Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim backed his team to come good against the West Indies on Tuesday, despite the fact they have not played a Test for 11 months. The Tigers played their last series against Pakistan in December, losing 2-0, and a rained-off warm-up game ahead of the two-match series added to their woes. Rahim admitted it would be tough to play after a long absence from the Test arena.
"It's a big challenge since we are playing after a long gap," he told reporters on Monday. "The preparation is good, though can't say it was too good but we are training together for long and are physically and mentally okay." Besides the rustiness, Bangladesh are also facing criticism over their poor record in the longer form of the game, having won only three of their 73 matches since attaining Test status 12 years ago. Their problems were further confounded when coach Richard Pybus quit last month citing interference from the administration, handing bowling coach Shane Jurgensen the reins for the time being.
Rahim hoped his batting line-up lived up to the glimpses of talent it has shown. "All of our batsmen have the ability of playing big innings. We have world-class batsmen in Tamim (Iqbal), Shakib (Al Hasan) and if they can score some runs and others contribute, we will get a good total," said Rahim. West Indian captain Darren Sammy meanwhile hinted uncapped left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul's inclusion as the Mirpur stadium pitch is likely to offer spin with bounce. Sammy singled out flamboyant left-hander Chris Gayle's importance in the line-up. "We all know Chris is one of our most experienced players. The second Test will be played in Khulna from November 21. The Tests will be followed by five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.