Sports Reporter:
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto believes
the presence of fast bowler Nahid Rana could have given his side more options
in planning their bowling attack against West Indies in the recently
concluded Test series.
Bangladesh fielded two pacers and three spinners in both Tests against West
Indies, banking on spin-friendly home conditions.
However, the hosts suffered a series defeat, with their spinners failing to
make the expected impact compared to their Caribbean counterparts.
Shanto said the team had decided on the combination after assessing the
opposition’s strengths and weaknesses but admitted that Rana’s absence due to
injury limited their options.
“Had Rana been available, we could sometimes have gone with a different plan.
With the old ball, you can have different strategies. Rana’s presence would
have given us more alternatives,” Shanto said here today.
Bangladesh had previously played with three pacers in their home series
against Pakistan and the Test in Darwin, while they opted for two pacers
against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. The decision to include three spinners
against West Indies was part of their strategy to exploit home conditions.
Shanto, however, insisted that the team did not get the conditions it had
expected, particularly in the second Test in Sylhet, where the pitch remained
favourable for batting even on the final two days.
“We had planned to play on spin-friendly pitches. If you look at both
matches, we played three spinners and two pacers. I don’t think we lost the
first Test because of the conditions. We failed in all three departments –
batting, bowling and fielding,” he said.
“We did not get exactly the conditions we wanted or expected in Sylhet. In
that regard, we were a little behind in our planning.”
Bangladesh had expected the Sylhet surface to offer assistance to spinners
much earlier in the match. Shanto said the team might have considered an
additional pacer had they known the pitch would remain so conducive to
batting.
“This was not the kind of wicket we wanted. Had we known it would be like
this, we might have played another fast bowler. We expected spin to come into
play much earlier, but unfortunately that did not happen,” he said.
The captain added that Bangladesh would need better coordination with the
relevant authorities to prepare pitches that suit their strengths in future
home series.
“We need to discuss more carefully how we can create conditions in our favour
and make proper plans accordingly,” he added.
The series was crucial for Bangladesh’s hopes of remaining in contention for
a place in the ICC World Test Championship final. However, Shanto admitted
that the team failed to play anywhere near its potential.
“We did not play good cricket, and accepting that is very important. I think
we could not even play 50 per cent of the cricket we had been playing in this
format. Had our planning and execution been better, the result could have
been different,” he said
