Bangladesh under no illusions, says Whatmore

Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his side is under no illusion about their chances in Champions Trophy and would instead like to use the tournament to prepare a side for the future.

Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on October 7 in Mohali. They along with the West Indies and Zimbabwe are in qualifying stage out of which only two teams will advance to the main draw.

"We are under no illusion but Bangladesh team is capable and efficient of beating the best in the business. We have done it in the past and we can do it again," said Whatmore. "However, we have even more important things in mind than the Trophy or even World Cup. Of course they are also important but our main objective is to build a strong and competitive side over a period of time. That's where our focus will be when we take on bigger sharks in the pool. We want to use the tournament as an opportunity to test our strength and showcase our talent."

Meanwhile, Habibul Bashar, the captain, said the team would like to win atleast two of their three qualifying matches. "On a given day we can beat anyone. We've beaten both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the past. If we win two matches here [in the qualifying stage], we might just qualify for main event." Bangladesh will play a warm-up game against the Punjab Cricket Association XI at Mohali on October 4.