The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is just less than three months away and the Bangladesh cricket team is looking to prepare hard for the upcoming marquee tournament. Bangladesh head coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe wanted to collect some data about the pitches in the US (United States) and the Caribbean, especially in Dallas. In the past as well, we have seen Bangladesh struggle outside home, where conditions are alien to them. But this time, Chandika Hathurusinghe is keeping this factor in mind.
A part of Bangladesh’s preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is to play on good batting wickets, as we saw in the recently concluded Bangladesh-Sri Lanka series at home. Today, we will see what Hathurusinghe has said on this and talk about it a little more. So let’s dive into it quickly.
Chandika Hathurusinghe wants data on US pitches for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024
The pitch and the conditions are one of the most important factors when you play cricket. All the teams, before they play, assess the pitch and the conditions of the venue and then make their team combination accordingly. If they don’t assess the conditions well, most of the time they are in trouble and eventually pick the wrong lineup.
For the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Bangladesh head coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe wants data on US pitches, especially in Dallas. The coach wants his players to get ready for whatever conditions will be on offer during the tournament.
It is expected that Bangladesh will play in New York and Kingstown in the first round of the tournament. Bangladesh played a test in Kingstown, St. Vincent in 2014.
Batting friendly wickets in the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka series
Chandika Hathurusinghe wants his players to be prepared to play on batting-friendly wickets in the Caribbean and the US. Bangladesh has done well on slow and sluggish wickets and won games and series as well. But whenever they get good batting decks, they struggle.
Considering this in mind, Bangladesh played on good batting wickets where the bowlers had to try something to get away. Their batters too get the confidence to score aggressively and score big.
In the first T20I, we saw a close encounter where both the teams went past 200. Bangladesh fell just 3 runs short of Sri Lanka’s target of 206. In the 2nd game, Bangladesh chased down a target of 166 quite easily.
Bangladesh only managed to score 146 in response to Sri Lanka’s 174 in the 3rd T20I. Although Bangladesh lost the series 2-1, they started looking to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2024 by playing on good batting surfaces, as we saw in Sylhet in the 3 T20Is.
Drop-in pitches in New York
In New York, there will be drop-in pitches just like Adelaide. Chandika Hathurusinghe said they can expect similar conditions there and can prepare accordingly. But there is no idea about pitches in Dallas and Kingstown.
Chandika said there’s a little feedback from NSW Cricket about Dallas. He spoke to their GM when he was in Australia. The head coach also said they are preparing for all the unknown factors.
Hathurusinghe on bowlers adapting to the pitches
Chandika Hathurusinghe is expecting some good batting-friendly wickets in the T20 WC 2024. And he wants his bowlers to adapt to the conditions quickly. A part of their planning is to play on wickets that are conducive for high scoring and to understand what areas they need to improve in bowling. For that, they are playing on different surfaces where the grass and carry are more.
Chandika on the mindset shift for bowling
Chandika Hathurusinghe talks about the mindset shift as well. “When you are bowling on wickets where 150 is a winning score, you are expected to bowl in a certain way. Eight runs an over [in Sylhet] is very good. You saw the other day that 160 isn’t a par score. We got to 200 [in the first T20I] even after losing four wickets in the powerplay. We need to understand those factors as well. I am pleased with how our bowling unit is shaping up as well.” – Chandika Hathurusinghe said.
Ban vs Sri: Chandika was impressed with Shoriful’s improvement
The Bangladesh head coach was impressed with the way Shoriful Islam came back in the 2nd game after going for plenty in the first T20I. Shoriful has bowled well in the recently concluded BPL 2024. He becomes the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 wickets in 12 games.
“It was pleasing to see him adjust quickly for the second game. He has grown into the leading bowler with Taskin and Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman]. There’s another one we can bank on.”- Chandika on Hathurusinghe.
On the opening pair, Chandika said it’s going well at the moment. There’s no need to change anything. Although Soumya Sarkar didn’t score big, the head coach isn’t too worried as he thinks the batter is giving good starts. And as a pair, Litton and Soumya have done well.
So this is all about Bangladesh’s head coach looking for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 preparation. The pitches in the US and Caribbean are expected to be good for batting and we will see competitive games during the tournament. Right now, Bangladesh is playing a series against Sri Lanka at home. Let’s see what happens. Thank you for reading. Keep following us for the latest updates.
FAQs:-
1. When will the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 start?
The tournament will commence on June 01, 2024, in Texas with the US and Canada locking horns in the tournament opener. And the final will happen on June 29, 2024, in Barbados.
2. How many venues will be there in the T20 WC 2024?
A total of 9 venues are finalized for the marquee tournament. The Caribbean will have 6 venues while the US will have 3 venues.
