Bangladesh very competitive at home: Usman Khawaja

Bangladesh cannot be considered a lesser team in any of the three formats of the game. They have shown their abilities and proved themselves at regular intervals. Australia batsman Usman Khawaja, who has not played an international game since January 22, warned that it would be unwise to take hosts Bangladesh lightly in their upcoming two-match Test series.

The Tigers have produced a number of incredible performances in recent times, including the home Test in which they defeated England by 108 runs. With that in mind, Khawaja thinks Australia should not underestimate Bangladesh at all. He said that it is a tough tour for the side as he hasn’t been there before and it is a congested country.

“They’re very good in their backyard, much like India,” Khawaja told cricket.com.au. “Their wickets are very similar to those in India. It will be a challenge.

“It’s a tough tour to go to because I haven’t been to Bangladesh before and from all reports it’s a very congested country, getting around is pretty tough, very different to what we experience.

“People think of Bangladesh ‘It’s an easy win, it’s only Bangladesh’ but it’s not like that anymore. They’re very competitive at home so it’s going to be a very good series.”

Khawaja has an impressive record in his short Test career as in 23 Tests, he has scored 1726 runs at an average of 47.94 with 5 hundreds. He last played for Australia in an ODI against Pakistan but was not selected for Test series in India.

Last tour of Bangladesh

Australia have not played a Test match in Bangladesh since 2006 when former fast bowler Jason Gillespie scored a memorable double-century in his final Test. He had some piece of advice for fellow players, asking them to watch videos of his terrific innings.

Gillespie’s advice

Gillespie said that the players, for all of whom it will be the first tour to Bangladesh, would have a great time on the field and also encouraged them to embrace the experience. He also said that he would be looking forward to watching the young talented players and wishes that they would have a wonderful tour.

“What a batting masterclass,” Gillespie told cricket.com.au when asked if he recalled his famous knock. “They [Australia’s batsmen] really should just get on YouTube and type in ‘best innings in Test cricket’ and ‘201 not out’ will come up, that’s the first one. They should watch that — the highlights take just over an hour — absorb everything and learn as much as they can about the art of batsmanship in Bangladesh. It is one real tough place to bat.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing them go out there and have a wonderful tour of Bangladesh. It’s a great place to play cricket, the crowds are fanatical, the public is right behind their side and they’re very respectful of other teams. [The fans] love Australian players. They’ll have wonderful time there and really enjoy,” said the former Aussie pacer.

Schedule for the Test series

Australia will tour Bangladesh for a two-match Test series in August. The first Test starts on 27th August at Dhaka, while the next game will be played between 4th September to 8th September at Chittagong.