Buoyant Bangladesh ready to back up historic Test win
Joel Gould |
Bangladesh are ready to ride the bounce on a fast Mackay pitch and back up their deserved nine-wicket first Test win over Australia.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said he was expecting the surface at Great Barrier Reef Arena to have more life in it than the drop-in pitch in Darwin.
Australia’s pacemen Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will pose questions, but Shanto was confident his batters would have the answers after winning their first Test Down Under.
“I think there will be a little bit more extra bounce than Darwin,” Shanto said.
“Before we came here we had been preparing for this kind of bouncy track, and we had a series against Zimbabwe where the wicket was almost similar.
“The batters in the last couple of days in the net session have been doing their skill, so I think they will cope with this extra bounce.”
Bangladesh are considering including left-arm quick Shoriful Islam, who has recovered from a side strain that kept him out of the first Test.
If he did come in, it would likely be at the expense of pace bowler Ebadot Hossain.
Shoriful captured six wickets in an ODI against Australia in June and worried the top order.
Shanto likes to include three quicks and two spinners in his teams, and Taijul Islam and allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz are both likely to play.
“I said many times that the spinners we have are very experienced and can bowl in any conditions,” Shanto said.
“I have that luxury to go with 3-2 (bowling configuration), and with the conditions we have I am very happy with that.”
When Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons speaks, it is clear why he has been such a positive force on the Bangladesh team.
Much hard work in the background has gone into getting the side to play so well in Australia, but Simmons also has kept the squad grounded and his words offer simple, but effective, wisdom.
After reinforcing that the win in Darwin was “definitely the best Test win I have had in my coaching career”, the former West Indies batter warned the side must not take their foot off Australia’s throat.
“The only thing I said to them is that Australia is going to come harder, so we have to either keep that level of performance or get a little bit better,” Simmons said.
“Even if we get one per cent better in some areas … we know they are going to change their game and come harder at us.”
Confidence is high and Simmons said Bangladesh now received more respect away from home, after winning 2-0 in Pakistan in 2024.
Bangladesh won in Darwin playing traditional cricket, patiently building a large first-innings lead through a total of 426, in response to Australia’s 198 all out.
“Test cricket is five days, and if my team can bat for 11 hours out of that five days then the other team must be under pressure,” Simmons said.
“That is how I learned to play Test cricket.”
AAP