Bangladesh pays special attention to preparing for the spin before its very first test against Afghanistan.
Bangladesh receives Afghanistan in a one-off test from 5 September. The teams have recently built a sharp rivalry in cricket with limited stakes and six wins for each suggest that they are equal. In Red Ball Cricket, the more experienced Bangladesh has an advantage over the latest test team. Nevertheless, they leave no stone unturned in their preparations.
They are suspicious of Afghanistan’s spin attack and are very keen that their batsmen will not be exposed, given that their home-like surfaces encourage the slow bowlers.
Snaps from the 8th day of Conditioning Camp practice session.
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) August 28, 2019
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“We are planning a bit different for the game against Afghanistan as they have a very good spin attack,” opener Shadman Islam told reporters in Mirpur after training on Thursday, August 29. “We always work extra to confront pacesetters, so we thought about doing something more to play the spin this time.
“Most of their players, like Rashid Khan or Mohammad Nabi, all have variations, so we work more on the spin than we normally work on the pace.”
Rashid, the 20-year-old leg spinner, who will lead Afghanistan in tests for the first time, has been quite successful against Bangladesh. In nine Limited Overs games, the average is 15.05 with the ball against them.
However, the hosts are determined not to be intimidated by him. While he may be the # 1 Bowler on the MRF Tires ICC T20I Ranking, Bangladesh knows the red ball brings its own challenges.
“We have no additional plans for Rashid Khan,” said Shadman, who made his test debut against the West Indies in Dhaka at the end of last year. “Rolling in shorter formats and testing is two different things, so we’re not worried about him because we plan to play against spinners as usual.
“We’re playing against a few high profile spinners in our country, so I do not think Rashid Khan can put extra pressure on us, and the format is very different too, it can not be compared to T20.”
Afghanistan will play a tour match before the test in the Chattogram from September 1st. This is followed by a T20I Tri series with Zimbabwe.
