Visitors kept guessing
It can be said that for the past few years Bangladesh followed a particular way of approaching a series at home that has proved to be very successful. The trend has been to keep the opposition scratching their heads before getting on the field. That can also be said for the upcoming series against West Indies that starts with the first Test match on November 22 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram.
Currently, the visitors are playing a two-day practice match against BCB XI in Chattogram's MA Aziz Stadium. BCB XI have three spinners and only one, Nayeem Hasan, is part of the Test squad and he too, according to chief selector Minhajul Abedin , is considered as a 'backup' for this Test.
The inclusion of only two genuine pacers, Mustafizur Rahman and Khaled Ahmed, may be indicative of how Bangladesh are going to approach the Test but BCB XI's lineup for the practice match with no recognised spinner will surely leave the visitors guessing. Also, the flat nature of the pitch may play a role in not letting the opposition get accustomed to the conditions they are likely to face in the Test at the ZACS, where the pitch tends to be a slow and low one.
West Indies managed to post 303 for six on the first day. Soumya Sarkar, the left-handed opener who made a return to the Test squad after more than a year, talked about the efficiency of the Windies batsmen in handling the spinners.
"Our spinners have bowled well but they [West Indies] managed to handle them well."
Soumya also thought that West Indies' recent tour of India may have aided them a little coming into this series.
"They played for a long time in India so maybe they were prepared for it. They have been playing spin for a while. However, if we bowl quality deliveries, then they would not be able to survive for long," said Soumya.
Soumya scored a hundred in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in October and has been in good form in the NCL, but the last time he featured for Bangladesh in a Test was against South Africa in September last year.
"Tomorrow, there's an opportunity to bat. I got this chance after a long time. If I get the chance to bat at the top or anywhere else, I'll try to spend as much time as I can on the pitch."
SCORES IN BRIEF
WEST INDIANS: First innings 303 for 6 (Powell 72, Hope retired hurt 88, Chase 35, Hetmyer 24, Dowrich 24; Nayeem 2-104)
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