Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has admitted that the team's spin tactics against West Indies didn't go according to plan, despite months of preparation for the series.
Shanto said that while the pitch wasn't responding as well as they would have liked, he admitted Bangladesh failed largely due to their lack of performing batters and spinners.
"When we play at home, the conditions and the type of wicket we want are things that are planned well in advance," Shanto said. "We must leverage that advantage. In my view, we should have fully achieved the conditions we aimed for-- or at the very least, come close to them. Unfortunately, that didn't quite happen, though I don't want to use that as an excuse. Looking at the Test match as a whole, neither our batters nor our bowlers performed well; the responsibility lies with us.
"That said, whenever we play at home, we must capitalise on these advantages. In the future we need to be more thoughtful in how we prepare the conditions. Since we fielded three spinners and so did the opposition, we expected spin to come into play much earlier. Even by day five, I wouldn't say there was a significant amount of spin; we had anticipated it would start much sooner."
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ESPNcricinfo had learned back in April that the Bangladesh team management and senior players had set plans for the Pakistan tour, in May, and this West Indies tour. At the time, the plan was to focus on "pace vs Pakistan, and spin v West Indies". It was a plan to exploit the perceived weakness against the respective oppositions. Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-0 with their pace bowlers taking the lead role.
The home side, however, was outplayed in Dhaka by West Indies, who were well equipped and trained separately in Chennai to counter Bangladesh's conditions. Bangladesh only managed to draw the Sylhet Test, thanks to Towhid Hridoy's record-breaking unbeaten 242. Their spinners were out-bowled by the visiting trio, especially Jomel Warrican who was adjudged Player of the Series for his 16 wickets.
Shanto defended Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Hasan despite their poor returns in the last three Tests.
"Our pace bowlers have performed well over the last year or so. However, for the Bangladesh team it has historically been our spinners who have secured our victories. We shouldn't lose faith in our spinners so quickly; the three who played are highly capable.
"While it's true they haven't bowled well over the last two or three series, we must acknowledge the contributions they have made as a spin-bowling unit over the past 10 to 12 years. It's possible to have a few poor series, but it is crucial to continue backing them, and I am confident they will make a strong comeback."
Bangladesh's batting also was inconsistent throughout the West Indies series. Tanzid Hasan, who cracked a maiden Test century against Australia in August, looked out of sorts, playing rash shots throughout the Sylhet Test.
"I believe this is simply how he plays his cricket, and--thankfully--he has found success doing so. As he plays more matches, I expect his approach to become more refined. However, I would never suggest that he should step outside his natural style of play.
"The key is how he can bring more composure to his batting while staying true to his character; I am confident that, moving forward, he will devise better plans and make a more significant contribution to the team."
Shanto, however, felt relieved seeing how Hridoy approached his batting in both the innings in Sylhet. Hridoy made 324 runs in the Test, breaking several batting records on the way.
"Everyone in our dressing room was very pleased. To play such a significant innings in one's third Test, that too batting alongside lower-order batters, is an achievement that even some highly experienced cricketers might struggle to replicate.
"It was truly impressive, and I hope that whenever he gets an opportunity to play, he continues to make such contributions. We had been looking for someone--to bat at the number five or six position--who could stay at the crease for a long duration. It's excellent; if he can keep this up, it will be a great asset for our team."