‘Hopeful of leaving behind bad India series memories’

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector Hannan Sarker said he wanted the Tigers to channel in the good memories from their Test series triumph in Pakistan and forget the bad ones from the India tour earlier this month as the hosts gear up for a two-Test series against South Africa, starting on October 21.

"If you look at the two previous series, we did really well against Pakistan. Then against India, we couldn't perform as expected," Hannan said in a video message on BCB's official Facebook page yesterday.

"There are ups and downs and we want to forget our bad memories and channel the good ones from Pakistan [series].

"The players are working on both mentality and technique despite not getting enough time to shift from one series to another.

"I am very optimistic that we will leave behind the bad memories of the India series and make a good comeback in this series."

It has been a rollercoaster ride for Najmul Hossain Shanto's side in the past three months. The Tigers were on cloud nine, having sealed a historic 2-0 Test series in Pakistan in August, but were soon handed a reality check in the following India tour in which they got hammered 2-0 in the Test series followed by a 3-0 mauling in the T20I series.

The positive thing about the build-up to the South Africa series is that it is taking place at home and will begin with the first game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, the Tigers' favoured venue for giant-killing.

It is set to be a challenge for Bangladesh's newly-appointed head coach Phil Simmons as well, given the West Indian has very little time to get a grasp of proceedings before the ball starts rolling.

Simmons, who arrived yesterday morning, took no time in his attempt to settle in as he met a few players a few hours later, including skipper Shanto, during a training session in Mirpur.

The only change in the squad is pacer Khaled Ahmed, who was dropped for the series as the Tigers announced a 15-member squad after being part of the 16-member squad that toured India.

The same group of players have experienced super highs and terrible lows in the last two series and this might come good for the Tigers in their fight against the Proteas as they've already seen some of the worst versions of Test cricket they can play. Hence, the motivation should be there to avoid such dismal displays in the upcoming World Test Championship fixtures.

"In home conditions, every team wants to take home advantage and that's why we have reduced a pacer from the squad and went for three spinners.

"We have eight batters, two all-rounders -- Shakib and Miraz and two genuine spinners and three pacers in our squad. Overall, I felt that it's a very balanced team and the captain has a lot of options to make the playing XI," Hannan said of the squad.