Before the tournament, Wood worked with Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, and Shamim Hossain Patwary, also assisting the squad during the Netherlands series.
However, Bangladesh captain Litton Das believes that the lessons from Wood may not immediately pay dividends in the team’s opening Asia Cup clash against Hong Kong China. Instead, he has urged his side to play “smart cricket.”
In recent years, franchise cricket has revolutionized T20 batting, with players like Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Liam Livingstone, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Heinrich Klaasen redefining the format with their aggressive power-hitting. But compared to these standards, Bangladesh remain far behind.
Global tournaments have repeatedly highlighted this gap, leading the BCB to seek Wood’s expertise. The squad spent August in a training camp, during which Wood not only guided the men’s team but also conducted sessions with local coaches and women cricketers at BKSP.
“In T20 cricket, hitting big sixes is a plus point. You know you can get out of any situation. But I think we need to play smart cricket, not just focus on six-hitting. You have to understand the boundaries, the opposition, and the match context,” speaking to the media on the eve of their Asia Cup opener, Litton said.
Bangladesh swept the Netherlands in their recent T20 series, winning by eight wickets and nine wickets, which meant the middle order barely got time at the crease. Still, Litton remains optimistic:
“If you look at the last few games, our top order has performed very well. The middle order hasn’t had much responsibility yet, but I believe when the time comes, they will deliver. They have done it before and will do it again.”
