After struggling badly on a sporting pitch in Sylhet, there’s extra curiosity around the nature of the Chittagong wicket.
When Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine arrived at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the match, he hadn’t yet seen the pitch. He was trying to gauge its behavior by observing the practice wickets. Zimbabwe batter Ben Curran had also mentioned earlier that they hadn’t yet had the chance to inspect the main strip. However, Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons did offer a bit more insight into the pitch conditions.
The Sylhet pitch for the first Test had a slight grass cover, offering good pace and bounce, with some assistance for spinners as well. It wasn’t too tough for batters either — overall, a true sporting wicket. Even though Bangladesh lost, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said they had no complaints about the surface and that this is the kind of wicket they want to play on.
However, it’s well-known that Chittagong’s conditions will be different. The two cities differ in weather, soil composition, and overall environment. Traditionally, Chittagong pitches tend to favor batters early on but become slower and drier as the match progresses, offering more to the spinners later.
When the topic of the pitch came up at Sunday’s press conference, Simmons responded with a wide smile, clearly happy with what he had seen.
“The wicket looks very good. It’s quite firm, smooth, and a bit dry. We can expect some turn later in the match, which could work to our advantage.”
Last year, two Test matches were played in Chittagong, and both pitches behaved similarly. In one, Sri Lanka piled up 531 runs in their first innings, and in the other, South Africa declared at 575 for 6. Bangladesh’s batting collapsed under the weight of those massive totals, although spinners found decent assistance as the games wore on.
If Simmons’ assessment holds true, the pitch this time is likely to behave similarly. Bangladesh’s team selection — favoring more spinners and fewer pacers — also gives a clue about what to expect.
The Zimbabwe team finally got a proper look at the pitch after they began their practice session in the afternoon. Several players and coaching staff spent considerable time inspecting the surface.
From a distance, it appeared there was a light covering of grass, which could be trimmed even further by the morning of the match — leaving a much barer 22 yards.
Before seeing the wicket, Zimbabwe captain Ervine had shared his guess about the surface during the press conference.
“The nets have felt a bit on the slower side for us. As the match progresses, spin might play a bigger role in this Test.”
