Bangladesh have worked on their shortcomings against spin ahead of their next meeting with Afghanistan, captain Litton Das said, acknowledging the quality of the opposition’s bowling attack while expressing hope that the team’s preparation will help them find ways to counter it.
Bangladesh struggled against Afghanistan’s spinners in their previous ODI series, and dealing with Rashid Khan’s full quota of 10 overs could again prove a major challenge. Litton, however, pointed out that his players are familiar with Afghanistan, having faced them regularly over the years.
Speaking ahead of Bangladesh’s opening match against Zimbabwe in the UAE tri-nation series, Litton said the team had used the limited preparation time available to work on how to tackle Afghanistan’s bowling.
“To be honest, this is not the first time we will be playing against Afghanistan. We have been playing them for a long time, and most of our players have also faced them for years. I hope those who were in Bangladesh have worked on the areas where we were lacking. With the one or two days we have had, we have tried to figure out how to tackle them,” Litton said.
The Bangladesh captain also acknowledged that Afghanistan’s threat extends beyond their spin attack, with the pace department offering another challenge for his batters.
“Obviously, Afghanistan are a good side, and the quality of their spin attack is very good. Not only their spinners, their pace bowling is also of good quality,” he said.
Bangladesh begin their tri-nation campaign against Zimbabwe at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, before facing Afghanistan in Sharjah on October 21. The tournament will provide another opportunity for Bangladesh to address their difficulties against Afghanistan’s bowling attack.
