Bangladesh will have their last opportunity for a fine-tune before the T20 World Cup when they take on India in their second and final warm-up game tomorrow (Saturday) at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York. The match is scheduled to start at 8:30 PM Bangladesh Time.

The Tigers' preparation has been less than ideal, as their first practice game against the USA was canceled due to adverse weather conditions affecting the facilities. This cancellation followed a surprising 2-1 series loss to the USA, which undoubtedly impacted team morale. The team was hoping to regain confidence by defeating the USA in the practice match, but the weather did not cooperate.

Despite the setbacks, Bangladesh’s ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan remains optimistic. He believes the team can still perform well in the World Cup, thanks to the familiarity of the playing conditions in the USA and West Indies, the host countries for the tournament.

“I think we’ll get a home-like pitch here in both the USA and West Indies. We played in both places, and when we earlier played in Florida, we did well,” Shakib said in the Green Red Story of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). “The pitches in those two places are similar to what we have back home, so I hope that we’ll get some advantage.”

India, on the other hand, will be without their star player Virat Kohli, who has opted to skip the match to rest ahead of the tournament. The Indian team, coming off a grueling IPL season, will use this match as an opportunity to integrate and build team cohesion.

With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, this match is crucial for both teams as they seek to finalize their strategies and line-ups. For Bangladesh, a strong performance against India could provide the much-needed boost in confidence as they head into the tournament.