Simmons unfazed by Tigers’ heat challenge in Abu Dhabi

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons is hopeful the players returning from Japan will quickly adjust to the conditions in Abu Dhabi ahead of their one-off Test against Afghanistan, which begins on Friday.

The Tigers finally held their first full-squad practice session on Wednesday, bringing together a camp that had been split across two entirely different climates. Six players who were part of the Asian Games squad in Japan -- Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzid Hasan Tamim -- joined the Test squad after arriving in the country on Tuesday.

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The players returning from Japan had limited training opportunities during the Asian Games due to persistent rain, something Bangladesh T20I skipper Litton had also cited after the team failed to win a medal at the Games.

In contrast, the rest of the Test squad had spent the past few days training in the scorching UAE heat and also featured in a two-day practice match against the UAE, which ended in a draw on Monday.

"Well, that's the only issue right now. The guys who came from Japan, doing not much there, and then having to come in this weather... two days in this weather, it's how they adjust," Simmons said after Wednesday's practice session.

"Because it's a mental thing at the end of the day, and it's how they adjust. And today they look good. They look good for their first day in the heat. So, I'm sure they will adjust themselves properly," he added.

Simmons also expects the Abu Dhabi wicket to provide a good contest, although he warned that it could be slow and that Afghanistan are likely to rely heavily on their spinners.

"I'm looking at the wicket, the wicket looks good. It looks like it can be a little bit slow, but it looks to be a good wicket. So, we're preparing for a good wicket. We know that we're going to have to come up against a number of spinners, so we're preparing for all that. And the preparation has been good, the guys have worked well. So we're looking forward to a couple days from now," he added.