making the wicket more favourable for spin, Bangladesh could opt for an extra spinner and go into the semi-final with two pace bowlers.
