First Test preview: West Indies v Bangladesh
The West Indies may not have a permanent head coach at the moment, but they will be confident of doing well against a struggling Bangladesh outfit when they come together to play the first Test, at Arnos Vale in Kingstown, this weekend.
The West Indies may not have a permanent head coach at the moment, but they will be confident of doing well against a struggling Bangladesh outfit when they come together to play the first Test, at Arnos Vale in Kingstown, this weekend.
The last time this venue was used, in 2009, it saw the same sides compete, though the Tigers won by 95 runs. In the Windies' defence, they had seven debutants on the park as the rest of the players were on strike.
As such, it's a much stronger unit this time around, including opening batsman Chris Gayle and prolific veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who comes into the game on the back of a near-double ton in the warm up, scoring 183 for St Kitts and Nevis against a Bangladesh XI.
The home bowling attack is a decent one too, and while they don't have Darren Sammy, who took a five-fer in 2009, they do have Kema Roach, who bagged six wickets on debut back then. And while Sunil Narine is absent, Shane Shillingford and Suleiman Benn are able spinners both.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are missing their two best bowlers, as Shakib-al-Hasan is still suspended and Sohag Gazi has been sent away for testing on his somewhat dubious action. Thus, Elias Sunny has been called up, with just four Tests to his name.
Their coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that he is hoping for a draw, if he's being realistic and honest, and added that the batsmen would be the key to that result, as his bowling attack is weak.
Last time they played here, Tamim Iqbal scored a century, but the opener hasn't bagged a Test ton since 2010. His top score in Tests this year is just 31, and he will need to pull out all the stops to avoid putting pressure on the middle order. He does have two half tons in all formats on this tour though.
Some good news for the visitors is that skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and batsman Nasir Hossain are in good nick, bagging tons in the tour game at Basseterre, while Imrul Kayes recorded 44.
<b>Key Men</b><br>For the hosts, eyes will be on Shiv Chanderpaul, given his recent 183, and his form in county cricket for Derbyshire before that. With a Test average of nearly 52, the Tigers will have a tough time removing him.
The visitors will look to their skipper, Rahim, for inspiration and runs. He's always very outspoken when his team does badly, but he needs to back his mouth up with his bat, adding to the 106 not out he made against St Kitts.
<b>Last Five Head-To-Head Results</b><br>2012, Second Test: West Indies won by 10 wickets in Khulna<br>2012, First Test: West Indies won by 77 runs in Dhaka<br>2011, Second Test: West Indies won by 229 runs in Dhaka<br>2011, First Test: Match drawn in Chittagong<br>2009, Second Test: Bangladesh won by four wickets at St George's
<b>Squads</b><br>West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Chris Gayle, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jermaine Blackwood, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Sulieman Benn, Shane Shillingford.
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim, Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Elias Sunny, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Robiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Shuvagata Hom, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal
<b>Dates:</b> 5-9 September<br><b>Morning session:</b> 10:00-12:00 (14:00-16:00 GMT)<br><b>Afternoon session:</b> 12:40-14:40 (16:40-18:40 GMT)<br><b>Evening session:</b> 15:00-17:00 (19:00-21:00 GMT)<br><b>On-field umpires:</b> Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth<br><b>Third umpire:</b> Steve Davis<br><b>Match referee:</b> Roshan Mahanama
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