The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is set to begin a four-team Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day tournament from Sunday at two venues -- Rajshahi and Bogura. However, questions remain as to whether the players have truly recovered from the trauma of missing the ICC T20 World Cup.

Saif Hassan, who was in line for his maiden World Cup appearance, admitted that the disappointment still lingers.

“Honestly, I haven’t watched any World Cup matches. Everyone who was in the team felt hurt -- there’s no denying that,” Saif told reporters in Rajshahi on Friday – on the first day of the pre-BCL training camp.

Bangladesh’s exclusion from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup has left the country’s cricketers deeply disappointed. Although the BCB arranged the Odommo Bangladesh T20 Cup to keep the players engaged during the marquee event, the frustration of missing out on the global stage could not be eased entirely by domestic competition alone.

Saif, who was named Player-of-the-Tournament in the recent Odommo T20 Cup after making the second highest 157 runs, said performing well in the domestic competition has helped him regain some confidence.

“I’ve managed to return to a good space, that’s a matter of comfort for me,” he said, adding that the players are trying to bounce back from the setback.

“I’m trying to motivate myself in my own way now. My focus is on the upcoming series, and if I get the opportunity, I will definitely try to express myself and take myself to a better position.

“As a professional cricketer, the sooner you can bounce back, the better it is for you. That was our goal -- to recover as quickly as possible. The good thing is that there was a break, and we’ve been able to make very good use of it,” added Saif, who will represent Central Zone in the upcoming BCL one-day tournament.