India lessons will help vs B’desh
Dhaka: Australia captain Steve Smith said on Saturday his team’s experience in India earlier this year will help overcome the challenge of Bangladesh in the forthcoming two-Test series
“I think Bangladesh have played some very good cricket and they won a Test match here not very long ago. So we are seeing it as a big challenge,” Smith said in his first press conference in Dhaka since arriving here late Friday amid tight security.
“Hopefully we can learn a lot from what we did in India and bring them into the game here,” he said. Australia visited India from February to March for four Tests and despite a 2-1 loss in the series Smith’s men were praised for their performance. Smith led his side from the front scoring three tons to become the highest run-getter in the series with 499 runs at an average of 71.28.
Smith is now leading Australia for their first bilateral Test series in Bangladesh in 11 years.
Australia’s last visit to Dhaka was with Ricky Ponting’s team in 2006, six years after the hosts were granted Test status.
Bangladesh have emerged from that 2-0 series defeat as a decent side, winning their last Test at home and away, respectively against England and Sri Lanka. Smith said conditions would be the biggest challenge for them in the two Test matches.
The visitors are scheduled to play a warm-up match on August 22-23 before they take on Bangladesh in the first Test in Dhaka on August 27.
TIGHT SECURITY
The Australia team arrived on Friday under tight security with Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury saying Steven Smith’s men landed at Dhaka airport at 10:50 pm under “blanket police protection”.
“Since the team landed it was given the security as we’ve promised. We are confident everything will go according to our plan,” he said. Police said some 300 members of elite police units were on guard as the Australians landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjahal International Airport.
Australia were due to play two Tests in Bangladesh in October 2015 but the tour was cancelled amid security fears after a wave of attacks by Islamist extremists in the Muslim-majority nation.Australia refused to send their team to last year’s Under-19 World Cup in Dhaka over security worries.
Cricket Australia agreed to reschedule the series this year only after Bangladesh promised head-of-state style security for the Baggy Greens.
CA’s security manager Sean Carroll visited Bangladesh at least three times over the past 12 months to see the security measures before the Australian authorities confirmed the series.
Carroll, who is part of the 32-member Australian party, arrived in Dhaka early to ensure everything was in order for the two Test tour.
Steven Smith’s men landed at the Dhaka airport at 10:50 pm under blanket police protection... the team was given the security as we’ve promised. We are confident everything will go according to our plan. NIZAMUDDIN CHOWDHURY, Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO