Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons expects Australia to come back stronger in the second Test in Mackay and has urged his players to improve despite their historic win in Darwin.
Bangladesh beat Australia by nine wickets in the first Test to record their first Test victory on Australian soil. The result gave them a 1-0 lead in the two match series. The second Test starts at Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Mackay on Thursday, Simmons said the victory had given his side plenty of confidence.
“When you win a Test match, you are obviously going to get some confidence from it. We played well and won a good Test match, so there is a lot of confidence in the team,” Simmons said.
The former West Indies international also described the Darwin victory as the best Test win of his coaching career.
“It is definitely the best Test win of my coaching career. There have been some big wins in other formats, but Test cricket is the best.”
Bangladesh’s victory came after a difficult period. They had lost to Zimbabwe before the Australia tour and were then bowled out for just 54 in their three day warm up match in Darwin.
Simmons said the team did not change its work despite those setbacks.
“I watch the training sessions. I watched how we trained during the three day game and how we trained before the Test. Our work never changed. Even though we were bowled out for 54, the way we worked did not change.
“That is what gives me confidence. It gives me the belief that they want to do well. At some point, the results will come.”
However, Simmons does not expect Australia to make things easy in Mackay.
“I keep saying one thing. Australia are going to come at us much stronger. We have to maintain our level or improve it.
“If we can improve by even one percent in certain areas, we have to make sure we show that on the field. We know Australia will change their game and try to put us under pressure.”
Bangladesh have another option for the second Test after left arm pacer Shoriful Islam recovered from a hamstring injury and joined the squad.
Simmons said Bangladesh had not yet decided whether Shoriful would come into the XI.
“He brings something different to our team. But we have just won a Test match, so there is less chance of changing a winning XI. These are only possibilities. We will decide tomorrow.”
Asked whether Bangladesh could use four pacers, Simmons said the final decision would also come on Friday.
“We have always had good options. We have had five pacers in the squad. We played three in the last match and had a big win. We will decide tomorrow how many we play in the next match.”
Simmons was also pleased with the surface in Mackay.
“The pitch looks great. There is a bit of grass and it is very hard. It looks like a good Test wicket. Every wicket is good for batters if you bat properly.”
Bangladesh had a long journey to Mackay after their win in Darwin, with flight delays adding to the travel time. Simmons refused to use that as an excuse.
“Flight delays are not in anyone’s hands. You cannot control that. It happened to us, but we got here safely and that is the most important thing.”
Simmons also spoke about Bangladesh’s growing respect as a Test side. He said the process had started before the victory in Australia.
“We want to earn more respect. I don’t think we did not have respect before. We had respect, and maybe now we have a little more.
“We probably did not play that well away from home before, but now we are playing better away. It is not that we are only getting respect now. It started when we went to Pakistan and beat Pakistan. This win has just added to that.”
Several Bangladesh players had previous experience of Australian conditions through the Top End competitions. Simmons said that experience may have helped, but performances still had to come on the field.
“It is good to talk about those things, but you still have to go out there and play and do your job. Mushfiqur and Mominul also did well. The others had to learn a lot after coming here.
“That is why we played the three day game when we arrived. Through these things, we understood the conditions.”
Simmons was pleased with the work of Hasan Mahmud and the rest of Bangladesh’s bowling attack in Darwin. Hasan took 6 for 55 in Australia’s first innings as Bangladesh dismissed the hosts for 198.
“I am happy with all the bowlers. Every bowler bowled according to what we discussed. Everyone in the Australian team is a good batter. They are world class batters.
“When you face them here, you have to be consistent and keep testing them. It worked for us. It might not work on another day, but we have to stick to our plans and keep putting them under pressure.”
The Bangladesh coach also praised veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim, who is closing in on 7,000 Test runs.
“He is enjoying himself. You can see that on the field. He is very happy to be playing. He has played more than 100 Tests. He has nothing left to prove. I am very happy with him.”
Simmons said the windy conditions in Mackay should not be a major issue after Bangladesh experienced similar conditions in Darwin.
“There was a lot of wind in Darwin too. Both teams have to play in it. We have to adapt well. It is good that we came here early. We know what the conditions are like. The boys just have to adapt and play well.”
Expectations have increased after the Darwin victory, but Simmons said pressure from supporters is nothing new for Bangladesh.
“There are always expectations in Bangladesh. We have won some Test matches before and then lost to Zimbabwe. But the expectations are always there.
“Nothing has really changed. Maybe the expectations are a little higher now, but they are always there.”
Simmons wants his batters to spend long periods at the crease and put Australia under pressure with a big first innings total.
“The plan is to keep batting. Test cricket is a five day game. If our team can bat for three of those five days, the other team will definitely be under pressure.
“You have to score runs when you bat. If you can get a big first innings score, it always puts the other team under pressure. That is what we are trying to do. We want a big first innings total so the other team has to work very hard to get close to us.”
Simmons also wants his players to move on from the emotions of the Darwin win and turn their full attention to Mackay.
“Bangladeshi people are emotional. I am not like that, so it is easier for me to control my emotions. It is harder for them.
“Today it looked like everyone was back to work properly. It has been three days since we won the match. Hopefully tomorrow everyone will be even more focused on the work and will be fully ready for the next Test on Saturday.”
