Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has expressed concern over Taijul Islam’s poor form ahead of the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet, starting Thursday.
Taijul has taken just five wickets in his last four Tests. His recent performances have raised questions about his place in the team.
Simmons admitted that the spinner’s lack of wickets has become a major concern for Bangladesh.
“It’s hugely concerning because he’s one of the major spinners we have in the team. So it has to be concerning,” Simmons said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“I’m sure it’s concerning for him too. When you’re discussing with him, it is concerning for him too, as well as the team, because he is a major weapon that we have in this team.”
Taijul is the only specialist left arm spinner in the squad. With his recent struggles, Bangladesh could consider playing only right arm spinners in Sylhet.
Asked about that possibility, Simmons did not rule it out.
“It is something that you have to think about. It is something that you have to think about when we talk in a little while,” he said.
There are also questions about Taijul’s fitness. Reports have suggested that he has been dealing with a shoulder problem since Bangladesh’s tour of the UAE.
However, Simmons said he had not seen anything in training that suggested the injury was affecting the spinner.
“I know he had a little bit of trouble in UAE, but since then, he’s throwing well, he’s bowling full bore, he’s bowled full practice yesterday, so it doesn’t seem to be affecting him,” he said.
Bangladesh’s spinners also struggled in the first Test in Mirpur. West Indies spinners Jomel Warrican and Roston Chase performed much better and helped the visitors secure an eight wicket victory.
Simmons admitted that Bangladesh’s spinners failed to perform at their best. However, he still believes they remain one of the team’s biggest strengths.
“We didn’t bowl well and we understand that. The discussions we’ve had, we understand that we didn’t bowl well, but it’s not something that happens all the time,” he said.
“The spinners are part of our strength. We’ve had a lot of fast bowlers coming through now, but the spinners are also part of our strength.”
Bangladesh have yet to decide how many spinners and pacers they will play in Sylhet.
Simmons said the team management would make the final decision after Wednesday’s training session.
“When practice is finished, we’ll sit down with the chief selectors here, we’ll sit down and we will decide the combination for tomorrow,” he said.
Bangladesh trail the series 1-0 after losing the opening Test in Mirpur. They must win in Sylhet to level the two match series.
