Touring Bangladesh national cricket team will play their second practice match today (Wednesday) against their old rivals Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) at the Garden Oval in Darwin, reports UNB.
After a narrow 14-run defeat in the first warm-up match against AIS Monday, the visiting Bangladesh team would want to show a much improved display, particularly in the bowling department against their old rivals today.
In the Monday's first practice match, Chasing a big target of 331 runs, Bangladeshi batsmen felt comfort in batting to make the game close scoring 316 runs for all, but the bowlers failed to restrict AIS batsmen and conceded 330 for 4 in 50 overs.
The Bangladesh team had one and a half hours of solid training session at the Marrara Oval Tuesday morning ahead of tomorrow's match.
Pace spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and middle-order batsman Alok Kapali, who were rested in the first match, have a good chance to play for Bangladesh tomorrow. Fast medium bowler Dollar Mahmud might also get his first game.
Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons appreciated the performance of Bangladeshi batsmen, but expressed his total dissatisfaction about bowling.
In the first match on Monday, opener Tamim Iqbal and captain Mohammad Ashraful displayed their brilliant in batting. Tamim Iqbal played a hurricane innings scoring match highest 85 runs off 45 balls with 16 fours and two sixes while one down Mohammad Ashraful played a captain's innings of 71 runs off 59 balls with nine fours and a six.
"I am happy with the way the batsmen are going and we have been making some big totals. Scoring 316 against any opposition anywhere in the world is creditable and theirs (the AIS') is a decent attack," said Siddons.
The AIS side has already proved that they have a vast talent and pedigree. All 14 players of AIS have been picked from contracted cricketers of State teams and the majority of them have first class experience.
There are five cricketers taken from New South Wales, three each from Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. The age-level of the team is between 20-25 and all have been exposed to the hard grind of Australian domestic cricket. For the matches against Bangladesh the AIS team had prepared for four months.
