ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Captain Kraigg Brathwaite has warned West Indies about the danger of taking Bangladesh for granted, as they geared up for the opening Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium starting here today.
The Caribbean side is high in confidence coming off an inspiring 1-0 series win over England in March and will also be further bolstered by their 2-0 whitewash of Bangladesh in Dhaka last year.
Despite that success, however, and the fact Bangladesh is ranked one spot below West Indies at ninth in the International Cricket Council rankings, Brathwaite said it was critical the hosts executed properly against dangerous opponents.
“For me, the biggest thing is that we can’t underestimate them,” Brathwaite told reporters.
“Just because they’re not in the top three in the world, doesn’t mean that we’re just going to roll over them, so I think as batters and as bowlers we’ve got to stay disciplined, we’ve got to go out there and work hard.
“I thought in the England series we did a good job. A batter got a hundred every game and I thought that was very good [but] we can’t think we’re just going to get a hundred because it’s Bangladesh.
“We’ve got to go out there and work hard. Obviously they’ve got some young fast bowlers and some good spinners so you may have some periods which will be tough but we’ve got to fight.
“But the main thing is we cannot underestimate this team – that’s the main thing I’ll be preaching.”
West Indies shone in nearly all departments against England with the likes of Brathwaite, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood and wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva all scoring hundreds. And veteran seamer Kemar Roach kept up his great recent form as well, leading the attack with 11 wickets, joined by rookie pacer Jayden Seales also with 11 wickets and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph with ten scalps.
Brathwaite said while preparations for the two-Test series had gone smoothly, the importance of execution could not be undervalued, especially on the opening day in order to set the tempo for the game.
“Preparations went superb. I thought we had four, five [good] days here … and as batters I thought we got in some good work,” the opener said.
“The other guys came in from Pakistan and the guys are really looking forward to this series.
“I think as a team we’re just focussing on what we’ve got to do, and whatever we do first we’ve got to do it well.
“And I think we’ve got to start [well]. The first hour is very crucial starting on that first day. We’ve got to be in the fight and we can’t take them for granted.
“They’ll be coming hard because obviously we beat them in Bangladesh 2-0 so they’ll be coming and looking to do well against us so we’ve got to fight.”
Since the end of the England series, West Indies players have featured in three rounds of first class cricket which Brathwaite said had been essential to keeping the side match fit.
“The more match practice you get before any series is always great so I thought that was superb,” he stressed.
“We got three games in Trinidad in some tough, hot conditions and it was good to see bowlers getting wickets. I think it was good and it will serve us well in this series.”
Roach, who has not played competitively since mid-April when he pulled up for Surrey in the English County Championship, has been passed fit for the game in a massive boost for the home side.
SQUADS:
WEST INDIES – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Joshua Da Silva, Devon Thomas, Anderson Phillip, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales
BANGLADESH – Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mominul Haque, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Litton Das, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Mustafizur Rahman.