DHAKA: West Indies great and Bangladesh bowling coach Court­ney Walsh on Monday warned that bowling conditions in Britain would make the upcoming World Cup a tough test for the South Asian side.

The 10-team tournament will run from May 30 to July 14 in England and Wales.

“It will be a big challenge,” Walsh told reporters in Dhaka. “There are going to be some good cricket pitches, which are batting-friendly. We have to be intelligent, and try to execute well. We have to read the conditions and the surfaces we play. Some places the ball might swing more than the others. We have to assess when we get there.”

Walsh, who played four World Cups for the West Indies between 1987 and 1999, tipped the bowlers to rely on their variations to be successful.

“Most of the pitches will be docile and flat. We have to work on our variations and execution,” he said. “Everybody studies one another these days. So they know our strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, we also know theirs.”

Walsh will be overseeing a Bangladesh pace bowling unit already grappling with injury problems.

The legendary fast bowler of yesteryear revealed that three of his five charges — Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin — are currently recovering from injuries.

“We need to get them back into bowling, within the right frame of mind, and be sharp enough to do a bit of bowling in Ireland and be ready for the World Cup,” he said.

Bangladesh, who will open their campaign against South Africa on June 2 at The Oval, also will play a tri-nation tournament in Ireland involving the hosts and West Indies in May as part of their build-up for World Cup.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2019