West Indies head coach Darren Sammy refused to take Bangladesh lightly in the upcoming three-match ODI series, despite the hosts’ recent struggle in this format.
Bangladesh lost four ODI series in a row after being swept against Afghanistan and won just two matches out of 14 since November last year.
Under the captaincy of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh won just one match in 10.
That stat itself was the testament of how Bangladesh struggled in a format, once dubbed as their strongest suit.
But Sammy believes the home condition would get Bangladesh an extra edge and so they would have to play exceptional cricket to win the series.
“They’re playing at home. They know these conditions far better than we do. As I and my captain both agree, Bangladesh are very strong at home. To beat them, we’ll have to play exceptional cricket,” Sammy said here today.
West Indies had last toured in Bangladesh for an ODI series in 2021 and tasted a humiliating 3-0 whitewash.
“We know they’re always a tough side in their own conditions. To win here, we must play top-quality cricket” said Sammy, adding that the series is crucial for them also to earn some important points for a direct qualification to the next ICC Cricket World Cup, jointly to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027.
“We’re on a mission to qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup. That’s where our focus is. If we can collect the necessary points, we’ll be in a strong position.”
But Sammy’s concern was Bangladesh’s wicket, which he termed as ‘never seen like this before’, indicating it might be a rank turner that could give West Indies batters a torrid period.
“Well, the captain has not seen the wicket, but I have. I’m not sure if we could replicate – we’ve never seen anything like that before,” she pointed out.
But Sammy has the experience of playing in Bangladesh. He toured here with West Indies side as player and captain for several times and also played in Bangladesh Premier League (BPLT20) on regular basis.
He knows well about Bangladesh condition. At the same time, he mentioned that the tour in India ahead of Bangladesh series will provide them some opportunity to get used to that kind of wicket.
“But I think we all know the challenge that the sub-continent brings, especially to our batters. I think coming from India is something that is of advantage for the guys who have, you know, gotten used to such or the closest conditions you’ll get,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, like the captain said, it’s the experience, the knowledge, the application of oneself at the crease, and understanding what is required-assessing the conditions very quickly.”
Some of the guys it’s probably foreign to them, but the learning would have to be done whilst you play, he said.
“So you assess the conditions and then you decide what is required in order for you to be successful. And like I said earlier, it’s going to be a challenge here at home in Bangladesh from what I’ve seen, but one challenge that I think my team is much prepared for, because most of my batters are coming from India, traveling near to Bangladesh,” he said.
