Head coach Richard Pybus was happy with the workout the Bangladesh team had in Ireland after they completed a 3-0 whitewash in the Twenty20 series at Stormont in Belfast on Saturday night.
He was particularly pleased with the spinners, who helped his side control the home side’s belligerent batsmen in all three games. Elias Sunny got five wickets in the first game and continued to do well in the next two while Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan were steadying forces. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bowled a very good spell in the third game though newcomer Abul Hasan wasn’t among the wickets.
“I’m very happy with the spin quartet,” said Pybus, “And the tour was good for our seamers too, who got experience of bowling in northern hemisphere conditions, learning that they have to get their lengths right.”
The series result was exactly what the Tigers wanted before they left for Ireland, although there were many within the Bangladesh Cricket Board who were slightly apprehensive about playing against a lesser-ranked team. But the players proved their stature in international cricket, making sure they rose in the ICC Twenty20 rankings, right up to No 4.
Pybus, meanwhile, acknowledged that they still have some work to do before the World Twenty20s which begins in Sri Lanka in mid-September, which is the reason why the Tigers are on this tour of Europe. He wasn’t too harsh on the batsmen, who unravelled as a unit in the third game.
“Our batting was pretty solid too, but we have a little work to do before the World Twenty20,” he said.
The Tigers arrived at The Hague in Holland last night for the final leg of their tour, taking on Scotland on July 25 and the hosts the following day in Twenty20s.
Bangladesh won the first game by their biggest margin in T20 Internationals so far, 71 runs, but the next two went down to the last over with Bangladesh winning by one run and two wickets respectively. “The last two games were probably a better reflection of where both teams are. Ireland were out of sorts in the first game but the last two, both went down to the wire,” said Pybus.
-With The Daily Star input
