Bangladesh played a 3-day warm-up match against CWI President’s XI before the all-important 2-match Test series against the West Indies team. The main purpose of the warm-up match was to get a good preparation before the Bangladesh vs West Indies Test Series 2022. Besides, Bangladesh's team management has gotten a general overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the current squad. The match eventually ended in a draw. How Bangladesh players fared in the practice match is discussed in this article.
Major Highlights of the Bangladesh vs CWI President’s XI Match
The 3-day warm-up match between Bangladesh and CWI President’s XI will be held between June 10 and June 12. The match ended in a draw, where Bangladesh batted first and made 310/7d before declaring their innings. In reply, the CWI President’s XI declared their innings on 359/8d. Bangladesh finished the day with a score of 47/1. Let’s have a look at how Bangladesh's players performed in the practice match.
Batting
The veteran opener, Tamim Iqbal, had an outstanding outing and an ideal batting practice in the first innings of the match. Tamim remained unbeaten with 162* off 287 balls, striking the ball at a 56.45 rate. Tamim played 70.73% dot ball, which is understandable as it’s a longer-version format. Most importantly, with this knock, Tamim Iqbal has gained some necessary confidence, which will help him to perform even better in the actual contest.
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Tamim’s opening partner, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and out-of-form batter Mominul Haque, made ducks in the first innings. Najmul Hossain Shanto scored a fifty (54). A 140-run stand between Tamim and Shanto on the second wicket helped Bangladesh score a big total in the first innings. Shanto’s knock was good, but the team management wants him to focus more on playing long innings.
The selectors and batting consultant Jamie Siddons have full faith in him and believe the left-hander has the potential to thrive on the international stage. Najmul Hossain Shanto needs to step up in the absence of veteran Mushfiqur Rahim and out-of-form batter Mominul Haque.
Litton Das captained the Bangladesh side in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who joined the squad in the middle of the warm-up contest. Litton didn’t have a good time with the bat, making only 11 while Nurul Hasan Sohan played a 35 off 59 ball knocks.
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Tamim Iqbal didn’t open the innings in the second innings. He let Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque open the innings for Bangladesh. Joy was super patient and remained unbeaten with 9*, but Mominul once again failed after scoring 4. In contrast, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was a bit aggressive. He was unbeaten with 32*.
In a nutshell, Tamim’s century was the major highlight of Bangladesh's batting. Apart from him, there was no encouraging sign from the batting unit. Bangladesh need solid performances from their batters, especially the top order, who need to be in good touch during the Bangladesh vs West Indies Test Series 2022.
Bowling
Two West Indian openers, Solozano and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (son of former Windies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul), made fifty each. Bangladesh had to wait till the 35th over of the match to earn their first breakthrough because of their century partnership. Cariah was the third player to score a fifty for the CWI President’s XI in their first innings.
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Mustafizur Rahman and Ebadot Hossain picked up three wickets each for Bangladesh, which is a positive sign. Both the players were a bit expensive and they needed to rectify their mistakes before the series started.
Bangladesh need their fast bowlers to perform at their best against the West Indian national side. Particularly in the absence of Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed, left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman and Ebadot Hossain have to step up during the series. Besides, Rajaur Rahman Raja and Khaled Ahmed bowled enough overs to testify to their skills on the Caribbean wickets and they were economical. Among the spinners, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz failed to pick up a wicket.
Bottom Line
Bangladesh team management needs to identify some of the weak points from this warm-up match and rectify these before the first match of the Bangladesh vs West Indies Test Series 2022. One of the weak points is Bangladesh’s wobbly batting line-up, which has even become more concerning in the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim. Besides, the Tigers need a firm performance from the pace bowling unit to get necessary breakthroughs and put constant pressure on the Caribbean batters. Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh team should be well-prepared before taking on the Windies side for the first Test match on June 16 (Thursday).