Air quality is not ideal, trying to minimise outdoor expsoure of players: Hathurasinghe

NEW DELHI: Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on Sunday expressed concerns over the severely poor Air Quality Index here ahead of their World Cup match against Sri Lanka, and said they have been trying to minimise players’ exposure to the noxious atmosphere.

Bangladesh’s match against the Islanders on Monday has a veil of uncertainty around it after a thick layer of toxic haze has enveloped the city since the last four days.

The vagueness over the match is particularly high as the AQI is likely to remain in the severe category at least till Tuesday.

However, the ICC had said a decision on the game could be taken only on the match day morning after assessing the conditions.

“Air quality is affecting both teams. It's not ideal. We were a little bit concerned. That's why we cancelled one practice session.

“So, we are trying to minimise our exposure to the outdoors because we need to practice and we have to be careful of the long-term effect of this condition,” said Hathurusinghe during the pre-match press conference.

However, Hathurusinghe said the team will have to abide by the decision of the organisers as and when it is made.

“We have no choice. We have to play in the conditions in front of us," he added.

After opting out of their training session on Friday, Bangladesh had a light session last evening.

However, the Tigers went about their usual business this afternoon with batters honing their skills at nets.

Litton Das spent the most time at nets, while Mushfiqur Rahim, Najmul Hossain Shanto also went through the drills but pacers did not join their colleagues at nets.

Most of the cricketers and support staff were wearing masks due to the air pollution.

Hathurasinghe said team medical staff are keeping a close watch on the players.

"Our doctor has kept a close eye on the players. Some of the players didn’t turn up for practice as they are asthmatic. So, they stayed indoors. Even for practice, we're very conscious," he said.

“We train what we have to train, and they go back into the dressing room. They don't spend time unless they're bowling or batting.”.

Asked if Delhi is fit for international cricket particularly in early November, the coach said: "It is not up to me. I'm not a qualified person to talk about their quality and whether it's fit or not to play.".

Champions Trophy qualification still achievable.

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Bangladesh has endured a tough last few weeks in the tournament, having succumbed to six successive losses to become the first team to be knocked out of the World Cup.

But Hathurusinghe said they are now focussing on qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy by finishing in the top 7.

"Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have played really good matches in the recent past. The thing is, both teams are in a really similar situation, to be honest. We are trying to finish as high as possible because we have lost the opportunity to get into the semifinal now.

"But still the Champions Trophy (qualification) is up for grabs and we need to finish as high as possible. So, this game has a big impact.

"I think it's achievable because we are still a good team. We know that we are better than what we have shown. So, our best game we haven't played so far, even near to our best. So, we still think that the Champions Trophy qualification is achievable,” he said.

"Can’t do much in seven months".

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Hathurusinghe, who took over the coach's role in February this year, shared the responsibility of the team's failure but said there's not much he can do in seven months.

"I take responsibility as well as anyone in the group. We didn't play our best cricket but the thing is nothing has changed from the first game to now. Only (what) has changed is what's going through between our ears," he said.

The former Sri Lankan batter said Bangladesh need to play fearless cricket instead of confining themselves into a shell.

"Our skills haven't gone anywhere. So, I think we put ourselves down by having high expectations. So, we all need to look at mirrors and see what went wrong.

“For some reason, we have gone into a shell, especially batting. That is what we need to fix and come and play fearless cricket.

For him, the World Cup was just a starting point.

"I'm only 7 months into the job. There's not much I can do within seven months. What I have done was to just take the team from where the team was and make sure that they were up for this. Actually, my work has to start after this."