DHAKA, India, CMC – After losing the first Test to Bangladesh inside three days, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is urging his troops to stay positive ahead of today’s second and final Test which will be played here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The Windies went down to the hosts by 64 runs in the opening Test, their first defeat to Bangladesh in seven Tests.
However, in a pre-match press conference, Brathwaite said once his players remained positive he was expecting a series-levelling victory for the tourists.
“Staying positive on this type of wicket is key. The bounce varied a lot in the first Test. The onus is on ourselves to trust our defence and attacking methods. I think the key is to be light in your feet, and treat each ball as it comes,” he said.
And while he admitted the Windies would miss pace bowler Shannon Gabriel, who was banned from the second Test after being handed two demerit points in the first, Brathwaite said he was “backing both spin and pace to do a good job” unsettling Bangladesh.
“There will obviously be a balance. Spin did most of the damage in the first Test but it doesn’t mean pacers can’t take wickets,” Brathwaite said.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi skipper Shakib Al Hasan said he was looking forward to a rare Test series victory.
A win in Dhaka will give Bangladesh only its fourth Test series win in history and first since 2014 when it triumphed over Zimbabwe 3-0 at home.
They came close to winning series twice in the past two years, respectively against Australia and Sri Lanka, but on both occasions stumbled at the final hurdle.
“We have a challenge and we believe we can overcome this. Naturally, West Indies will also go into the match more excited. They will give their best to win. We have to perform better than them, more than what we did in Chittagong,” Al Hasan said.
“It will be very special for us if we can win the series 2-0…whatever it requires we are preparing to do that. If it is not possible to win, our target will be taking the series 1-0, because the ultimate target is winning the series.
“But we don’t want to win the series by playing defensive cricket. We will go into the match with a positive frame of mind,” Al Hasan maintained.