‘It is up to Shakib’

The Tigers' pace bowling strategy in Tests, especially at home, has always been an area of concern and the case is no different ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan which starts from September 5 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram.

Compared to spinners, who have bagged 161 wickets over the last ten Test matches at home, seamers have managed to scalp just 15 wickets. That has naturally raised questions about whether the Tigers will bank on yet another spin heavy line-up.

There were talks that the think tank were wondering whether to go with a green top to limit Afghanistan's spinners while the selectors inclusion of three seamers in the form of Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed and Ebadot Hossain in the 15-member squad also augured well for pacers. According to Bangladesh's new fast bowling coach Charl Langeveldt, however, the final call over the team combination will come from Test captain Shakib Al Hasan.

"I am a fast bowler so I would like to see fast bowlers playing. But at the end of the day you must understand the conditions and play accordingly. If the captain feels that the ball is going to turn, I cannot suggest playing three seamers. It is up to Shakib," Langeveldt told reporters in Mirpur yesterday.

The lack of belief in pacers at home, especially in the longest format of the game, has often led to the Bangladeshi pacers being toothless in foreign conditions.  Langeveldt insisted that 'conditions' played a big role in team selection and admitted spinners often play huge roles on sub-continental pitches.

"I have come here and played. It is difficult for seamers. Our [South Africa's] seamers struggled when they played the last time they were here. It is up to the captain [Shakib]. If he says he is going to play one seamer, it is his decision. For me it is just about preparing the seamers so that they are ready to play, if they play," Langeveldt explained.

After completing his tenth day with the Tigers, Langeveldt was excited by how quickly the pacers learn. It is widely reported that Bangladeshi seamers tend to shy away from coaches due to the language barrier but Langeveldt said that so far, all the pacers willingly communicated with him.

"I am a very laid-back guy so they can come to me and I make them feel comfortable. I don't want a bowler to be shy; he must ask. If you don't ask you are not going to learn. Ebadot probably asks questions the most; Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] at the beginning was quiet but then asked different questions and Taskin asks questions as well," he said.

According to Langeveldt, missing Mustafizur is a big loss, but he added it was a precautionary measure as the left-armer was already carrying a niggle and was rested given the Tigers' tight upcoming schedule.