Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons believes the intense Abu Dhabi heat, rather than Afghanistan’s spin attack, is the biggest hurdle facing his side before the one-off Test at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, which begins on October 9 at 12pm Bangladesh time.

The Tigers will play their first red-ball match on UAE soil. Part of the squad reached Abu Dhabi on October 1, while others flew in straight from the Asian Games in Japan, swapping temperatures below 30°C for conditions closer to 40°C.

Those arriving from Japan missed the two-day practice match against the United Arab Emirates and have had only two days of training.

Simmons admitted this was a worry when he spoke after the session on Wednesday.

“Well, that’s the only issue right now. The guys who came from Japan, doing not much there, and then having to come in this weather... two days in this weather, it’s how they adjust,” he said.

Still, the coach trusts his players mentally.

“Because it’s a mental thing at the end of the day, and it’s how they adjust. And today they look good. They look good for their first day in the heat. So, I’m sure they will adjust themselves properly.”

Spin is the other talking point. Afghanistan have built their reputation on slow bowlers in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. Bangladesh have faced them in two previous Tests, winning one and losing the other.

Simmons has inspected the surface and sounded relaxed.

“I’m looking at the wicket, the wicket looks good. It looks like it can be a little bit slow, but it looks to be a good wicket. So, we’re preparing for a good wicket.”

He said the squad had planned for the challenge.

“We know that we’re going to have to come up against a number of spinners, so we’re preparing for all that. And the preparation has been good, the guys have worked well. So we’re looking forward to a couple days from now.”