With the infamous pay dispute saga, which saw the Australian cricketers without a contract, coming to an end, the focus is back on cricket. Australia are scheduled to tour Bangladesh later this month for a two-match Test series and coach Darren Lehmann has asserted that the team is not under-prepared after being out of action since the ICC Champions Trophy in June, source Cricbuzz.
For the past two months there was an ambiguity over Australian cricket's immediate future and fears of the team being underdone ahead of the tour is only natural. However, Lehmann brushed aside such worries. "We're squeezing enough in this next week, and guys have been doing stuff with their states," he said.
"Even through the MOU (negotiations) they were training and preparing as though they were playing. So in terms of fitness, they are probably ahead of the game, they're really strong and fit which is really pleasing. Now it's just getting their skills up to the required level before we leave," he added.
The Australian head coach seemed rather pleased with the fact that the players got a good break ahead of the series. "The break's been good for some of them, they've been at the back of a long summer with a lot of travel in the schedule, so sometimes a refreshed mindset is really important," he opined.
"They've all come in really excited to get going again. The NTCA (National Training Centre of Australia) have been fantastic, they've made wickets very similar to what we'll get in Bangladesh - they're low and they're slow, and they will spin." Lehmann said.
The 14-man Australian squad is in Darwin for a week-long preparatory camp ahead of the tour. "There's three wicket blocks that are more like Dhaka, three wickets that are a bit like Chittagong, and centre wicket facilities so we can play a match and work on our fielding.
So in terms of conditions and the heat and humidity that we'll face when we get there, it's great preparation especially for those who have come out of winter in the southern states (of Australia)." "We've got enough sessions in place, and then we've got enough time when we get there (to Bangladesh) weather permitting," Lehmann said. The former Aussie batsman drew confidence from the fact that Australia play a two-day warm-up game before the start of the Test series.
-AA Sports Desk