There is no stress from traffic or long drives; there is only green space and top-notch cricket facilities.  Phil Simmons, the head coach of Bangladesh, was blown away by the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium right away. He called it "dream-like" before the first Test against Zimbabwe.

Simmons is loving how comfortable and easy it is to concentrate in Sylhet, where the team hotel is right next to the airport and the stadium is only a few minutes away.  The senior coach was full of praise for the host city when he talked to reporters the day before the first Test.

“Preparation, one thing has been good. I think the facilities down here are just a dream because you can do what you want. You're not far from the hotel, everything like that. So we've been able to do a lot of work in the short term,” said the 62-year-old coach.

Simmons addressed the media on his birthday but made it clear he’s not looking for any gifts — unless it comes in the form of a win. “I've got to the stage where I don't want birthday gifts anymore. But a birthday gift for me to win this Test match, that's all it is.”

He made it clear that the Sylhet Test is his only concern and that he is not jumping ahead to the Chattogram match or think about a series win just yet.

“I don't know about whitewash. I look at it, we take one step at a time. The first Test match is here, we win that, and then we start thinking about winning the series. But in order to win the first Test, we win the first day. So that's how I like to look at things. I can't look until Chattogram. I need to focus on Sylhet instead of this,” he added.