Chittagong: Heavily criticised after their first-ever Test defeat to Bangladesh, vistors Australia are desperate to restore some lost pride when the teams meet in the second and final Test, starting here, Monday.
The visitors were slammed by Australian media when they lost the opening match in Dhaka by 20 runs and coach Darren Lehmann admitted the players had been stung by the level of condemnation of the team’s performance.
“The boys are all hurting with the criticism you get,” Lehmann told reporters here. “(But) you deserve that when you don’t win. It is not good enough when you lose a Test match to anyone, but Bangladesh are tough at home.”
Chittagong however, does at least hold some fond memories for the Australians as they try to salvage a drawn series. The only time they played a Test here, in 2006, the visitors won by an innings and 80 runs with nightwatchman Jason Gillespie scoring an unbeaten double century.
But Bangladesh are a more formidable opponent now and the biggest challenge facing Australia’s players is to find a way to combat the home team’s spinners.
All but one of Australia’s 20 wickets in the series-opener fell to spin, and the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium pitch here is expected to favour slow bowling once more.
Australia have recalled left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe for the injured Josh Hazlewood and could play him alongside their frontline spinners Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.
“The way the wicket was you are not going to have too many overs bowled by the quicks as the game goes on and we expect the same sort of pitch,” Lehmann pointed out.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who took the match-clinching final wicket in Dhaka, said the home side were also hoping for a turning pitch.
“I hope it (wicket) will remain the same because we are expecting another win,” Taijul said. “We have the capacity to win the series 2-0. We nearly did against England last year. So I don’t think it is impossible to beat Australia again,” he added.
Agence France-Presse