Bangladesh women’s head coach David Hemp has asked his players to go into their first bilateral ODI series in Australia with positive cricket, insisting the result matters less than leaving the country with nothing left unsaid or undone.
The three-match series begins at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on October 9, with play starting at 9:50am Bangladesh time. Hemp, appointed after poor campaigns at the Asia Cup and Asian Games, is leading Nigar Sultana Joty’s side for the first time.
Although he has been with the group for just over a week, he is no stranger to it. Hemp worked with the squad during the World Cup qualifiers and again around a year and a half ago, which he says has eased his transition.
“I’m new to the setup, but I’ve also had experience with the team before. And it’s been great. I mean, I know the players, players are working really well, settled in really well too and had some really good discussions on how we want to play the game.”
What we don’t want is to get back to Bangladesh in a week’s time and say, ‘Oh, I wish we’d played this way, I wish we’d played that way.’ We need to be positive in how we go about everything that we do.David Hemp, Bangladesh women’s cricket team head coach
Preparation has also gone smoothly. Bangladesh were able to play one practice match, and the surfaces they trained on were excellent, though they carry more pace and bounce than the players are used to at home.
“They’ve adjusted really well and really tried to adjust and adapt to those conditions. And that’s all you can ask because it is foreign and it is new, but as I say, it’s been a really good four, five days so far in terms of preparation.”
The opposition is the obvious hurdle. Australia top the ICC rankings in both ODIs and T20Is, and Hemp admits that thought alone can weigh heavily on a touring side unless it is handled properly.
“We can’t hide away from the fact that we’re playing against the best women’s team in the world. They’re number one in ODIs and also in T20s. So the biggest challenge will be getting our heads around that.”
His answer is to focus on approach rather than outcome, and he was clear about what he does not want the squad to feel when the plane lands back in Dhaka.
“What we don’t want is to get back to Bangladesh in a week’s time and say, ‘Oh, I wish we’d played this way, I wish we’d played that way.’ We need to be positive in how we go about everything that we do.”
That mindset, he added, extends beyond the playing of the game to how the team prepares and thinks about it.
Hemp also views the series as a chance to learn where the side stands against the very best.
The remaining two ODIs will be played in Brisbane on October 11 and October 14.