The plan was there, the execution was not: Shanto explains series defeat

After losing the first Test in Mirpur by eight wickets, Bangladesh drew the second match in Sylhet in the two-match home series against the West Indies. But alongside Bangladesh's performance throughout the series, team selection and the nature of the wickets were also much discussed.

In particular, questions were raised about the decision to play with three spinners and only two pacers in both Tests. After the series, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto also admitted the team could have been more precise in its planning.

In the Sylhet Test, chasing a target of 369, Bangladesh reached 184 for four on the final day. After play was stopped due to poor light, the umpires declared the match a draw. The West Indies thus won the series 1-0.

Explaining the team's performance at the press conference after the series, Shanto said it was not the conditions but the failure to play up to expectations in all three departments that was one of the reasons for the defeat. The plan to make the wicket suit the home side also did not fully work.

He said, "I think we did not lose the match because of the conditions. We could not do well in batting, bowling and fielding — all three departments. That is why we lost the match. Our plan was right, but its proper execution did not happen. In Sylhet, we did not fully get the kind of conditions we wanted. In that sense, we were perhaps a little behind."

Bangladesh took the field with three spinners and two pacers in both Tests. The team management had planned to prepare spin-friendly wickets to use the home advantage. But the wicket did not start turning as early as expected.

That raised the question of whether there had been room for an extra member in the pace bowling department. Shanto admitted that playing an additional pacer could have been considered. He also stressed that wicket preparation plans should be made in a more coordinated way in future.

He said, "Our plan was that we would play on a spin wicket, to be honest, and if you look at the two matches, we played with three spinners and two pace bowlers. I think we did not lose the first match because of the conditions; I think we did not do well in batting, bowling and fielding, all three departments."

On playing fewer pacers, Shanto said, "Maybe we could have played one more extra pace bowler. The thought was that the spin would perhaps come a little earlier. But unfortunately, that did not happen. So in future, if we want to create such conditions again, we will have to talk more thoroughly about how we can bring the conditions in our favour and plan in a more correct way."

The Bangladesh captain, however, is unwilling to lose faith in the spinners. He said, "Our pacers have been doing well for the last one and a half years. But the Bangladesh team, especially when playing at home or even away, has won more matches relying on the spinners. We should not lose faith in the spinners so quickly. I believe all three spinners who played in the team are skilled enough. Yes, I admit they have not bowled well in the last two or three series."

Amid Bangladesh's failure in the series, a big gain was Tawhid Hridoy's unbeaten innings of 242 runs. The middle-order batter scored a double century in only the third match of his Test career.

Praising Hridoy's innings, Shanto said, "Everyone in the dressing room was impressed by this innings of his. I think playing such a big innings in only his third Test, and the way he built partnerships batting with the lower-middle order and lower-order batters, is something many experienced cricketers cannot do either."