Upbeat Bangladesh get first taste of Australian conditions

Under the bright Australian sun, the Bangladesh cricket team stepped onto the lush green DXC Arena in Darwin on Monday to conduct their first training session on Australian soil ahead of the two-Test series.

The venue hardly had the splendor of a typical international cricket ground in Australia. There were no giant stands to seat thousands of fans, nor a plush dressing room or media centre.

But what it lacked in grandeur, it more than made up for with cricketing facilities. The players stretched their muscles, conducted some drills and then went to the practice wickets for a net session, getting their first taste of Australian wickets.

The players looked fresh and chirpy, and not at all jet-lagged, during the session and the team’s veteran left-arm spinner Taijul Islam explained why.

“The journey was good because we had a transit and got enough rest there. Alhamdulillah, everything went well,” Taijul said in a video message sent by the BCB.

Taijul also praised the facilities available at the venue, and said the team was satisfied with their first training session.

“Overall, the preparation has been good. The first day’s practice was very good… the facilities here are excellent.

“From the wicket to the fielding area, and from fielding practice to running drills, we are able to do every kind of activity. Everything has been very good.”

The Test series will begin in Darwin on August 13.

Prior to that, Bangladesh will play a three-day tour match against a Cricket Australia XI in Darwin, starting on August 6.

This is Bangladesh’s first Test series in Australia since 2003.