Coming off an ODI series defeat on Mirpur’s spin-friendly track, West Indies are set to face Bangladesh again, this time in a three-match T20I series in Chattogram. The two teams will clash on 27th October at the Bir Sreshtha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium.
Ahead of the series, Windies captain Shai Hope addressed the pitch conditions in a press conference on Sunday. Chattogram’s pitch is known to be batting-friendly, and the stadium’s surface is noticeably different and better than Mirpur’s.
Hope said, “The thing is, it looks good. Just from the eye test, it passes. Every time I come to Chattogram, it is a pretty good pitch to bat on. So I would say it looks like a good one.”
However, he emphasized the need for caution and assessment. “Certainly, it is a different surface than Mirpur. You still have to assess conditions every time you play; you cannot take anything for granted.”
Rishad Hossain, who claimed the Man of the Series award by taking 12 wickets and delivering two blistering innings of 26 off 13 balls and 39 not out off 14 balls, will again pose a challenge for the Windies.
Hope acknowledged the threat. “Rishad exploited the conditions in Dhaka. He recognized the favorable surface and placed the ball in very good areas, making it challenging for all of our batters. But it is a new series on a new surface with the same goals. We just have to learn from the mistakes we made in the ODI series.”
