Plan was to play on spin wickets, execution failed: Shanto on series defeat

Bangladesh had dreamed of playing the World Test Championship final. But that dream has faded after poor performances at home.

After losing badly to the West Indies in the Mirpur Test, Bangladesh drew the Sylhet Test. Questions are now being raised about the team's planning in both matches.

In Sylhet, the Caribbean side set Bangladesh a mountainous target of 369 runs. In reply, Tawhid Hridoy played an innings of 82 runs. Bangladesh had reached 184 for four when play was stopped due to bad light, and the match was later declared a draw.

After the series defeat at such an important time, questions are being asked about the team's plans. A BCB source said the players themselves had asked for spin-friendly wickets to be prepared, and the decision to pick two pacers and three spinners in the XI was taken by the coach and captain.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto represented Bangladesh at the post-match press conference. He said the team had walked the path of a draw. "Whenever such a total target came, our target was how we could bat through the whole day. Alhamdulillah, we managed to bat the whole day," he said.

Although Bangladesh prepared spin-friendly wickets, the West Indies spinners dominated in both matches of the series. Bangladesh's own spinners, by contrast, disappointed.

After the match, Shanto said: "Our plan was to play on a spin wicket. In both matches of the series we picked two pacers and three spinners. In the first match, I don't think we lost because of the conditions; we were poor in batting, bowling and fielding, all three departments. The plan was right, the execution was not. I would not say the Sylhet conditions were as we had expected. Perhaps we were a little behind in planning there."

Shanto added that the behaviour of the wicket did not match expectations. "No, that was not what we wanted. Had it been so, we could have played an extra pacer. The thought was that spin might come into play earlier, but it did not. If we want such conditions ahead, we will have to plan better after talking it through," he said.

The captain said: "I don't think the players overthought it. It is important to accept that we did not play good cricket. I don't think we played even 50 per cent of the way we had been playing in this format. Had we executed the plan better, the result could have been different."

On home Tests, Shanto said: "These are planned in advance, when we play at home. The advantage must be used. We should have got the full benefit of it. Even if not the whole, we needed to get close. We got a little less. Still, I don't want to make excuses. Neither the batters nor the bowlers played well. The responsibility is ours. At home, the advantage must be taken. If such an opportunity comes again, we will be able to do it better."

Shanto added: "We played with three spinners, they also played with three spinners. We had hoped spin would come into play much earlier. Even on the fifth day it did not turn that much; we had hoped it would turn much earlier."

With the series over, Bangladesh now have time to rethink their planning and its execution. The captain himself has admitted the team's failure to make use of the spin advantage at home.