Simmons wants proper Test wicket against Zimbabwe

Dhaka, 18 April —Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons ruled out the idea of preparing spin wicket against Zimbabwe, saying that he wants his side to beat the African nation in a proper Test wicket.

The Tigers’ success rate in spin-friendly wicket at home track is envious but Simmons doesn’t want to follow that template against a side against whom they had the clear upper-hand.

“We want to play the kind of cricket we believe in, and that means preparing a proper Test wicket and going out there to win,” Simmons said in a press conference in Sylhet International Cricket Stadium as Bangladesh prepare for the first Test, starting on Sunday.

“We play in a certain way, so we don't need to prepare a spin wicket against Zimbabwe,” he added. 

“We saw the wicket today, it looks good; we will have to see how it behaves tomorrow morning," he said.

The second Test starts in Chattogram from April 28. The two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, however, is not the part of their ICC Test Championship tournament.

This marked Zimbabwe’s sixth visit in Bangladesh following 2001, 2005, 2014, 2018 and 2020. They had played 10 Tests on Bangladesh’s backyard, winning just two.

Overall the two teams have met 18 times in Test format with Bangladesh winning eight and losing seven. The rest of the three Tests ended in a draw.

Despite the clear upper-hand, Simmons played down any talk of a potential whitewash, solely focusing on winning “one day at a time” after a four-month break from red-ball cricket.

“We need to win the first day, then the Test, and then we can talk about the series,” he remarked. 

The players, however, were busy with playing Dhaka Premier League (DPL), a 50-over format but Simmons doesn’t think switching the gear to Test mode would be tougher for his charges. 

“We have taken a good preparation for the series. The facilities here have been excellent – everything is close by, and we’ve managed to get a lot of work done in a short space of time,” he said.

The last time the two nations squared off in Bangladesh, in February 2020, the hosts emerged victorious with an innings and 106-run win in Mirpur, with Mushfiqur Rahim smashing an unbeaten double hundred.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who recently retired from white-ball cricket, hinted at a renewed focus on red-ball success.

Simmons praised his work ethics, saying that “He’s working extremely hard. It’s great to hear he’s done well against Zimbabwe before, but we’re starting fresh.”

Bangladesh didn’t include any left arm pacers in the squad, something which is predicted to give Zimbabwe some edge. Simmons, though, admitted it but stayed optimistic as he pinned hopes on the other pacers to do the job properly. 

At the same time, Simmons backed the opening pair, which remains vulnerable since the departure of Tamim Iqbal from the International cricket.

Simmons, celebrating a birthday this week, said his only wish was “a win in the first Test.”BSS