Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has voiced strong support for the spin-friendly pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, urging critics to consider the team’s current situation and priorities.
Following Bangladesh’s 74-run win over the West Indies in the second ODI, despite posting only 207 runs, Ashraful said the surface played a key role and should not be blamed.
“We have to make use of our home conditions,” he said. “We’re currently ranked 10th. To qualify for the World Cup, we need to move up to 9th. These three matches are extremely important for us.”
Ashraful acknowledged that the pitch may not offer the balanced, flat surface often expected in international cricket, but said the conditions suit Bangladesh and offer a much-needed advantage.
“Whenever we play in Mirpur, regardless of the opponent, we’re usually favourites because of these conditions,” he said. “It’s true we may not be getting the kind of flat, balanced wickets we often expect, but given the stakes of this series, we shouldn’t criticise the pitch, we need to accept it.”
The former captain also highlighted the mental state of the team, especially following recent setbacks including a 3-0 ODI series defeat to Afghanistan and a disappointing Asia Cup campaign.
“Our team needed this kind of wicket to rebuild self-belief,” Ashraful said. “If this had been a flat wicket, the match could have looked very different. In their last Test series in India, two of their batters scored centuries.”
He urged the media not to spread negativity around the pitch conditions during this crucial phase.
“Let’s not publish negative news about it,” he said. “We need to focus on qualifying for the World Cup. Mentally, the Bangladesh team is quite fragile at the moment.”
Ashraful concluded by stressing the need to build momentum and form a winning habit ahead of global competitions.
“Winning is a habit,” he said. “If we keep winning and head into major tournaments with one-and-a-half to two months of solid preparation in similar conditions to the World Cup, we can expect good results. Right now, there’s no point in blaming anyone.”
