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West Indies and Bangladesh spent the eve of the first ODI peering at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium pitch, and walked away with very different first impressions.
“We’ve never seen anything like it before,” West Indies head coach Daren Sammy admitted, staring at the black, almost oily surface that tends to crop up in Dhaka at this time of year. Standing a few metres away, Bangladesh boss Phil Simmons shrugged: “It looks like a normal Mirpur wicket.”
Key facts first
• The series opener is on a black-soil pitch that can grip and turn.
• West Indies’ squad is green: only Shai Hope and Roston Chase have played ODIs here.
• Bangladesh’s top order is out of touch, leaving Mehidy Hasan Miraz to cover the cracks.
Assess, decide, deliver
Sammy has turned the situation into a coaching mantra. “I’m not sure if we can replicate it; we’ve never seen anything like that before,” he said. “I don’t know how to describe it. However, we will not let the pitch play on our minds. Wherever we go, the mantra remains the same: you still have to assess the conditions that you are faced with. And then once you’ve assessed it, you’ve got to decide what skill set is required to be successful, and then you back yourself in your delivery. And that’s where you add something to your game: ADD (Assess, Decide, Deliver).”
Simmons, who swapped the Caribbean job for Bangladesh earlier this year, expects slow turn rather than something freakish. “It looks like a normal Mirpur wicket,” he repeated. “So, it usually has some sort of turn in it, which is good.” The black soil can scuff early, offering finger-spinners grip, but if dew arrives under lights it can slide on for the batters – a balance both coaches are trying to second-guess.
Young West Indies eyes
Only Hope and Chase have first-hand knowledge of Mirpur’s nuances; everyone else in maroon is effectively on a blind date with the surface.
“I am trying to share as much experience as I can,” Hope said after training. “When you play in foreign conditions, it’s very important as an experienced player or as a senior player in the team to share all the knowledge that you possibly can. In this situation, we all have a desire to do well for the West Indies, and it’s very important as a cricketer, especially as a batter, to come into these conditions and perform well. So all the little learning that I would have gained from my previous trip – it’s about having those conversations with the remaining batters and trying to get the best out of each and every one of us.”
Hope, who has just come off a taxing series in India, spoke for nearly ten minutes, pausing often to choose the right word – a small reminder that even senior players are dealing with unknowns here.
Bangladesh’s own puzzles
While West Indies fret over the pitch, Bangladesh’s concern is runs – or the lack of them. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali have all lost form at the same time; promising left-hander Tanzid Hasan was dropped after a lean run against Afghanistan last week.
Simmons conceded the wobble has forced captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz to shelve his adventurous side. “Because of the start we’ve had, that’s the way he’s had to play – especially the one with him and Towhid Hridoy in that partnership [in the first ODI against Afghanistan],” he said.
The coach did not labour the point, but the numbers are stark: Bangladesh have lost their first wicket inside the opening six overs in six of their last eight ODIs. That has meant a rebuild almost every time, and Mehidy’s off-spin remains crucial with the ball, so the extra batting responsibility is not ideal.
Analysis without jargon
What does all this mean for game one? If the pitch plays typically – slow, a tinge of turn – West Indies will lean on Gudakesh Motie and Chase to squeeze, while Alzarri Joseph’s pace offers a different axis. Batting-wise, they will need one of the debutants to settle quickly; Mirpur is not the easiest place to learn on the job, but a score of 260 is often competitive here.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, know the venue inside out. They have won 15 of their last 18 ODIs in Dhaka, usually by strangling teams with spin through the middle overs. The threat, as ever, is if dew turns the ball into soap and renders that plan toothless.
The mood, though, was calm rather than edgy. Sammy smiled when asked if the black surface scared him. “You can only bat on what’s in front of you,” he said, almost laughing at the fuss. Simmons echoed that sentiment in his own understated way – two coaches united, at least, in wanting the cricket to start so the guessing can end.
