Coach Rhodes looks to upset England

Bangladesh are preparing to face hosts England in the World Cup on Saturday, having started the tournament impressively in beating South Africa and pushing fancied New Zealand close in a thrilling finish on Wednesday.

There is nothing to suggest the players had a traumatic experience recently but it is less than three months since most of the squad witnessed an attack which resulted in 51 deaths.

For head coach Steve Rhodes, who took charge of Bangladesh in June 2018, a daunting challenge in a new country and unfamiliar conditions became even more complex when his team came "within minutes" of the Christchurch mosques attack in March.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman, who played 11 Tests and nine one-day internationals for England, has found himself part of a group coming to terms with witnessing horror and supporting each other in the process.

“Often in the evening, there'll be five, six, seven guys together in a room just chatting away - communicating things with each other, sharing their thoughts about that event," Rhodes, 54, told BBC Sport.

“They have tried to help each other through it, and you know, I've got a lot of respect and admiration for the way they have pulled through.

“There's a lot of smiley faces at the moment, and going back to that day in Christchurch, I was thinking, 'how do we get a team back together after?”

“But they have done it.”

His players now have the chance to continue that recovery by springing an upset against Rhodes' native country in Cardiff.

On 15 March, Bangladesh had just completed their final training session before the final Test of a three-match series against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.

A short walk from the picturesque ground was the city's Al Noor mosque.

After captain Mahmudullah's news conference had overran, 17 of the squad and support staff took the team bus for the short journey to attend Friday prayers.

It felt like any other day before a Test. Except it wasn't.

As they stepped off the team bus and approached the mosque, gunfire could be heard from inside.

Unfolding a mere 50 yards away was a mass shooting, as two mosques were targeted.

As the shooting continued, the group fled back to the team bus where they were initially held.

At the time, ESPN Cricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam reported how opener Tamim Iqbal called him on his mobile phone to try and tell him what was happening and what they could see.

“The players were breaking down; they had seen way too much in the 15 minutes they were held up in the bus, there was no security because it is such a peaceful country,” Isam said.

“The players heard shots being fired, they saw people tumbling out of the gates and ducked under the bus.”

 

 

Coach Rhodes looks to upset England

Bangladesh are preparing to face hosts England in the World Cup on Saturday, having started the tournament impressively in beating South Africa and pushing fancied New Zealand close in a thrilling finish on Wednesday. There is nothing to suggest the players had a traumatic experience recently but it is less than three months since most of the squad witnessed an attack which resulted in 51 deaths. For head coach Steve Rhodes, who took charge of Bangladesh in June 2018, a daunting challenge in a new country and unfamiliar conditions became even more complex when his team came within minutes of the Christchurch mosques attack in March. The former wicketkeeper-batsman, who played 11 Tests and nine one-day internationals for England, has found himself part of a group coming to terms with witnessing horror and supporting each other in the process. Often in the evening, therell be five, six, seven guys together in a room just chatting away - communicating things with each other, sharing their thoughts about that event, Rhodes, 54, told BBC Sport. They have tried to help each other through it, and you know, Ive got a lot of respect and admiration for the way they have pulled through. Theres a lot of smiley faces at the moment, and going back to that day in Christchurch, I was thinking, how do we get a team back together after? But they have done it. His players now have the chance to continue that recovery by springing an upset against Rhodes native country in Cardiff. On 15 March, Bangladesh had just completed their final training session before the final Test of a three-match series against New Zealand at Christchurchs Hagley Oval. A short walk from the picturesque ground was the citys Al Noor mosque. After captain Mahmudullahs news conference had overran, 17 of the squad and support staff took the team bus for the short journey to attend Friday prayers. It felt like any other day before a Test. Except it wasnt. As they stepped off the team bus and approached the mosque, gunfire could be heard from inside. Unfolding a mere 50 yards away was a mass shooting, as two mosques were targeted. As the shooting continued, the group fled back to the team bus where they were initially held. At the time, ESPN Cricinfos Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam reported how opener Tamim Iqbal called him on his mobile phone to try and tell him what was happening and what they could see. The players were breaking down; they had seen way too much in the 15 minutes they were held up in the bus, there was no security because it is such a peaceful country, Isam said. The players heard shots being fired, they saw people tumbling out of the gates and ducked under the bus.