Lehmann doesn’t fear being underprepared

The short preparation time afforded Australia for their two-Test tour to Bangladesh doesn’t trouble head coach Darren Lehmann.

Lehmann said they could only know if they were underprepared once they clashed with the Tigers in the first Test in Mirpur on August 27.

Australia’s preparation time had been cut into by the pay dispute between the player’s representatives and Cricket Australia.

Speaking to cricket.com.au Lehmann said: “Until you get there you don’t know.

“We’re squeezing enough in this next week, and guys have been doing stuff with their states.

“Even through the MOU (negotiations) they were training and preparing as though they were playing.

“So in terms of fitness, they are probably ahead of the game, they’re really strong and fit which is really pleasing.

“Now it’s just getting their skills up to the required level before we leave.”

Lehmann feels that the time off after the Champions Trophy has been beneficial for the players after a very long season.

He added: “The break’s been good for some of them, they’ve been at the back of a long summer with a lot of travel in the schedule so sometimes a refreshed mindset is really important.

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“They’ve all come in really excited to get going again.”

The coach has been thrilled with the set-up in Darwin where the Northern Territory Cricket Association has hosted the Test squad in a training camp.

He said: “The NTCA have been fantastic, they’ve made wickets very similar to what we’ll get in Bangladesh – they’re low and they’re slow, and they will spin.

“There’s three wicket blocks that are more like Dhaka (which hosts the first Test from August 27-31), three wickets that are a bit like Chittagong (the second from September 4-8), and centre wicket facilities so we can play a match and work on our fielding.

“So in terms of conditions and the heat and humidity that we’ll face when we get there, it’s great preparation especially for those who have come out of winter in the southern states (of Australia).”

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