Bangladesh have left no stone unturned in their preparations for the series, playing a practice match and training on wickets similar to those they will encounter during the tour.
The series marks Bangladesh’s first bilateral trip to Australia, making adapting to the local conditions particularly important. Hemp, who has taken charge of the team for this series, said the preparations have gone well.
“We are playing a bilateral series in Australia for the first time, so the preparation has been really good. We were fortunate to have a practice match, but the wickets we have practised on have been excellent,” Hemp said.
However, Bangladesh face a major test against an Australian side ranked No. 1 in both ODIs and T20Is. Hemp feels the biggest challenge will be managing the mental aspect of playing against such a formidable opponent.
“We can't hide from the fact that we are playing against the best women's cricket team in the world, who are No. 1 in both formats, ODI and T20I. So the biggest challenge will be to overcome that mentally,” he said.
Recent history also favours Australia. When they toured Bangladesh in 2024, Australia swept the three-match ODI series 3-0. This time, however, Bangladesh will face them in their own conditions for the first time.
Despite the daunting challenge, Hemp wants his players to focus on their own cricket rather than becoming overwhelmed by the opposition’s reputation.
“We don't want to go back to Bangladesh in a week's time and have regrets, thinking, ‘Oh, if only we had played this way or that way,’” he said.
For Bangladesh, the series will therefore be about more than simply narrowing the gap against Australia. It will be an opportunity to test their progress and show their capabilities on one of the toughest stages in women’s cricket.
After completing their preparations, Nigar Sultana’s side will now look to translate that work into performances when they take on the world’s top-ranked team in Australia.
