‘The plan was correct, execution wasn’t proper’: Shanto stands by spin-heavy attack

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said his side got the plan right but not the conditions, after they batted out the final day to draw the second Test against West Indies on Monday.

Bangladesh finished on 184-4 chasing 369 when bad light ended play. The draw still gave West Indies a 1-0 series win, following their eight-wicket victory in the first Test in Mirpur.

“Our plan was to play on a spin wicket, to be very honest, and if you look at both matches, we played with three spinners and two pace bowlers,” Shanto told reporters at the post-match press conference.

“I don’t think we lost the first match due to the conditions. I think we mainly didn’t do well in all three departments: batting, bowling, and fielding.”

“I think the plan was correct, but the execution, as I mentioned earlier, wasn’t proper. I wouldn’t say we got the exact conditions we wanted or expected in Sylhet.”

Both sides picked three spinners in Sylhet. Jomel Warrican reached 100 Test wickets on the final day, while Hasan Mahmud’s 6-90 had earlier bowled West Indies out for 356 in the first innings.

Towhid Hridoy’s unbeaten 242 and second-innings 82 gave him a Bangladesh-record 324 runs in a Test. Mushfiqur Rahim also became the first Bangladeshi to pass 7,000 Test runs during the second innings. But their efforts were not enough to seal a win.

The pitch remained conducive to batting even on the fourth and fifth day, which played a huge role in the match ending in a draw. Shanto revealed it went against what they had anticipated.

“If it were [team wanting the pitch to remain batting-friendly on Day 4, 5], maybe we could have played with an extra pace bowler. So, the thought was that the ball might start turning earlier. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

“I wouldn’t say there was a lot of spin even on Day 5. So, the hope was that there would be some spin much earlier.”

Shanto said hosts must make home conditions work for them. “These things are planned much in advance... So, we must take that advantage.

“Unfortunately, we got a bit less of it, and I don’t want to make excuses by saying this. Overall, neither our batters nor our bowlers could perform well. So the responsibility is ours.”

Bangladesh now turn to a tour of South Africa, with opener Shadman Islam’s ankle injury and Mahfizul Islam Robin’s call-up among the talking points.

“For South Africa, if I’m honest, there’s no opportunity for preparation. We have to be mentally ready as much as possible.”