After a 3-0 series defeat against Afghanistan in the UAE, Bangladesh are set to take on West Indies in another ODI series. Despite the disappointing results, Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons believes his team is capable of much better performances.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Simmons said, “We know that we are better than that. We know that we can play better than that. And that’s what we are trying to get into their (cricketers) heads.”
A day before the first ODI, the Bangladesh team held a training session at the National Cricket Academy Ground. Simmons emphasized that the focus now is on preparation and moving forward. “We’re trying to make sure that when we practice today, we do it in a way that puts us in good stead for tomorrow. Not to erase what happened that’s in the past. We want to focus on tomorrow and how we’re going to play.”
In the recently concluded Afghanistan series, Bangladesh’s batters struggled badly against Rashid Khan, who claimed 11 wickets. The upcoming West Indies side, however, lacks spinners of that caliber.
When asked if the Windies comparatively weaker spin attack could come as a relief for Bangladesh’s batters, Simmons admitted there might be a slight comfort factor. “Well, because of what happened, yes, you can look at it as a relief. But they still have two or three top-class spinners who have been up there in the world rankings. So we still have to be careful. We can’t just ignore the fact that they don’t have a Rashid.”
