The fact that Bangladesh has included five fast bowlers in its roster for the one-off test match against Afghanistan, which will begin today in Dhaka, has been a big topic of conversation leading up to the match. Unavoidably, conversations centered on the grassy field even a day before the game was scheduled to take place.
However, the weather in Mirpur is notorious for being fickle and unpredictable, and the Tigers, in order to improve their game, prioritized playing in favorable circumstances for test matches.
Only one of the Tigers’ most recent 10 tests was a victory for the team, while they were defeated in eight of those matches. As a result, the effort of finding uniformity in the format is an ongoing one for them. Since the match is not a part of the cycle for the World Test Championship, there are no points available for the World Test Championship that can be earned through playing in it.
The fact that Afghanistan didn’t bring their top spinner, Rashid Khan, to the World Cup contributes to the general impression that teams are hesitant to play their finest players during World Cup years. The objective for Bangladesh will be to evaluate their own capabilities in contrast to those of an Afghan team that hasn’t competed in a test since 2021 and is short on previous experience in the format.
The head coach of the Tigers, Chandika Hathurusingha, has an excellent understanding of the circumstances, and she has said categorically that the wicket would react in the same manner as a sports track.
The particular aim is to evaluate the capabilities of the squad in a variety of environments at their home stadium. After having success with green wickets against Ireland in Sylhet, the aim for Afghanistan was to continue the process of cultivating conditions that were favorable for the pace unit.
The rain that has fallen over the last several days has caused the grass to become green. I have seen green wickets here previously. When queried about the greenish appearance of the surface, he responded by saying, “We played against Ireland on a green wicket.”
We have quick bowlers, but the circumstances need to be set up so that they can play to their strengths. We also have some really skilled spinners. This game is just getting started, and the wicket is still green. Because of the heat, it will degrade extremely rapidly, and by the time the latter stages of the game come around, it may be beneficial to the spinners.
Because of this, I believe that the batting side, the fast bowlers, and the spinners will all find this pitch to be a terrific sports surface. At the press conference that took place yesterday, Hathurusingha said, “So, I’d like to see a good contest.”
In the larger framework of test match philosophy, Hathrusingha was prepared to let go of the rigidity of just playing in spin-friendly circumstances at home while the hunt continues on for a certain kind of cricket. This is because Hathrusingha believes that there are many different styles of cricket.
“Prior to the Ireland series, we had the goal of playing a certain style of cricket, notwithstanding the fact that the outcome may have been different. So, sure, the final goal is to gain results, but before we get there, we want to see how our skill set would hold up over the course of five days and under a variety of scenarios that force us to play in a certain manner.
“When we wanted to play and get some points, when we play the Test championship, we might tactically do different things, but this game is giving us the opportunity to play on a sporting wicket,” he continued. “When we wanted to play and get some points, when we play the Test championship, we might tactically do different things.”
If the pacers kept becoming faster, one of the members of the team management speculated, such wickets might become more prevalent at home throughout the course of the match. Only 19 wickets have been taken at home by the top four pacers in the Bangladesh Test squad over the last two years: Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam.
The exact same quicks bowlers were responsible for a staggering 52 wickets away from their home ground over the same time span.
“When we are playing at home, regardless of whether or not it is a test championship, we will figure out the strategy that works best for us. While doing so, we also keep an eye on our progress to play away from home,” the head coach added, emphasizing the point that the Tigers are looking to challenge themselves and improve.