The Asia Cup T20 tournament will be held next month in the United Arab Emirates. Bangladesh will take the field with the goal of becoming champions in the eight-team event. Jaker Ali shared this ambition at a press conference during practice in Mirpur on Monday.

Jaker Ali said, “We are going to the Asia Cup to become champions. Everyone, including me, believes it. Our only goal is to be champions.”

The 2025 Asia Cup will begin on September 9 and end with the final on September 28. Bangladesh is in Group ‘B’ with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Group ‘A’ consists of India, Pakistan, Oman, and the host UAE.

The Tigers have never won the Asia Cup before. But after back-to-back T20 series victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the team is brimming with confidence. With this belief, Litton, Jaker, and their teammates will aim to make history. Jaker is hopeful that the growing confidence within the squad will inspire Bangladesh to perform well.

To address shortcomings in T20 batting, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed specialist power-hitting coach Julian Wood before the Asia Cup. He previously worked with local coaches and the women’s cricket team and has now joined the national team. After three days of training in Mirpur, the main skills camp will begin in Sylhet the day after tomorrow, August 20.

Sharing his experience with Wood, Jaker said, “We are working on some power-hitting skills, learning how to improve further. Those who are naturally strong are trying to get even better, while the timers are focusing on adding 2–3 more meters of distance. These are the areas we are working on.”

Wood has been contracted for only 28 days and will leave on September 3. He introduced some basics in Dhaka, which will now be practiced further in Sylhet. Asked if there has been any visible improvement in such a short time, Jaker said, “It’s too early to comment. It will take a little more time to see results. But we are trying to follow what has been given to us. The swing practices and different drills will definitely help.”

Known as one of Bangladesh’s power hitters, Jaker Ali said the experience has been very rewarding so far.