Just a day after drawing the Sylhet Test, a group of national cricketers left for Johannesburg yesterday, while the rest will depart Dhaka on Wednesday. With the two-match series beginning on November 15, the full squad will have just two days to prepare for the opener, raising questions about Bangladesh’s planning for overseas assignments.
The rushed build-up echoes the recent West Indies series. After their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, seven members of the Test squad featured in a UAE tri-series before joining the rest of the team. The full squad consequently had only two days to train together before the Mirpur opener, which Bangladesh lost by eight wickets inside four days.
The demanding schedule has also left little room for recovery, with players travelling from the UAE to Dhaka, then Sylhet for the Test before heading to South Africa.
After the Sylhet Test, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted there was little scope for specific preparation for South Africa, urging his teammates to get mentally ready for the challenge.
After the Sylhet Test, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted there was little scope for specific preparation for South Africa, urging his teammates to get mentally ready for the challenge.
Bangladesh’s last Test success came in Darwin, where they beat Australia by nine wickets. However, they had travelled to Australia nearly two weeks before the opener and played a three-day warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI.
Former national skipper Rajin Saleh, who served as assistant coach of the Bangladesh A team during their recent South Africa tour, believes the national side should have travelled earlier for a practice match, although he acknowledged that the tight schedule may have made such arrangements difficult.
“My view is that if they had gone earlier and played a practice match on those wickets, there would have been an adjustment period. They could have adjusted faster,” Rajin told The Daily Star on Tuesday.
“There’s no point talking about two days of practice now. They are all professional players. The faster they can adjust, the better it will be for us.”
There’s no point talking about two days of practice now. They are all professional players. The faster they can adjust, the better it will be for us.
Rajin Saleh
Although Bangladesh last toured South Africa in 2022, Mahfijul Islam Robin, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali and Mohammad Naim have more recent experience in the country, having toured with Bangladesh A or Emerging teams in August and September this year.
Rajin also questioned Bangladesh’s decision to prepare spin-friendly wickets at home ahead of a tour where pace and bounce are expected to pose significant challenges.
“Since we were going to play in South Africa, why did we prepare spin-friendly wickets here for the Test series? Why didn’t we prepare pace-friendly wickets? If true wickets were made, with a bit of grass or bounce, then our preparation here would have automatically been better,” Rajin added.
Since we were going to play in South Africa, why did we prepare spin-friendly wickets here for the Test series? Why didn’t we prepare pace-friendly wickets?
Rajin Saleh
Bangladesh’s record in South Africa makes the challenge particularly daunting. Across eight Tests between 2002 and 2022, the Tigers have lost all eight, including five by an innings. They will begin their campaign at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, where they are yet to play a Test.
With South Africa considering a six-man pace attack, Bangladesh’s lack of preparation could prove an even greater concern.
Leave a Reply