Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore promised to make a permanent impression that Bangladesh was not an easy opponent to beat by battling hard against West Indies in the upcoming tour. The 15-member Bangladesh one-day squad is expected to leave the country today at 8:00am by British Airways for a 34-day long tour to the Caribbean. It will be the first ever West Indies tour for the Bangladesh National team, comprising two Tests and three one-days.
“It is a new mission and a new experience. I like to see a gradual improvement there and am keen to make an impression fighting the matches all the way,” said Whatmore to New Age after a short practice session and a shooting for a television theme song of the Bangladesh team. When asked whether after a thrilling victory against Zimbabwe Bangladesh was capable of beating another Test team, West Indies, Whatmore’s response was diplomatic.
“Any team can lose against Bangladesh and at the same time all matches are tough for us. So we have to be on the top of our game and that’s the objective,” replied the Sri Lankan-born Australian. Whatmore also recognised Brian Lara’s outstanding performance against England and said it will be a good test for Bangladeshis against an outstanding player. In addition, Whatmore made it clear that he was not afraid of what Lara had done during the historical innings, saying “No batsmen gets 400 runs everyday.”
Whatmore agreed with captain Habibul Bashar that West Indies did not have furious fast bowlers, like yesteryears, but warned his boys that some of the West Indian bowlers were developing quickly so it would not be trouble-free to play against them. Whatmore labelled left-hander Faisal Hossain as a player with potential, and said he liked working on players of hi sort.
“I am not ensuring that he will get a match in West Indies, it will be depend on the situation. However, I have to say he is a player I like to develop.”
Whatmore also said he did not work out his best eleven and neither did he decide on which pair to open the batting with, but assured that he had a couple of options in his hand. When asked whether he failed to find a combination in the team after his one year tenure, Whatmore said, as a struggling Test Nation, it is quite normal for that to happen, but once he does find the right combination it will definitely serve the team for a longer period. Whatmore also dismissed any questions about team discipline. “In every team of the world, some mishaps take place. I don’t think it is a very serious problem for us.”
Bangladesh team will play their first three one-days on May 15, 16 and 19 at St. Vincent. The first Test will be held on May 28 at St. Lucia while the final Test will take place on June 4 at Jamaica. The three Test players Javed Omar, Alamgir Kabir and Enamul Haque (Jr) are expected to join the team by the mid-May.
Bangladesh squad: Habibul Bashar (capt), Rajin Saleh, Hannan Sarkar, Shahariar Hossain, Mohammad Ashraful, Alok Kapali, Mushfiqur Rahman, Khaled Mahmud, Khaled Mashud (wk), Mohammad Rafique, Manjarul Islam, Faisal Hossain, Tapash Baisya, Tareq Aziz, Abdur Razzaq.
NewAge >>