Ashraful urges Bangladesh to address batting struggles

Bangladesh have a busy Test schedule ahead, with a Test against Afghanistan followed by a two-match home series against the West Indies before their tour of South Africa.
Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful believes the national team must use the coming months to address their struggles in difficult conditions before travelling to South Africa.
Ashraful said the team would take the challenges one match at a time, while stressing the importance of keeping the squad fit.
“First of all, we have a Test match against Afghanistan, although it is not part of the World Test Championship. We will try to do well there. Then we will play two Tests against the West Indies before going to South Africa,” Ashraful said.
“If everyone remains fit, we are thinking match by match. We have been preparing for every Test and ODI for the last nine months, and we have been playing on good wickets.”
Ashraful credited the Bangladesh Cricket Board and team management for making a conscious decision to provide better pitches, saying the approach had helped the team produce improved results.
“Credit has to go to the cricket board and management, especially the head coach and the captains across the three formats. They decided that we would play on good wickets. We have been playing on good wickets for the last nine months and that is why we are getting good results,” he said.
Bangladesh have, however, struggled when conditions have been less favourable. Ashraful pointed to their recent performances against Zimbabwe and in Mackay during the Test series in Australia.
“We could not bat well in both innings against Zimbabwe in difficult conditions, and we also struggled in Mackay. The conditions were almost similar,” he said.
Ashraful noted the contrast between Darwin and Mackay, where Bangladesh performed better in the former despite the heat, while cooler conditions in Mackay favoured Australia.
He admitted the toss also played an important role in Mackay but believes Bangladesh’s batters must improve their response to challenging conditions.
“We believe our batters will work on this. We will work on it over the next few months so that we can do better when we go to South Africa,” Ashraful said.