After arriving from India, the West Indies canceled their official practice session. Yet on Thursday (October 16), Sammy made an unannounced visit to Mirpur with Brandon King and Alick Athanaze.
He met with curator Tony Hemming at the academy ground before heading to the main wicket for a close look. Sammy, who first toured Bangladesh in 2011, has seen these conditions many times but this one took him by surprise.
Before hanging up his boots, the former West Indies all-rounder played 20 matches in Bangladesh across all formats. He also featured in the Bangladesh Premier League, turning out for Rangpur Riders in 2015 and Rajshahi Kings in the following two editions. His last BPL appearance came in 2017.
Having spent significant time in Bangladesh as both an international and franchise player, Sammy is no stranger to Mirpur’s playing conditions.
But this time, as head coach, he was taken aback by what he described as an unusual-looking surface. Without hiding his reaction, Sammy said, “I’ve never seen a wicket like this before.”
“Look, the captain hasn’t seen the wicket yet, but I have,” Sammy said. “I don’t know if I can put it into words… but I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Still, we all know the kinds of challenges sub continental wickets present, especially for the batters.”
Later in the press conference, Sammy was asked again about what exactly made the wicket so different. He smiled and admitted he wasn’t sure how to describe it, but emphasized that his players must adapt quickly instead of worrying about the surface.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but what I can say is that we won’t let the pitch get into our heads. Wherever we play, our mantra stays the same understand the conditions fast, figure out what skill set is needed, and back ourselves to execute. That’s how we keep improving as a team.”
