Why is Bangladesh so much worried

At the Asian Games cricket tournament, the pitch is not causing as much concern as the weather in Japan. Rain has been coming down suddenly, affecting the matches as well. Bangladesh head coach Mohammad Salahuddin’s comments also reflected his concerns about the weather.

The men’s and women’s Asian Games cricket matches are all being held at Nishin’s Korogi Sports Club. Not a single ball was bowled in the Bangladesh-China women’s quarter-final because of rain. The two men’s matches also ended without a result due to rain. Bangladesh have even had to train in the rain ahead of their match against Malaysia the day after tomorrow. Speaking to reporters in Japan today, Salahuddin said, ‘There isn’t really much opportunity to train here. If you can play a match, you can understand where you stand.’

The Bangladesh-Malaysia quarter-final will begin at 11:00 a.m. Bangladesh time the day after tomorrow at Korogi Sports Club. If the match is washed out, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, and Mustafizur Rahman will advance directly to the semi-finals. This is because Bangladesh and Malaysia are ranked eighth and 25th, respectively, in the ICC T20I rankings.

According to the weather forecast, there is a 60 percent chance of rain in Nishin the day after tomorrow. That gives Bangladesh a greater possibility of advancing directly to the semi-finals by virtue of their higher ranking. Whatever the weather conditions, Salahuddin wants the Bangladesh-Malaysia match to take place. Speaking to the media, the Bangladesh coach said, ‘I would be very happy if the Bangladesh-Malaysia match is played as a quarter-final. Because if you suddenly have to play after five or seven days, it becomes very difficult. So, for us, the first match is very important.’

Bangladesh have played eight T20Is this year and won only three of them, losing five. Regular T20I captain Litton Das has not played for Bangladesh since the T20I against New Zealand in May. After Litton was injured, Towhid Hridoy led Bangladesh in the shortest format of the game. Regardless, Salahuddin remains optimistic about his players.

Alongside Litton and Hridoy, Bangladesh’s batting lineup includes Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Parvez Hossain Emon. In the bowling department, they have mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, as well as spin-bowling all-rounders Sheikh Mahedi Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain Saikat.

Alongside their spin-bowling options, Bangladesh also have a strong pace-bowling department. Pacers such as Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Hasan Mahmud are part of the Asian Games squad. Salahuddin said, ‘Everyone knows what they have to do at any given moment. So, when I know my role, it becomes much easier for me to execute it. I think all my players know what their roles are and how they are expected to play.’

If Bangladesh beat Malaysia the day after tomorrow, their likely semi-final opponent will be Pakistan. The quarter-final stage of the Asian Games cricket tournament begins tomorrow with the Pakistan-Hong Kong match. The Pakistan-Hong Kong game will start at 6:00 a.m. Bangladesh time in Nishin.