Spin duel awaits in Mirpur
Spin it to win it -- that seems to be the mantra of Bangladesh and the West Indies heading into today's second ODI of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
After the first ODI, a spin-dominated affair which the hosts won by 74 runs, the Tigers added left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed into the squad on Sunday.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The visitors responded by flying in left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, who was expected to land in Dhaka on Monday night, as the fourth spinner in their squad.
A win today would seal an ODI series triumph for the Tigers after four successive defeats. Given the prodigious turn and the occasional bounce that was on offer in the wicket for the series opener, the temptation is there for the hosts to go with four frontline spinners -- one more than the last match.
The hosts' spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, however, remained tightlipped about team formation, instead, spoke about the dangers of spinners getting carried away by the extra turn.
"As a spinner, when you see that kind of wicket, you get excited. And when you get excited, you don't remember your process. Process is everything. You [have to] bowl good overs to get wickets, not just good balls," Mushtaq said in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
In the first match, Rishad Hossain's six-wicket haul rescued the hosts after the batting department disappointed once again, getting rolled over for just 207.
Head coach Phil Simmons and senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin worked extensively with the batters on Monday on how they could score runs in the Mirpur turner, and came up with some out-of-the-box methods.
Former skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who made a dogged 32 in the last match, batted at the centre nets with two stumps right behind his legs -- on the left of where a left-hander's leg stump would be -- to work on his backfoot movement, which was causing him to fall over while playing through the leg-side.
The players also batted with smaller bats, a ploy to help them keep their head position and balance right while making late adjustments to deal with the turn.
"We wanted to bring the net practice very close to the match environment… Simmons and Salauddin were trying to tell them how to take singles in the middle overs. The spinners also set field positions, making it very close to an actual match situation," Mushtaq said.
"With a small bat, whether you are on the front foot or back foot, your gravity level has to be low. So, your head has to be very close to the ball. So, you start playing the ball very late."
It remains to be seen whether the special training pays dividends for the hosts in sealing the series, or, if the visitors can outspin the hosts to keep the series alive.
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