The Bangladesh squad are set to depart Dhaka in the early hours of Thursday morning for their 45-day long tour of Europe.
The Tigers will first travel to Sussex, England for a 10-day conditioning camp before visiting Ireland for a tri-nation series also involving New Zealand.
Bangladesh will then return to England for the 2017 Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin on June 1.
And on the eve of their departure, Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman took some time out and shared his thoughts and ambitions with Dhaka Tribune regarding the Euro trip. Here are the excerpts:
You have been part of the national side for more than two years now. How much has your role changed?
Responsibility increases by the number of matches you play for the national team. Honestly I never thought much of my game in the first year. I used to play my natural game, given that I had the license to play freely. But now I have to keep my role clear in the team, considering that I have become a regular member of the side. The team count on me, bearing in mind that I bat at No 3 now. The responsibility is big. Now I try not to give away my wicket after scoring 30-40 runs. Rather I try to score big.In the recent and distant past, you have been unable to convert your starts into big knocks. Why do you think this is happening repeatedly?
There is no technical issue but mental. I am trying to come out of this and work on how to convert 30-40 runs into 60s and 70s. I am targeting to score big and as I said, batting at the top has increased my responsibility. The team post a big total if I am able to contribute significantly.This is your first trip to Europe with the Tigers. Have you set any personal targets?
Honestly I never have a set target but what I aim for is to take it game by game and according to the situation of the match. I will not think of the opponent. Rather play every ball according to merit.Do you think the Tigers have what it takes to succeed in Europe?
It (Champions Trophy) is a world event and I believe the pitches will favour the batsmen. But we also have a good pace unit now that I believe can make the best use of the conditions in England and Ireland. I believe the journey will not be tough for us. But we should be ready to take the challenge.How do you rate the Tigers' chances in the Champions Trophy?
We have been playing (ODIs) well for the last two-three years. Our target will be to take one game at a time. And plan according to the opponent and conditions. We will have the responsibility to make the world show that we are a changed unit now and have improved significantly to challenge any team. We will try our best to play some good cricket.How tough is the Tigers' group that comprises host England and trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand?
We had a camp in Australia before going into the 2015 World Cup. That camp helped us to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. We have same plans for England. There will be a 10-day camp in Sussex after which we will travel to Ireland for a tri-series. So we will have time in our hands to cope with the conditions before playing in the Champions Trophy. Australia, England and New Zealand are top teams in world cricket but I hope we will be ready. We are confident of putting up good competition.
