Mehidy confident of taking on Australia on green-tinged pitch
The Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur is renowned for its slow, low, and spin-friendly surfaces that have historically aided Bangladesh’s spinners. However, as soon as the ground staff removed the covers from the main square ahead of the first ODI between Bangladesh and Australia, a starkly different picture emerged: a pitch distinctly tinged with grass. This physical transformation mirrors a deeper tactical shift within the home side, with captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressing confidence in confronting the formidable Australian side on a livelier, more sporting track.
Embracing Sporting Pitches over Dustbowls
For years, Bangladesh relied on tailor-made, spin-heavy wickets to grind out victories at home. But according to Mehidy, those days are increasingly behind them. The team is now actively seeking to play on true, sporting pitches to test their batters and help them gain genuine confidence. This change in attitude is not a sudden whim; it is backed by recent successes on good wickets in Dhaka, most notably Bangladesh’s historic Test victory against Pakistan last month.
“Everyone thinks that Mirpur only means a spinning wicket, a poor wicket, but that is not the case anymore,” Mehidy explained. “I think we can produce good wickets in Mirpur as well. We have seen that in the last two or three series.”
The captain emphasized that winning matches on balanced wickets has a far more profound impact on the team’s morale. When bowlers have to work for their wickets and batters are rewarded for good technique, the overall confidence of the squad sky-rockets. “We will try to play on good wickets because if we can win matches on good wickets, if the bowlers bowl well and the batters can score runs, then at the end of the day our confidence is high. Since we have a tournament (the ODI World Cup) ahead of us, if we can gain confidence by playing on good wickets, it will help our team a lot,” Mehidy added.
Australia’s Strategic Read of the Conditions
Australia’s captain, Josh Inglis, confirmed that his team has been closely analyzing Bangladesh’s recent home fixtures to prepare for the conditions. Specifically, they have used Bangladesh’s previous ODI series against New Zealand as a key reference point.
“I think we’ve had a look at the New Zealand series that was here,” Inglis remarked. “They looked like a bit more grass on the wicket. The new ball tended to do a bit and it was a bit more seam-friendly rather than spin-heavy. So we’ll take that into account, but we’re ready for anything.”
Despite missing some of their most prominent senior fast bowlers, Inglis expressed immense faith in Australia’s auxiliary pace attack. Players like Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, and Ben Dwarshuis have accumulated significant international and domestic experience over the past two years, making them highly capable of exploiting any green tinge on the Mirpur deck.
“Obviously you take some big guys out of our squad,” Inglis said, “but I think the guys that have been playing a lot over the last couple of years, your Nathan Ellises, Xavier Bartletts, Ben Dwarshuis, they’ve got a fair bit of experience at this level now.”
Inglis highlighted Nathan Ellis as a central figure in Australia’s bowling plans. “Nathan is a really key player in our side. I think over the last few years, he’s really stood up and taken on whatever role we’ve given him. He’s obviously got all of his change-ups, but he’s incredibly skillful as well and can bowl in all three phases of the game. So I expect him to play a huge part in this series.”
The Threat of Nahid Rana’s Raw Pace
While Australia boasts a skilled pace unit, Bangladesh has its own exciting weapon in Nahid Rana. The tall, express fast bowler has caught the attention of the cricketing world, including the visiting captain. Although Inglis admitted he has not faced Rana first-hand, he has studied enough footage to know that the youngster poses a serious threat.
“I haven’t seen a hell of a lot of him, but what I have seen, he looks a really good bowler, a really exciting prospect. He’s tall and he bowls fast, so it’s a pretty nice combination to have. So he’s going to be really tough work for us all,” Inglis admitted.
For Mehidy, integrating Rana back into the ODI setup has been a long-term strategic goal, particularly with the ODI World Cup in South Africa on the horizon. “When I first got the captaincy, the situation was a little difficult for me. The team’s condition wasn’t that good either. I wanted to create a good team combination and we all know Nahid Rana’s potential. He can bowl fast that too accurately,” Mehidy said. “Since the World Cup is coming up in South Africa, it is very important for us to have fast bowlers in our team. That was how we considered him, and we backed him with confidence and encouragement.”
Solving the Middle-Order Conundrum
Bangladesh’s primary concern heading into the series is their batting stability, particularly in the middle order, which has shown considerable inconsistency over the past 12 months. However, Mehidy remains optimistic, pointing to the stellar form of several key players in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), the country’s premier domestic List-A tournament.
Young batter Towhid Hridoy has been in sensational form, crossing the 500-run milestone in the league. Alongside him, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mosaddek Hossain have also registered strong performances, providing the national team with viable, in-form options.
“If you look at who played there in the past, many experienced players occupied those positions. Naturally, it takes some time to fill those spots. I think we have managed to reorganize ourselves. Those in the middle-order are top performers in the DPL. If you look at Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain and Litton Das, they are all performing,” Mehidy noted.
The Return of Mosaddek Hossain
The recall of Mosaddek Hossain after a four-year absence from the ODI squad is seen as a crucial step toward stabilizing the middle order. Mehidy believes Mosaddek is currently in peak physical and mental shape to succeed in his designated role. Additionally, Mosaddek’s accurate offspin provides the captain with a valuable fifth or sixth bowling option.
“Mosaddek has been performing in domestic cricket for many years and has been playing very good cricket as well. He is also in shape. I think this is the right time for him to have been picked, and if he can do well in the role we have envisioned for him, it will be much better for the team,” Mehidy said.
Mehidy also addressed previous speculation of a rivalry between himself and Mosaddek. This speculation was fueled last year when chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain suggested that Mosaddek might not find a place in the squad as long as Mehidy was in the team. Mehidy firmly cleared the air, emphasizing their long history of playing together.
“We both played together in the Bangladesh team for many years (39 games). If you look back, we even played together in the 2019 World Cup, so I do not think this is any different. Mosaddek will play his role, and I will play mine. Mosaddek is a batting allrounder, while I am a bowling allrounder. So our roles are different.”
