Not the end of the world for pacers, says Walsh
© Cricfrenzy
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh pace-bowling coach Courtney Walsh said on Monday that playing no pacer in the second Test against West Indies is not the end of the world for them.
The Shakib Al Hasaan-led won the second Test by an innings and 184 runs to clinch the two-match series by clear margin that marked the spin era of the Tigers.
Bangladesh for the first time decided not to include any pace bowler in their playing XI as they opted for a spin quartet against the visitors.
“We are here to win Test matches. Whatever surface we play on, whichever combination is the best to get Bangladesh to win Tests. I am always happy with it. Back in the day when West Indies used to dominate, they had four fast bowlers. Now Bangladesh is dominating with four spinners, so it is just a trend. The surface was never going to be fast bowler-friendly. We thought the spinners would have a bigger role and that has proven to be the case,” said Walsh.
“Mentally, they have to show more strength in practice, in the ODIs coming up. And those selected for the tour of New Zealand… someone has to say that okay ‘I wasn’t selected in a Test match but I have to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Whenever it is seamer-friendly, my name is first on the paper.’
“It is just one Test match that no fast bowler played in. We had Fizz in one Test, we had Khaled and Fizz in another Test. This was a Test to try to win the series. For me, it is not sending the wrong message. Tactically we felt it was the best for Bangladesh to win without a fast bowler. It might be the first time one hasn’t played, but the result matters” he added.
