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After three days of rain, the sun finally came out in Nagoya on Wednesday, bringing relief to the Bangladesh camp ahead of Thursday’s semi-final against Pakistan.
Bangladesh, led by Litton Das, completed a full training session after four days as favourable weather allowed the team to return to the field.
The Tigers arrived in Japan on Friday but have yet to play a match. Their quarter-final against Malaysia was washed out due to rain, raising concerns over the semi-final as well.
After training at Korogi Sports Park, Yasir Ali Rabbi expressed optimism about the weather and the team’s preparations.
“Since arriving here, we haven’t been able to train properly because of the rain. We couldn’t play our match either. But seeing today’s weather feels good. This is the first sunshine I’ve seen here. Hopefully, we’ll have good weather tomorrow as well and play a good match,” Rabbi said.
Bangladesh have also suffered a setback with senior batter Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out of the squad due to illness.
“It’s unfortunate that he had to leave. We have to move forward. We have to continue with the batting order we have,” Rabbi said.
Bangladesh have yet to play a match in Japan, making conditions at the venue another concern. Rabbi, however, was satisfied after inspecting the pitch before training.
“I’ve seen the wicket, and it looks good. Hopefully, we’ll play on a good wicket,” he said.
Bangladesh will face Pakistan at 6am Bangladesh time on Thursday in the first semi-final.
India will take on Sri Lanka in the second semi-final at 10:30am Bangladesh time.
