
The Bangladesh A team captain Nurul Hasan Sohan categorically believes that his side is capable of winning the Top End T20 series trophy, overcoming the hurdle of some finest franchises in the world.
The tournament featured Pakistan A team and Nepal national team alongside four top franchisees of Australia's Big Bash tournament.
Speaking at a press conference today at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Sohan said: "The goal is simple: to win the trophy."
"It's the goal of everyone... from the players to the team management. This is a tournament and I think playing in the final should be in our head."
The Bangladesh side makes a return to the event after a first appearance in 2024. The team will depart from Dhaka on August 7 evening in two phases.
According to the schedule of the series, Bangladesh will reach Darwin on August 9. They will get at least four days for practice before kicking off the tournament with the match against Pakistan A on August 14.
Bangladesh A will play against Nepal national team on August 16, big bash franchise Perth Scorchers on August 17, Northern Territory Strike on August
19, Melbourne Stars on August 21, Adelaide Strikers on August 23.
Both the semifinals and final will be held on August 24.
Bangladesh don't get the opportunity to play in Australia more often. The national team has not played on Australian soil since the 2015 World Cup. Bangladesh had played their last bilateral series on Australian soil 17 years ago and so far played only eight matches there.
The Top End series is believed to serve Bangladesh in many ways including giving them ideas about the condition and wicket. Bangladesh, however, will play a Test series in Australia next year, for the first time in two decades.
But Sohan bluntly said the series won't be a learning process for them. "I don't really believe in the learning process," Sohan said. "We are learning, we will learn - this is part of life. But since we are going to play a tournament, I think the main goal should be the final game."
Not only T20 matches, Bangladesh A will play a four-day match in Darwin from August 28-31 against South Australia, keeping the next year's Test series in
mind.
Cricketers like Nayeem Hasan and Hasan Mahmud, who are familiar faces of the Test team, have been kept in the squad.
"Since there is a Test series next year, it is a great opportunity for us, especially for those who will play Tests," Sohan said, adding that the series will give the Test players a platform to cope with the condition.
"But now that we are going to play a big T20 tournament, T20 is the only thing on our minds for now. The four-day team has not left yet. This is a big opportunity for those who will play (in the Test team)."