Bangladesh’s head coach, Phil Simmons, emphasized the importance of playing on a “proper” wicket to reach the desired goal in Test cricket.
Spin has traditionally been Bangladesh’s strength at home, but in recent years, the pace attack has also improved significantly. As a result, Simmons doesn’t want to rely solely on spinners or pacers against Zimbabwe. The Bangladesh head coach is in favor of playing on a sporting wicket to take the next step in Test cricket improvement.
The Test series will begin on Sunday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The pitch has fresh grass, which was visible on Friday, but it is expected to be reduced by Saturday.
To assist with pitch preparation, Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) chief curator Gamini Silva has traveled from Dhaka to Sylhet. BCB’s chief selector, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, and head coach Phil Simmons were also seen discussing the wicket with curators for an extended period.
After Friday’s practice session, Simmons shared his thoughts on the first Test pitch during a press conference.
“Our plan is to prepare a proper wicket. We want to play the way we want to take the Test team forward. We have a specific strategy in place. That’s why preparing a spin wicket against Zimbabwe isn’t necessary.”
Last year, Bangladesh achieved significant victories, including a whitewash against Pakistan at their home and a Test win over the West Indies, thanks in large part to players like Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud. Spin has always been a major factor in Bangladesh’s success at home.
However, with the pacers showing strong recent improvements, the head coach believes there’s no need to rely on a specific type of bowler anymore.
“We’ll try to win the Test match by preparing a proper wicket. There hasn’t been any discussion about preparing a spin or pace wicket. We saw the wicket today… it looks pretty solid. It seems like a good wicket. We’ll have to see how it shapes up tomorrow.”
Last year, Bangladesh experienced a mixed bag in Test cricket. While they won against Pakistan and the West Indies abroad, they struggled at home, losing badly in all four of their matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Given the overall strength and recent form, Bangladesh is entering the series with a full-strength squad, even though Zimbabwe is considered to be quite far behind in terms of ability.
Recent head-to-head statistics favor Bangladesh, as they have won 7 out of the last 8 matches against Zimbabwe, with the last three Test victories being dominant.
However, the Bangladesh coach doesn’t want to get ahead of himself and prefers to take one match at a time.
“I don’t know about a whitewash. I prefer taking one step at a time. The first Test is here, and if we win, we’ll start thinking about the next match and discussing the series. To win the first Test, we need to win the first day. That’s how I like to think. I can’t think about Chattogram right now. We need to focus on the Sylhet Test for now.”
