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“Our main ambition will be to bag as much experience as possible from the tour. It was not that we were sitting idle for the last 14 months. We had camps and practice matches so I hope we will be able to perform better compared to the past,” said Rumana to the media at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka Saturday. The Bangladesh women’s team were recently provided with a full-time assistant coach and physio – both from India. Former India cricketer Devika Palshikar was recruited as the assistant coach earlier this month. She will work alongside head coach David Capel. “We are getting better facilities now to be honest. Both our coaches (head coach and assistant) are from abroad. (Devika) worked with us in Sylhet for around 15 days and has shown us the technical aspects. So we are looking towards better days ahead,” Rumana said.
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Meanwhile, T20I skipper Salma, who was axed from the ODI captain’s role due to below-par performances, is thrilled to have returned to the leadership role. “I am a bit surprised to be honest because I am coming back after almost two and a half years. I will try my best to return to my old position and take more responsibility in the team,” said Salma. “This tour is the start of our busy schedule ahead. We will improve the more we play. We might have taken a step back, given that we have not played any international cricket in the last 14 months, but we were in touch with the game – practising and playing domestic matches,” Salma explained.