Bangladesh aim to take revenge on star-less Afghanistan
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha chats with Captain Litton Das, Cricfrenzy
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Bangladesh take on Afghanistan for one-off Test, beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium with an aim to take revenge of their previous meeting, where the visiting side crushed the Tigers.
The task should be easier this time for the stand-in captain Litton Das’s side, considering Afghanistan have no Rashid Khan in their bowling attack due to injury concern and also they named a side that lacked experience.
However, the visitors are bolstered with many talented spinners who showed their credential in the shorter format of the cricket.
In the only game between the two sides in this format, Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 224 runs, thanks to an 11-wicket haul of Rashid. That was Afghanistan's only second Test in their history.
Bangladesh are in a good rhythm in this format as the red and green beat Ireland by seven wickets and another victory would give them a consecutive second Test victory for the first time since 2018 when they beat West Indies by 2-0 at home.
Moreover Afghanistan would play this Test after two years gap since their last Test against Zimbabwe in 2021. Considering all these factors, Bangladesh looked outright favourite to win the Test.
The main worry are the injury concerns in Tigers’ camp as star all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has already ruled out due to finger injury and day before the Test veteran opener Tamim Iqbal also ruled out due to lower back pain and pacer Taskin Ahmed has fitness issues.
Tamim felt discomfort during training prior to the lone Test match as BCB confirmed that he won't participate in the match Wednesday.
And the team management is cautious about Taskin’s workload given that there are plenty of white-ball matches scheduled for this year, including the Asia Cup and World Cup, both just a few months away.
Apart from Taskin, Bangladesh have four more pacers on the line in Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam and the uncapped Mushfik Hasan.
Bangladesh created a favorable playing surface to provide them the best opportunity to win the Test match and to improve their skill by playing on this surface frequently.
The surface would degrade later because of the heat, giving the spinners an advantage, according to Tiger head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
PHOTO: Bangladesh Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha Looks On the Wicket, Cricfrenzy
"Grass is green because of the rain the last few days. So, I have seen green wickets here before. We played against Ireland on a green wicket. We have fast bowlers. So, we need to give them a condition that suits their strength," Hathurusingha said.
"We have good spinners as well. So, this game is only starting as a green wicket. You know that with this heat it'll deteriorate very quickly, and then it'll help the spinners in the latter parts of the game. So, I think this pitch is a good sporting wicket for everybody, the batter, bowlers - fast bowlers and spinners. So, I'd like to see a good contest" he added.
The head coach further said they want to continue the brand of cricket they played against Ireland.
"As we discussed, before that Ireland series, we wanted to play a certain brand of cricket, regardless of the result. So yes, our endgame is to get results, but we wanted to understand how our skill set last five days in different conditions, challenging us to play in a certain way."
On the other hand. the Afghanistan team, from a country still feeling the after-effects of decades of conflict and the 2021 Taliban takeover, have won three of six Tests since being granted Test status in 2018.
Rashid has played in five of Afghanistan's six Test matches, picking up 34 wickets at an average of 22.35.
"It will be challenging, we all know that Rashid is one of the main bowlers. He did very well in the past in Test matches. Still, we have another option like wrist spinners and they will perform well, In Sha Allah” Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said before the game.
