Bangladesh will be desperate to level the two-match Test series in Sylhet, and West Indies head coach Daren Sammy expects their head coach Phil Simmons to make the visitors work hard for another victory.
West Indies took a 1-0 lead with a win in Mirpur, but Sammy is not expecting an easy ride in the second Test, starting November 5, particularly against a Bangladesh side playing at home under a coach familiar with Caribbean cricket.
“One thing I know about Phil is that he will not make it easy. He wants to win as well. They have their own goals in the WTC as well,” Sammy said ahead of the second Test on Monday.
Bangladesh were fourth in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings before the series, following a Test victory against Australia. Sammy said West Indies were aware of what was at stake for the hosts and expected a strong response.
“They are not easy at home,” he said, adding that his players had shown the hunger, determination, willingness to work and attention to detail needed to handle whatever awaits them in Sylhet.
Bangladesh’s struggle against spin was a major factor in their Mirpur defeat. Sammy credited West Indies’ preparations at Chennai Super Kings Academy and Sri Ramachandra Centre, under batting coach Floyd Reifer and high-performance coach Sriram Krishnamurthy, for helping his batters counter the home side’s spinners.
“Our spinners outbowled their spinners and our batsmen responded to playing spin better than theirs,” he said.
Brandon King’s unbeaten 81 in the fourth innings, Jomel Warrican’s nine wickets across both innings and Roston Chase’s five-wicket haul in the second innings proved decisive in Dhaka.
Sammy also praised Chase’s leadership, saying the captain had maintained his voice despite the challenges West Indies faced during the first year of the current WTC cycle.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have an opportunity to bounce back and finish their home series on level terms. West Indies are eighth in the WTC standings with a points percentage of 26.92 after 13 matches. Their Mirpur victory was their third in the cycle, having previously beaten Sri Lanka and Pakistan once each without winning either series.
While the Sylhet Test will be West Indies’ final fixture in the current WTC cycle, Bangladesh have four more matches left as they continue their push up the standings.
