Ultimate aim is to improve our standard in ODIs: Phil Simmons

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons said that they are not losing their sleep over direct qualification for the forthcoming ICC Men's ODI Cricket World Cup 2027 as they prepare for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan, scheduled from March 11 in Dhaka.

Bangladesh, who have lost four of their last five ODI series, will be eyeing a fresh start in the upcoming series against Pakistan, which will mark their return to ODI format after a gap of four months.

To qualify automatically for the 14-team tournament, a team must be in the top eight in the ICC ODI rankings by the cut-off date of March 31, 2027.

According to the current ODI rankings, Bangladesh sit in 10th place with 74 rating points, just behind West Indies, who have 77 points.

With Zimbabwe already assured of a place as co-hosts, Bangladesh are effectively in 11th position in the race for direct qualification and must climb to at least ninth place before the 31 March 2027 cut-off to avoid the qualifiers.

"The ultimate aim is to improve our standard in ODI cricket rather than getting too caught up in qualification mathematics," Simmons told reporters ahead of their series opener at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday.

"The team may not currently have the same level of experience that was present when Bangladesh once reached the top of the ODI rankings, but our focus is on ensuring that the present group plays to the best of its ability," he said.

"The work we are doing now is aimed at helping the team climb up the rankings table. Our ambition is not only to remain within the top eight to secure automatic qualification, but also to keep moving upward by consistently playing better cricket," he said

"While the long-term objective is to reach a stronger position in the rankings before the qualification cut-off date, the immediate priority is to improve the quality of cricket we are playing," he added.

Simmons said that his team is slowly getting past the disappointment of not participating in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, with the withdrawal stemming from security reasons.

Bangladesh prepared for the Pakistan series for the last two weeks by playing the one-day version of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) which, according to Simmons, helped the players move on from the T20 World Cup disappointment.

"I think we are at that stage now where we're getting past that. It was very hurtful for the guys and I'm talking to them and it was very, very hurtful," Simmons said.

"But I think we're getting to the stage, and I think the BCL helped with that little tournament, so we started to get back into the frame of playing 50-over cricket and thinking about these three matches here. So, I think we're getting there," he added.

Simmons added that he will be putting "a lot of emphasis" on how the batters perform during the middle phase of the ODI innings.

Ahead of the series, the team has concentrated on strengthening its middle-order batting, an area in which Bangladesh have struggled for some time. To bolster the middle phase, Bangladesh have recalled Litton Das and Afif Hossain.

"The middle overs, yes, we've not been performing as well as we'd like. So, that's one of the areas we are going to stress a lot - how many runs, singles, and boundaries we can get in those overs. It's a crucial part of the 50-over game," Simmons said.

With Litton set to don a middle-order role, Simmons reasoned out the idea behind playing him outside the opener's spot.

"First of all, it's very challenging to keep for 50 overs and then open the batting. Litton is also one of our better players against spin, so placing him in the middle should help. As I said, the middle overs have been one of our Achilles' heels. With his experience and skills, we hope to get what we need in that phase," said Simmons.

"Litton has been comfortable batting anywhere. I think now he's more relaxed with his game and sees it as an opportunity to do what the team needs from him," he added.

All three matches of the ODI series will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. While the opener is set for Wednesday (March 11), the second and third matches will take place on March 13 and 15 respectively.