Tigers left to rely only on 'mental preparation' ahead of ODI series against Ireland

Bangladesh's only warm-up game ahead of the three-match ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford got washed out due to rain and because of a damp outfield at the Fenners in Cambridge, the training session on Sunday also got interrupted. They had only one proper training session after landing in England and their captain Tamim Iqbal said they are relying on "mental preparation" ahead of the Super League series. 

"Certain things are not in our control. We probably couldn't take the best preparation because of inclement weather but we are trying our best to prepare mentally. We will go to the [Essex County] ground tomorrow and let's see how we can prepare there. Now what we can do is to prepare ourselves mentally," he told reporters at the Fenners.

Essex are currently playing Surrey in a County Championship game which has also been interrupted by rain at the County Ground in Chelmsford. Tamim pointed out the unpredictability of the weather in England and said that the team combination will depend on the conditions. 

"You cannot predict the weather in England. Today it's cloudy, tomorrow it could be sunny. We don't know much about the pitch either. For now, we are looking at the past few games to gather information about the conditions. We will see the wicket tomorrow and decide the team combination."

Bangladesh have been trying to go with an aggressive combination, fielding five genuine bowlers in ODIs. The Tigers will continue to stick to that unless the conditions force a change. 

They are likely to continue to play Mehidy Hasan Miraz at seven who was the Player of the Series against India last year for his batting exploits.

"We have been trying a new combination featuring six batters and five genuine bowlers since the last series but based on the conditions it can be different. [Mehidy Hasan Miraz] is doing well with the bat, allowing us the luxury to pick an extra bowler."

The ground is a pretty unique one in terms of dimensions and because of the small boundaries, it is tough to defend totals.

"The ground is small, the dimensions are very unique. We don't play on these type of grounds. So we will look at everything and then decide on the playing XI."

Mahmudullah, who has fallen out of favour, hit a match-winning 71 for Mohammedan in the DPL. Tamim said Mahmudullah is "definitely in the plans".

"He is definitely in our plans. We are also looking at other players who are doing well in the DPL. But we will do what is in the best interest for the team. The squad we will pick for the Asia Cup will most likely be the one for the World Cup," he said

In Mahmudullah's absence, Mushfiqur is playing at six, playing the finisher's role. He smashed the fastest ODI hundred by a Bangladeshi in the last series playing in that position. 

"He has a lot of experience. It matters a lot. He has played so many games and understands the nuances of it well. When we asked him to bat at six, he was more than happy to do that."