Member of the national selection panel, Habibul Bashar believes the time in hand ahead of the series against hosts New Zealand will be a big advantage for Bangladesh.
Tourists Bangladesh reached Christchurch on February 24 and are now practicing in small groups following their mandatory hotel quarantine.
The team will be able to practice as a unit from Wednesday in Queenstown with the three-match ODI series set to begin on March 20.
Former Bangladesh captain Bashar emphasized on the importance of foreign teams getting used to the conditions in New Zealand, and the window that Bangladesh have got will come in handy.
“It is important to cope with the conditions here. The wicket that we have here (in Christchurch) is more or less the same all around New Zealand. We also have a camp in Queenstown before the series, so I think the effort of reaching early here and prepare for the series will come in handy,” said Bashar to the media Saturday.
“The conditions here are totally different from our home so the time spent here is of course a help. The temperature might vary like in Dunedin but the wickets will be similar. So I think coming early to New Zealand will be of help,” the former right-handed batsman added.
Sports has been played amid severe restrictions after the Covid-19 pandemic came about.
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Majority of the sports events are now held with the players and officials kept inside bio-secure bubble.
The situation in New Zealand however, is different.
Bangladesh team, following their 14-day Covid-19 restrictions, will be free to move and this will make the cricketers happy, said Bashar.
“The first few days were tough to be honest. It is totally a different experience (to keep to the room). We were allowed to go out of the room after the first five days. But one thing that is good in New Zealand is you are free after the two-week quarantine. There will be no restrictions, no bio-bubble and the team members are free to move anywhere they want. This will help the players to be mentally happy. Even in Dhaka we could not go out of the hotel despite being so close to the family,” said Bashar.
Bangladesh cricket team, following the two-week quarantine in Christchurch, will have a five-day training camp in Queenstown.
Following the first ODI, the second and third ODI will be played on March 23 and 26 in Christchurch and Wellington respectively, while the three T20s will take place on March 28, 30 and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier and Auckland respectively.