Expect the unexpected
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan said that it would be better for Bangladesh to go into the second Test against West Indies with an open mind, but that advice could very well relate to the fans' expectations. West Indies and Bangladesh are two of the most unpredictable sides in world cricket and nothing should be taken for granted when they square off.
And as if Bangladesh's cricketing character was drawn from the surface on which they play a lot of their cricket, the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur will be a star character in the show of uncertainty.
The only thing that can be said for certain about the Mirpur wicket is that it will likely not be a batting paradise. While the team management have usually gotten what they asked for at Chattogram, where the home side used conditions well to seal a 64-run win in the first Test, the Mirpur wicket is a bit of a lottery with regards to how much it will aid Bangladesh's strength in spin.
"You can't always make predictions based on looking at the wicket, and that is true of pitches around the world," said Shakib in the pre-match press conference yesterday. "It's the same with Mirpur. Test cricket is a game of five days and the wicket changes from day to day, session to session. So it's best not to go in with a fixed plan -- it's better for the team to play with an open mind."
Unpredictability is a recurrent theme with Bangladesh in home Tests. Three of their past four home series have ended in 1-1 draws, and the trend suggests that Bangladesh were reacting to their performance in the previous match.
Bangladesh scored 522 for seven in their most recent Test here against Zimbabwe before struggling to reach 200 in their second innings, but it is quite revealing that the last time a team scored more than 300 in Mirpur was in May 2015, when Pakistan scored 557 for eight. With this trend and as they mull a spin-heavy bowling lineup, the Tigers will do well to remember that the strategy almost backfired in the first Test as West Indies spinners Jomel Warrican and Devendra Bishoo enjoyed the conditions almost as much as the hosts.
The test for the hosts to win just their fourth Test series will be to buck the trend of unpredictability and outclass the opposition in both Tests of a series. Even if that does not happen, there is sure to be some twists and turns over the next few days -- that much can be predicted.
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