Bangladesh-Pakistan warm-up reminiscent of street cricket

At first glance, it might look like there is a shortage of space right at the heart of the Edgbaston Cricket Ground, the venue that hosted the warm-up match of the 2017 Champions Trophy between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Birmingham on Saturday. The game was scheduled to be played on the last pitch of the Midlands venue's far west region. There, the batsmen of both the teams did not have to hit that hard as one of the square sides is not more 35 yards while the straight part of the ground is also relatively short - 55 yards. It was learned that both the teams were reluctant to play at the venue as they were not happy with the size of the ground but eventually the game did take place at Edgbaston. It was more like street cricket where the bowlers are not allowed to bowl in a particular zone from which the batsmen will be able to utilise the short boundaries. The boundaries are so short that even a soft nudge would have reached the ropes. The bowlers appeared helpless as the batsmen were more than willing to cash in on the short areas of the ground. As a result, it turned out into a high-scoring match, thanks in no small part to the short ground. It was also learned that Tigers head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was unhappy with the ground of the warm-up game. One of the groundsman who spoke to Dhaka Tribune informed that the pitch used for the match is usually reserved for practice sessions. He said it was a rare sight for him to see a game take place there between two international teams. All in all, Bangladesh's initial preparation ahead of the eighth edition of the Champions Trophy was not what the team management had in mind. With that said, the time spent at the middle will no doubt help the Tigers to get acclimatised to the conditions before the start of the flagship event.