Bangladesh U-19 can even reach the World Cup final: Akbar
The young Tigers are in Group C where they will face Zimbabwe, Scotland and Pakistan in the tournament, which concludes on 10 February.
Bangladesh will take part in the under-19 cricket World Cup in South Africa from 11 January and they are looking forward to doing well, according to captain Akbar Ali.
The young Tigers are in Group C where they will face Zimbabwe, Scotland and Pakistan in the tournament, which concludes on 10 February.
Alongside, they will take part in a conditioning camp from fifth January at Potchefstroom.
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Akbar expressed that there will be weight of expectations but they are "ready to deal with them".
"We're going to take it match by match and not get bogged down by the weight of expectations. Our coach is always telling us that, but our initial aim is to reach the Knockout Stage," Akbar added.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan Papon has previously told the media that he expects the team to at least play the semi-final or even the final and Akbar also spoke to a similar tune.
"If we talk about the team combination and the recent performances of it then reaching the semis or even the final is very much possible," Akbar expressed.
The South African conditions will be vastly different from those in Bangladesh and Akbar believes that the three-week conditioning camp in Bogra will pay dividends.
"The wicket in Bogra had a lot of grass in it and was good for the seamers. We'll expect similar conditions in South Africa too so I think it has helped with our preparations greatly," Akbar explained.
The team will fly for South Africa on Friday evening and reach there in the early hours of Saturday.
