CHENNAI: Bangladesh’s vice-captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, said on Thursday that the team is looking to benefit from the guidance provided by technical consultant Sridharan Sriram in the World Cup matches, including Friday’s game against New Zealand.

Former Indian all-rounder Sriram joined the Bangladesh squad in Guwahati for practice matches against Sri Lanka and England in preparation for the 50-over showpiece.

“Sriram has been tremendously helpful. We played two matches at HPCA Dharamshala, and he offered valuable insights before those games,” Shanto stated.

Regarding the wicket in Chennai, Shanto mentioned, “The team has had a separate session with Sriram to understand the conditions here in Chennai. Personally, I find his guidance invaluable, and I hope we will continue to get his advice and suggestions in the upcoming matches as well.”

Shanto has taken on the role of vice-captain for the Bangladesh team in the lead-up to the World Cup. However, the contributions of the pacers’ department have not been up to par. In this regard, Shanto added, “First and foremost, none of the fast bowlers are dejected by their recent performances.

It’s not every day that our fast bowlers concede a large number of runs in their spells. We’ve heard a lot about the challenging wicket here, and we will work with the team to devise a plan to minimize the flow of runs and capture crucial wickets.”

Bangladesh’s openers had a tough outing in their previous match against England. Shanto acknowledged that, facing the new ball can be challenging but stressed the importance of the team coming together to stage a strong comeback, even in the event of early wickets being lost.