Not just Bangladesh but the world ‘struggles to pick’ Afghan spinners

Bangladesh fell to their first ODI series defeat against Afghanistan after losing the first two ODIs at Chattogram's Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury. Ahead of the third ODI, the biggest question was how the Bangladesh batters would turn it around against Afghanistan spinners.

Far from talking about what progress they have been able to make as a batting unit, the Bangladesh assistant coach Nic Pothas said that every team struggles against them and not just Bangladesh batters.

The Afghanistan spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman had a field day against Bangladesh batters, who struggled to read the mystery spinners. Afghanistan are ranked ninth in the ICC ODI rankings. Their ODI series wins before this series have come against sides like Scotland, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands. Pothas maintained that it was a good challenge to face their mystery spinners.

"They are ranked below us, but two of those spinners are among the top three spinners in the world. We are looking at it with a very positive outlook," he said.

Even as Tigers batters struggled, Pothas wanted to clarify at the press conference today that Bangladesh batters were not the only one having a difficult time reading the spinners out of the hand.

"I think it is not a question of whether we struggled to pick them. It is a question of how the world struggles to pick them. Where they are ranked in the world will tell you everybody in the world struggle pick them. I had Mujeeb with me at Middlesex. Even after I was talking to him as a wicketkeeper, I struggled to pick him from behind. Could everyone pick Shane Warne, Muralitharan? That's why they are the best in the world. That's why every competition in the world puts up so much money for mystery spin. Question is, what are we going to do about it, and how is it going to make us better?" he said.

However, what they wanted to do about it was not clear. Pothas felt they are learning.

There is always going to be progress but under pressure you are always going to revert to type. These things take time and I understand that you guys want it to happen quickly but it doesn't happen quickly. That's not the way of the world," he added.