Hridoy urges Tigers to look ahead to Champions Trophy preparations

Leaving behind their recent disappointing performance, Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy has urged his teammates to stay in the 'present' as they begin preparations for next year's Champions Trophy 2025 with the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, report agencies.

Bangladesh will play three more ODIs against West Indies following the three matches against Afghanistan, scheduled in UAE on November 06, 09 and 11 to conclude their preparation for the Champions Trophy.

Bangladesh head into the nearly 50-day tour to play Afghanistan and West Indies where they are set to play two Tests and three T20Is along with the ODIs after series defeats to India (in two Tests and three T20Is), followed by home defeat to South Africa in two Tests.

"I think every cricketer is professional here and there is no point thinking about the past. I think it will be good if we proceed match by match whether it is one match or a tournament. What we have done recently we cannot think about it and personally I feel how we want to start the next day is important and I want to stay in the present," Hridoy told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the city before heading to UAE on Saturday.

"It is normal that people have high expectations but every cricketer does not play well in every match," he said. "We play well in this format for most of the time and we want to start well (against Afghanistan as far as preparation for the Champions Trophy is concerned) and if we can play to our potential we hope to achieve something good," he said.

Hridoy also expressed his willingness to play anywhere in the batting order, depending on the needs of the team. The right-hander might be promoted up in the order in the absence of Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan.

"I don't want to talk about my [position in the] batting order and I have said this before that it is a matter of the team and from my side I am ready to bat anywhere. At the end of the day it's a team game and team is the biggest priority," Hridoy said. "The batting order is set as per requirement of the team and what would be good in that situation. Because they are not there (Litton and Shakib), the batting order certainly can change," he said.

"I don't think I am lacking in that area (off-side game). When players from other countries score runs through one area there is no lacking, but if we score runs through one area there is lacking," he said.

"I haven't played there (in Sharjah) and it will be my first series there. I don't think it will be tough for us because every cricketer played there and everyone has knowledge about the condition. I feel the condition will be the same (like here)," he said.

The group included the players like Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Towhid Hriody, Rishad Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and others who basically were not the part of the recently concluded Test series against South Africa (SA).

The players who were the part of the Test series will leave country today (Sunday).