NEWS
Follow UsBangladesh head coach Phil Simmons was happy and impressed with the aggressive approach of the batting unit in the second Test against West Indies.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 in the first innings but the bowlers dismissed West Indies for 146 to keep them in the game. That’s when the likes of Shadman Islam, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali took the attack to the home side and set a target of 287, which Bangladesh managed to defend quite easily.
"I loved the way the batters came out with a positive attitude. They had a survival attitude in the first few games (since I took charge). On the third day, you saw that they were saying, 'I have come to play the game'. I loved and enjoyed it," said Simmons after Bangladesh won the Test by 101 runs and levelled the two-match series 1-1.
"I made sure that they know that it is the way we have to play from now on. The Test win is something that these young players were looking forward to. It is nice to see them come back in their way after losing the first Test match. It's total joy for me," he said.
"I think when we had the delay (due to wet outfield on the first day) and the sun was out, as hot as I felt in Jamaica for a long time, there was no question that we had to bat first. The wicket had dried out. We had to make the running in the Test match, as were down 1-0.
“The decision to bat wasn't a difficult one. I think breaking it to the batters...It is a team that likes to bowl first to see what's there. Giving them the confidence that I believe in you, that you can bat first here, I think that led to how we batted in the second innings. We just needed to do better than the first innings.”
Simmons heaped heavy praise on Jaker, Taijul Islam and Nahid Rana. Jaker, who managed scores of 53 and 31 in the first Test, slammed a match-winning 91 off 105 in the second Test. In the bowling department, Rana took five wickets in the first innings, while Taijul did the same in the second essay.
"Jaker scored three fifties in successive Tests, so he knows his game. We saw that he can also take on every bowler. He needs to take what he gets from here, and try to improve on it. This is not always going to be the way it is," said the head coach.
"Taijul loves hitting the stumps, so he bowls more arm balls than [conventional] spinners. He seems to be getting better every game. You could see that there was more thought in his bowling here in every session.
"I was even more impressed (with Rana in Jamaica) than I was in Sharjah where he made his ODI debut as for him to be so consistent on this wicket and hitting his lengths. At the end of the day yesterday, he was bowling in his mid-140s. We under-rated the young fast bowler's ability to assess the situation.
"The things he (Rana) tells me before going on to the field, I wonder whether he is playing his fourth or fifth Test match. He is impressive with pace, but also with his hunger to learn. He keeps growing, and I am sure we will see a lot more of him.”
The two teams will now play a three-match ODI series, starting on December 8, before shifting their focus to the three T20Is.
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