Bangladesh's spin plan backfired, says Chase after West Indies seal series win

Bangladesh planned to put West Indies under pressure by preparing spin-friendly wickets at home. But that strategy ended up backfiring on the hosts. Across the two-Test series, Bangladesh's batters simply could not stand up to the Caribbean spinners.

There was also a clear difference in the performance of the two teams' spinners. West Indies captain Roston Chase spoke of his satisfaction after sealing the series win against Bangladesh.

Speaking at the press conference after the second Test in Sylhet, Chase said: 'We came here with an open mind. Because we knew that in recent times Bangladesh has relied more on its pace attack in the matches it has won.'

Chase said that if the wicket helped pace, his fast bowlers would come into play, and if it helped spin, the spin department was ready. 'We were prepared for every kind of situation. They chose a spin-friendly wicket, but it went against them. We are very happy with that.'

Chase also credited his team's own preparation for the failure of Bangladesh's spin-based plan. In his view, West Indies have improved at playing spin.

Practising against spin in Chennai, India, also paid off, Chase said. He added: 'Usually when we come to Bangladesh, their spinners trouble us a lot. But we have now improved in playing spin.'

Chase said: 'Practising in Chennai in conditions similar to India, spending a lot of time against spin and working on our weak areas — all of it worked. It proved that good preparation brings results.'

One of the heroes of West Indies' success in the series was left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. He took 16 wickets in the two Tests. By keeping Bangladesh's batters under regular pressure, he played a big role in the series win.

Praising Warrican's bowling, Chase said: 'Warrican bowled very well in both matches. He kept the runs in check and built pressure on the batters for long periods.'

West Indies took the lead in the series by winning the first Test in Mirpur by eight wickets. They also created a good chance of winning the second Test in Sylhet. At one stage they had reduced Bangladesh to 182 for 7 and were on course for victory. But Taijul Islam's fighting batting meant the match ended in a draw.

Chase admitted his team had been in a very good position to win the match. But he said such resistance is also part of Test cricket. Chase said: 'We were in a great position to win the match. But Taijul also played a wonderful innings. Test cricket is like that. Sometimes you feel you are in control of the match, and then someone comes and does something extraordinary. That is part of the game.'

Alongside the series win on Bangladesh soil, Chase was also satisfied with the team's performance across the whole year. West Indies won two of their three series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and lost none of them. In Chase's view, the team is reaping the rewards of planning and hard work.