Simmons praises Bangladesh’s ‘positive attitude’ in bouncing back from first Test defeat

Head coach Phil Simmons lauded Bangladesh’s mental shift from trying to survive to trying to win, after they beat West Indies by 101 runs on the fourth evening of the second Test in Kingston. Simmons said their decision to bat first – after they had lost the first Test by 201 runs – paid off in multiple ways and that the batters will now have confidence that they can bounce back in tough conditions.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 in the first innings, but they came strongly with the ball and skittled the home side for 146. They had an improved batting performance in the second innings and made 268, weathering a barrage of bouncers and verbals on the third afternoon to get into a winning position.

“I loved the way the batters came out with a positive attitude,” Simmons said on the official broadcast after the game. “They had a survival attitude in the first few games [since I took charge]. On the third day, you saw that they were saying, ‘I have come to play the game’. I loved and enjoyed it. I made sure that they know that it is the way we have to play from now on. The Test win is something that these young players were looking forward to. It is nice to see them come back in their way after losing the first Test match. It’s total joy for me.

“I think when we had the delay [due to wet outfield on the first day] and the sun was out, as hot as I felt in Jamaica for a long time, there was no question that we had to bat first. The wicket had dried out. We had to make the running in the Test match, as were down 1-0. The decision to bat wasn’t a difficult one. I think breaking it to the batters… It is a team that likes to bowl first to see what’s there. Giving them the confidence that I believe in you, that you can bat first here, I think that led to how we batted in the second innings. We just needed to do better than the first innings.”

Bangladesh had several performers in the Jamaica Test win. Nahid Rana led the fight with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, before Jaker Ali held the second innings together with his 91 in the second innings. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam then took a five-for on the fourth and final day, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud picking up two wickets each in the final push for victory.

Simmons praised Jaker’s ability to switch gears after a slow start. He was also impressed with Mehidy Hassan Miraz, who captained the side in Najmul Hossain Shanto’s absence after the regular captain ruled out of the Test series because of a groin strain.

“The things he tells me before going on to the field, I wonder whether he is playing his fourth or fifth Test match. He is impressive with pace, but also with his hunger to learn. He keeps growing, and I am sure we will see a lot more of him”

Phil Simmons on Nahid Rana

“Jaker scored three fifties in successive Tests, so he knows his game. We saw that he can also take on every bowler. He needs to take what he gets from here, and try to improve on it. This is not always going to be the way it is,” Simmons said. “I have been impressed with [Mehidy]. He took over from Shanto in short notice. He has taken the job and run with it. Mehidy and Taijul complement each other. Mehidy is a little bit faster and straighter, whereas Taijul uses his variations a lot.

“Taijul loves hitting the stumps, so he bowls more arm balls than [conventional] spinners. He seems to be getting better every game. You could see that there was more thought in his bowling here in every session.”

Having missed the first Test to manage his workload, Rana hit West Indies with rapid pace in Kingston for a match haul of 6 for 93. He now has 20 wickets in six Tests after making his debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

“I was even more impressed [with Rana in Jamaica] than I was in Sharjah where he made his ODI debut, ” Simmons said. “For him to be so consistent on this wicket and hitting his lengths. At the end of the day yesterday, he was bowling in his mid-140s. We under-rated the young fast bowler’s ability to assess the situation.

“The things he tells me before going on to the field, I wonder whether he is playing his fourth or fifth Test match. He is impressive with pace, but also with his hunger to learn. He keeps growing, and I am sure we will see a lot more of him.”