Bangladesh will be looking to add to the misfortunes of the West Indies as they begin a two-Test series in the Caribbean at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex on Thursday.

The West Indies are coming off a tense four-match ODI series loss to India as well as further contract disputes, and are still unsettled with their team weakened by the absence of many boycotting stars.

Bangladesh have fond memories of their last trip to the Caribbean five years ago, when they ran the home team so close that it prompted the salacious comment from then Windies captain Brian Lara that if his side could not beat Bangladesh in the Test series, he would immediately resign.

New Tigers captain Mashrafe Mortaza will again be trying to accomplish what his predecessors have not been able to do - make Bangladesh a tougher, more resilient opponent, particularly away from home.

"The first thing I said after becoming the captain is that we have a problem with our confidence level," said Mortaza. "It's not that we can't play at the international level, we have played Test matches for five days in the past and beaten international teams.

"There is however, no use dwelling on the past and I have spoken to the boys to believe in themselves and keep their confidence high throughout the tour.

"If we start playing well from the first match we will go into the first Test match with a good momentum. As the captain I want all of them to give 100 per cent, win or loss comes secondary to it."

The first match of this Caribbean tour against West Indies A was not a huge success, or even came close to what Mortaza had in mind.

But the Tigers managed to rebound from another slipshod batting performance in the first innings to bat a little more steadily in the second, and the bowling put the second string West Indies side under early pressure before they allowed the hosts a lead of 53.

Bangladesh can take some confidence from this, and though the Windies second-stringers will be a formidable unit, the Tigers can enter the series with a little more peace of mind.

Not so West Indies, after they were stung by the two-one loss of the ODI series to India, and would hate to slip on the cliched banana peel that are the Bangladeshis.

To be taken seriously, the weakened XI will have to overcome the Bangladesh challenge - and in a purposeful way - not only to appease West Indies fans, but so they can repair the tattered image of West Indies cricket with the real and present danger of a two-tiered system in Tests now looming.

Key Players

West Indies: Among all the inexperience, all-rounder Darren Sammy needs to come to the party in a big way.

Bangladesh: With bat, ball and in the field, Shakib Al Hasan has stood head and shoulders above his team-mates for some time now. This series should prove no different.

Prediction

Bangladesh are worth an upset or two in the limited-overs arena by five-dayers are a totally different ball game. Anything other than a win for the Windies will be surprising regardless of their make-shift make-up.

Last Four Head-To-Head Results:

2004: Second Test: West Indies won by an innings and 99 runs in Kingston
2004: First Test: Match drawn in Gros Islet
2002: Second Test: West Indies won by seven wickets in Chittagong
2002: First Test: West Indies won by an innings and 310 runs in Dhaka

Likely Teams:

West Indies: Ryan Austin, Dave Bernard junior., Tino Best, Kraigg Brathwaite, Andre Creary, Travis Dowlin, Kevin McClean, Floyd Reifer, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy.

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Junaid Siddique, Shahadat Hossain, Enamul Haque junior, Mahbubul Alam, Mehrab Hossain junior, Mohammad Mahmdullah.

Dates: 9-13 July - First Session: 14:00-16:00, Second Session: 16:40-18:40, Third Session - 19:00-21:00 (all times GMT).

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft
Umpires: Tony Hill and Asoka de Silva