Former skipper of Bangladesh Akram Khan is preparing hard for the forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe. CricInfo caught up with him at the Bangladesh team's preparatory camp at Dhaka. Here are some excerpts from our conversation.

S.K: Being a batting genius and an ex-captain of the side, you will have to carry the responsibility as a key member in our batting line-up.

Akram Khan: It is true that I am with this team as a key batsman and my job is to score runs. I am serious about my responsibility and I want to perform as well as possible.

S.K: What is your idea about Zimbabwe's squad?

Akram Khan: Basically they are much stronger than us as well as experienced. They are good in every department, especially their fielding which is exceedingly good. We don't have that much experience, still we will give nothing away without a fight.

S.K: They have quality fast bowlers like Heath Streak. Any plans to tackle him?

Akram Khan: Yes, no doubt he is a very destructive bowler, but we are accustomed to playing against world class bowlers like Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Srinath or Vaas. We are not absolute rookies when it comes to handling fast bowlers. Besides, we are not pondering much over who we are facing; the important thing is to play well and we are going to do that.

S.K: You could not bat that well against India. Everyone is now expecting some good knocks from you against Zimbabwe. Don't you think the pressure is mounting on you after the inaugural Test?

Akram Khan: In the first innings I did not play poorly, I scored 35. Yes, you can say my failure in the second innings brought about our ultimate defeat. But I am hopeful about the Zimbabwe tour; I do not wish to hurt everyone's expectations.

S.K: How does it feel training under Trevor Chappell?

Akram Khan: He is an excellent trainer and very keen to find out our problems and to solve them accordingly. We have not spent much time with him, yet, we find him very helpful and friendly.

S.K: He came to Bangladesh very late. Do you think it would have been better if we got him earlier?

Akram Khan: Well, our previous coaches taught us many things; especially I have to mention the name of Eddie Barlow who provided us with all his professional expertise and we learnt pretty well. The local coach is nice too, so I don't think it was a problem.

S.K: Thank you and wish you best for the coming tour on behalf of all Bangladeshis.

Akram Khan: Thank you

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