|| CF Correspondent ||

Bangladesh women’s head coach Anju Jain believes they are taking the upcoming tour of South Africa is a part of preparation for the Asia Cup.

Bangladesh Women’s A Cricket Team is all set to tour to South Africa to play a bilateral series against their South African counterparts on July 19.

The tour comprises three-match ODI series and three Twenty20 matches, starting on July 23.

They will hold two practice sessions at the Groenkloof Oval in Pretoria on July 21 and 22 after being arrived in South Africa. The tour will be opened with one-day match. The tour-opener will be played Pretoria’s Groenkloof Oval on July 23.

The second and third matches of the one-day series will be decided at the same venue on July 28 and 31 respectively.

Therefore, the Twenty20 series will be held and the first T20 will be played at the Mandela Oval, Hammanskraal on July 31.

The second and third matches of the shorter version series will be held at the same venue in Hammanskrall on August 1 and 4 correspondingly.

‘’See, the most important thing is its good to have an emerging tour because that's what we have been looking for to improve on the bench strength and a lot A series of women is coming up. There is Women Asia Cup also,’’ Jain told reporters ahead of the tour on Thursday.

‘’So, it's a good opportunity for us to prepare our players for that. And look for some alternatives or two to improve on our bench strength. So, this tour is definitely going to help us a lot in that,’’ he said.

‘’There are four or five girls who are just previously toured just once and so they are respectively very new girls still. So, it’s a good opportunity for them as well,’’ she said.

‘’We just had finished three weeks camp in Rajshahi. And we have observed them when they were playing in the premier league as well. There is lot of talent available we have shortlisted few players out of 28 girls,’’ she said.