Objective attained but challenges remain for new Bangladesh

Ahead of the series against England, coach Chandika Hathurusingha had said that he wanted to see if Bangladesh are better playing in home conditions than England or if the visitors were still the better side even in Dhaka and Chattogram. 

The series has been clinched and a statement has been served that this new Bangladesh outfit can go forward with their approach in this series. However, wins at home have often been a double-edged sword.

The Tigers play a majority of their matches at Mirpur and then there is Chattogram and Sylhet, the other two international venues often used for bilateral series. 

But when push comes to shove, Mirpur is the go-to track. Thus when Tigers defeated England and Australia in Tests at home in 2016 and 2017 respectively, the spin tracks became a big part of their strategy. However, since majority of the cricket at home, including domestic games was played on such tracks, it did not help batters get batter for pacy conditions or where balls move a lot.  The results were seen in tours of South Africa for instance.

The series wins against Australia and New Zealand at home ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE boosted confidence, but not skill required for the showpiece event where flat or sporting surfaces are used as prescribed by ICC.

Hathurusingha this time wanted to see the skill set that Bangladesh have in T20s. He got a good measure of it. The wickets in this year's BPL were promising and it led to the likes of Najmul Hossain Shanto, already part of the national setup and the likes of Towhid Hridoy and Rony Talukdar being able to play to their strengths. Shanto got to build innings, Hridoy showed his touch and Rony showcased the ability to play flourishing shots while getting the team a start.

All three are playing the England series and Shanto has pushed barriers. Hridoy has shown he did not feel the pressure and Rony showed intent. What happens now is more cricketers coming through to create the necessary competition for spots.

Former skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was full of praise for the young team, built under Shakib Al Hasan's guidance. He also specifically mentioned that tough times will be there. The reason being wickets.

"On good wickets, this side too will face tough times but everyone needs to be patient.," he wrote in a Facebook status yesterday.

The talk of wickets will simply not go away because of how it had affected the team in the past.

The crucial motif around Hathurusingha's remark was to judge the gap between world champions and Bangladesh in their own conditions. Yesterday, the surface was good for batting during the afternoon. The bounce was true and England managed a good start with the bat. But there was the advantage of conditions. 

The area of the pitch, at the press box end, had a tinge of grass which a spinner could take advantage from. Full deliveries could hold up and take turn and Mehedi Hasan Miraz in particular and Shakib too, left their mark by using that patch by bowling from the other end in the second T20I yesterday.

England captain Jos Buttler did not make a meal out of getting a wicket which had something for everyone.

Asked yesterday if the wicket slowed down, he said: "Not particularly."

He felt it was challenging for batters.

"I don't think there is more bounce in the wicket here than in Chattogram. And yeah, I think it's a good challenge for the batters. The ball is bouncing for the seamers and a bit of grip from the cutters and stuff. And obviously, it took turn as well. So, a good challenge," he said.

While the ODI World Cup in India will have flat surfaces, the surfaces in West Indies for 2024 T20I World Cup will be different and while some favour pace, there are those, for instance pitches in Providence -- where Bangladesh managed a 3-0 clean sweep against Windies in the ODI series -- that helps spin.

As Buttler also said yesterday, he liked playing in all conditions. Bangladesh would do well to have the same kind of attitude. T20 is a batters game but surfaces may not always favour batters. 

On the other hand, having the right kind of pitches at home will enable batters to be in touch and carry on that form like Hridoy or Shanto did from the BPL. The challenge will be to continue on the same vein of aggression and belief in their abilities as a unit so that pitches start to matter less and less.

Winning at home does not have to be a double-edged sword.