The reality is that we continuously start tours slowly. What is also true, is that the games in the Middle East last week will have no bearing on how we do on the sub continent over the next two or three.
Yes, it was disappointing at the time to lose to both Worcester and Hong Kong but it has been quickly forgotten as we look forward to Paddy's day. Before then we have two more games to iron out the creases and sharpen up.
We start the warm ups against a Nepal side that we know little about. These days however there is plenty of video footage to look at and Phil Simmons is one of the best in the business at looking at opposition teams and players and working out their flaws.
Both of our warm up games are at Fatullah stadium just outside the capital, Dhaka, around a 45 minute bus ride away. We have had two days there already, practising and getting used to the facilities. It's an interesting place to say the least.
On the sub continent in general, it's just a different way of life, you need to have an extraordinary amount of patience...something that my good friends and family will tell you is not one of my strong points.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that people want to help you too much and therefore never say no, even if they can't actually provide you with a solution or the help you need. This of course then leads to multiple blow ups from the team.
At times it can actually provide great comic relief, providing you aren't the one on the end of it. Only last night, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson and I caused a massive security alert. What did we do? We went for coffee.
Suddenly Roy, our manager was being called on the phone asking if we had asked his permission and a Rapid response team was being gathered. As it happens because we had been here before and knew what to expect, I had spoken to Simmo to check it was ok.
The outcome of all of it was that when Niall O'Brien wanted to go out to meet someone he was told to wait...45 minutes later he was still waiting and told them to stuff it. About 5 minutes after that the three of us strolled in, clueless, to see Niall mid blow up!
Funny...Or at least we thought so. The coffee was top drawer as well!
Back to the cricket though and I guess our major issue of the last 5 games or so has been our inability to post totals on the board. We had a meeting upon arrival in Dhaka and spoke tactics at length. We didn't re-invent the wheel, it was more re-enforcing what we did so well in the UAE pre Christmas.
We have been five wickets down after 10 overs in each of our last three T20 games, the one time we weren't, we beat the West Indies. It's no coincidence.
Any cricket you play is about partnerships. If any two players bat for a period of time, runs will begin to flow whether that is in a T20 game or a test match. 120 balls is still a long time and we break the game down into five sections when we are batting. 1-6 overs, 7-10, 11-14,15-17 and 18-20. It's something we have found that has worked well for us over the years.
We can then go through those periods at the time and have certain things that we want to tick off. Obviously nothing is set in stone because there are so many variables, the wicket, how many we are chasing, the wether, the opposition may have a gun "death" bowler.
You need a plan though and we feel we have a good one. So we look forward to the Nepalese and then Bangladesh on Friday before flying to Sylhet, where we expect to see local pin up boy and Sylhet Royals BPL hero, Paul Stirling, plastered on billboards throughout the city!