Bangladesh 'A' eager to adjust to ‘unfavourable’ conditions next match

The first four-day "Test" of the two-match series between Bangladesh A and hosts West Indies A team ended in a draw at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia as bad weather prevented play on day four today.

Bangladesh were on the backfoot from the onset of the match, having gathered a meagre 167 runs in the first innings. In reply, the home side posted 165 off three wickets before the end of the second day. 

During the third day, however, the game only went on for 35 overs where West Indies added 98 runs more to their total and Bangladesh were able to bag a couple of wickets. The rain kept the game halted until the final day, and consequently the match ended as a tie. West Indies fast bowler Marquino Mindley was adjudged player-of-the-match for his five-wicket haul.  

Bangladesh A head coach Mizanur Rahman Babul mentioned his players were having a tough time adjusting to the overseas conditions.

"To sum up the entire game, I'd say there was a lack of adjustment by the players coming to an unfavourable condition. The batters lacked shot selection while the bowlers were also facing difficulties early on," Babul said while talking to the media after the match.

"Regardless, the bowlers made a good comeback as the match progressed. Khaled [Ahmed], Anamul [Haque] and especially Nayeem [Hasan] bowled really well. I'm hoping that we will improve in both batting and bowling in the next match." he added.

Bangladesh A team captain Mohammad Mithun, who scored a half-century in the match, justified his side's poor batting display, stating the match pitch was different compared to the one they trained in ahead of the game.

"We trained for two or three days ahead of this match after reaching here. But the wicket of the match was very different from the ones we trained in. So that caused some dilemma for the batters.

"We thought we could adjust to it and do better in the second innings, but unfortunately that didn't happen due to bad weather. But we have got a good idea about how the ball behaves in the two-three days of play and we hope to perform better in all departments in the next match," said the Bangladesh A captain ahead of the second and final four-day match, scheduled to begin on August 10 at the same venue.