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Bangladesh Prepares to Take on Australia on Green-Tinged Pitch
As soon as the cover was removed from the main square at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, it revealed a pitch tinged with grass for the first ODI between Bangladesh and Australia.
The Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said they had moved on from using rough and slow pitches to aid spinners, and that they were looking for their batters to gain confidence by playing on more sporting pitches. The change in attitude is a result of recent successes on good wickets in Dhaka, specifically the Test win against Pakistan last month.
A New Approach for Bangladesh
“Everyone thinks that Mirpur only means a spinning wicket, a poor wicket, but that is not the case anymore,” Mehidy said. “I think we can produce good wickets in Mirpur as well. We have seen that in the last two or three series.
“We will try to play on good wickets because if we can win matches on good wickets, if the bowlers bowl well and the batters can score runs, then at the end of the day our confidence is high. Since we have a tournament (the ODI World Cup) ahead of us, if we can gain confidence by playing on good wickets, it will help our team a lot.”
Australia’s Preparation
The Australia captain Josh Inglis said they were using the matches from Bangladesh’s previous ODI series against New Zealand as a reference.
“I think we’ve had a look at the New Zealand series that was here,” Inglis said. “They looked like a bit more grass on the wicket. The new ball tended to do a bit and it was a bit more seam-friendly rather than spin-heavy. So we’ll take that into account, but we’re ready for anything.”
Key Players to Watch
Inglis said the fast bowlers in the Australia squad have experience of playing cricket around the world and expected Nathan Ellis to play a key role.
“Obviously you take some big guys out of our squad,” Inglis said, “but I think the guys that have been playing a lot over the last couple of years, your Nathan Ellises, Xavier Bartletts, Ben Dwarshuis, they’ve got a fair bit of experience at this level now.
“Nathan is a really key player in our side. I think over the last few years, he’s really stood up and taken on whatever role we’ve given him. He’s obviously got all of his change-ups, but he’s incredibly skillful as well and can bowl in all three phases of the game. So I expect him to play a huge part in this series.”
Bangladesh’s Fast Bowling Option
Mehidy said bringing Nahid Rana back into the ODI set-up was the key to Bangladesh finding a winning mentality from March this year.
“When I first got the captaincy, the situation was a little difficult for me. The team’s condition wasn’t that good either. I wanted to create a good team combination and we all know Nahid Rana’s potential. He can bowl fast that too accurately.
“Since the World Cup is coming up in South Africa, it is very important for us to have fast bowlers in our team. That was how we considered him, and we backed him with confidence and encouragement.”
Middle Order Concerns
Bangladesh’s main concern is their batting, specifically their middle order. They have been inconsistent in ODIs over the past 12 months. Mehidy said he saw some encouraging signs in the Dhaka Premier League, the domestic List-A competition.
“If you look at who played there in the past, many experienced players occupied those positions. Naturally, it takes some time to fill those spots. I think we have managed to reorganize ourselves. Those in the middle-order are top performers in the DPL. If you look at Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain and Litton Das, they are all performing.”
Mosaddek’s Return
Mehidy said that Mosaddek, who is returning to the ODI side after four years, could provide middle-order stability.
“Mosaddek has been performing in domestic cricket for many years and has been playing very good cricket as well. He is also in shape. I think this is the right time for him to have been picked, and if he can do well in the role we have envisioned for him, it will be much better for the team.”
Mehidy said Mosaddek’s accurate offspin will complement the bowling attack too.
“If we have that kind of option, it will help the team a lot. When you play with five bowlers and also have an extra bowling option, you feel much more confident. He has bowled very well in domestic cricket and he is proven. If he can bowl in the right areas, it will be good, and as a captain I will also be very confident in using him if he bowls well.”
No Rivalry Between Mehidy and Mosaddek
Mehidy cleared the air on any type of rivalry between the two, stoked last year when chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said Mossadek won’t be in the Bangladesh team as long as Mehidy was there.
“We both played together in the Bangladesh team for many years (39 games). If you look back, we even played together in the 2019 World Cup, so I do not think this is any different. Mosaddek will play his role, and I will play mine. Mosaddek is a batting allrounder, while I am a bowling allrounder. So our roles are different.”
