Bangladesh hopeful of Mehidy boost for Afghanistan clash

Bangladesh hopeful of Mehidy boost for Afghanistan clash

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons is optimistic that all‑rounder Mehidy Hasan will be fit for the crucial ODI against Afghanistan on 21 Oct in Sharjah.

• Mehidy’s status – He missed the opening match against Zimbabwe after a fever and has just returned to training in Abu Dhabi on 19 Oct. Simmons said,

  “He’s still not fully there but hopefully with today and tomorrow he can get some more rest and be ready for the next game.”

• Post‑Zimbabwe reaction – Simmons described the loss as a “bad day at the office” but stressed the team’s resilience:

  “The energy is still good. We had a nice meeting this morning and put things on the table… we know what we have to do now.”
  “We’ve been playing very good. We had a day where nothing really went well, so we know how to come back from that.”

• Batting collapse analysis – Simmons highlighted a lack of situational awareness:

  “When we batted, we just lacked the understanding of the situation… we just had to make sure we bat for the 50 overs and we’d have won the game.”
  “So just a few little points here and there… we know that’s the small points we have to make sure that we take control of.”

• Board‑level pressure – Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal met the squad late into the night, expressing dissatisfaction with the team’s direction. Simmons interpreted the message as a call to keep working hard and represent Bangladesh proudly:

  “The message is to keep working hard, keep trying to make sure and understand that we’re representing Bangladesh and we’re representing how many millions of people and everybody’s looking for us to be successful.”

Key takeaways for the writer

• Focus on Mehidy’s fitness update and Simmons’ confidence.
• Highlight the team’s reflective stance after the Zimbabwe loss.
• Note the board’s pressure and the coach’s response.