Bangladesh national team’s pace bowling coach Courtney Walsh said on Friday that the recent performances against Australia in the two-Test series would enhance the confidence of the Tigers in the forthcoming away series against South Africa. Bangladesh were held to a 1-1 series draw in the just concluded Test series against the Aussies after the Tigers were defeated by seven wickets in the second Test in Chittagong on Thursday.
Despite their loss in the second Test, the Tigers clinched their first ever Test win against the visiting side in the first Test in Dhaka where they registered a thumping 20-run victory to raise the hope of a clean sweep before going to the second Test.
The former Caribbean pacer who passed one-year with the Tigers after being appointed as pace bowling coach in September 2016 was happy with the characteristics the players showed on and off the field during the series and informed that they were still trying to improve in all the departments.
‘We have tremendously improved a lot,’ said the 58-year old West Indies legend on Friday.
‘The experience that we have learnt will help as well as in different conditions in South Africa. The team has improved, the guys have hunger, they want to do well, they want to make Bangladesh proud and they want to perform in the highest level both in Bangladesh and when they go away.
‘So the team has improved and still the team is trying to improve all the time in all the departments,’ he added.
Walsh was impressed with the aggression and control of pacer Mustafizur Rahman that he showed in the second Test and he was expecting the same sort of consistency in his bowling during their South Africa series.
The cutter-master was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers in the second Test claiming 4-84 and 1-16 respectively in both the innings that reminded the old ‘Fizz’ in him during the spells.
‘Mustafiz bowled well and he showed the aggression and showed good control. I think getting those wickets would give him confidence as well.
‘To get out David Warner twice in the same Test is a feat as he is a class player and obviously they play for the same team in the IPL [Sunrisers Hyderabad] so I am very happy with such feat of Fizz.’
‘He is a very talented player, a special talent and that will give Bangladesh an extra edge that they need to do well. He came out and bowled well not just one spell but couple of spells together. I am sure he will be happy with that and team and whole as well as they were looking for the consistency,’ he added.
The pace-bowling coach also urged that the upcoming South Africa series would be a great challenge for the seamers and he advised his pupils to be more accurate to get positive results in the series which will take place get underway from September 28.
‘It’s going to be seaming condition that we all know that in South Africa and that’s what we are expecting. The seamers got to be more on the mark and we won’t have much time to completeness,’ said Walsh.
‘So, the work has to be done and that’s why I came up early to work with the bowlers and trying hard to get everybody in shape.
‘ It’s going to be test and challenging time for us and if in seaming condition we want our seamers to perform well. So we are working on that.’
-With New Age input
