Chase: Bangladesh invited trouble by preparing spin wickets

A win in Mirpur and a draw in Sylhet have given West Indies the two-match Test series 1-0. Speaking at the post-series press conference, Caribbean captain Roston Chase said Bangladesh's plan to prepare spin-friendly wickets ended up working against the hosts.

According to Chase, the Caribbean side was prepared to play on any kind of surface, pace or spin. Bangladesh's spin-dependent strategy, he said, ended up creating an advantage for his team instead. He said West Indies had no worries about the nature of the wickets.

At the press conference Chase said: 'We were prepared for any kind of wicket. If it had been a pace-friendly wicket, our pacers would have made use of it, and for a spin-friendly wicket we had our spin department anyway. Bangladesh decided to prepare spin-friendly wickets, which in the end brought the opposite result for them. That is why we are very happy.'

West Indies had aimed to win both matches of the two-Test series. Winning the first Test in Mirpur took them a step closer to that goal.

In the second Test in Sylhet they also created a chance of victory. But rain washed out much of the playing time, and in the end Chase's side could not leave the field with a win.

The West Indies captain did not hide his disappointment. He said: 'We wanted to win both matches, but it was not possible. Especially in bad weather a lot of time was lost. As a result, winning the match became difficult for us.'

West Indies had come with extra preparation to handle Bangladesh's spin-dependent bowling. Chase believes the training in Chennai, India, before the tour played an important role in improving the Caribbean batters' ability to play spin.

He said: 'Usually when we come to Bangladesh, the spinners trouble us a lot. But this time we have improved in playing spin. Many of the team went to Chennai and practised in similar conditions. The experience of playing a lot of spin bowling and working on our weaknesses has paid off.'

The series ended 1-0 — a win in Mirpur, a draw in Sylhet. Bangladesh's spin-friendly wicket plan did not work, and the series slipped away from the hosts.

Chase's remarks after the series made it clear — it was not the nature of the wickets but preparation that made the difference in the end. The training in Chennai and being ready for every kind of wicket carried the Caribbean side to the series win.