Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was disappointed by their spinners inconsistency in the fourth innings of the first Test against West Indies in Mirpur. After setting 170 to win, Bangladesh picked up only two wickets, both taken by seamers, and West Indies completed the win in 35.1 overs to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
"After giving them 170 to chase, we believed it was possible to defend the total given the condition of the pitch," Shanto said after the game. "But unfortunately, that didn't happen. We certainly have to give them [West Indies] some credit, but I would say we could have bowled better on this surface."
It was just the second time in their Test history that Bangladesh's spinners had not taken a wicket despite bowling 25 overs in the third or fourth innings of a Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Bangladesh's spinners took just eight wickets in the game against West Indies' 16, which included five-fors for Jomel Warrican and Roston Chase.
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"I feel that we couldn't quite judge the length well," Shanto said. "It was a bit inconsistent. The fact that they batted so easily, especially in the fourth innings where we only managed to take two wickets, is telling. Even though we lost the match, if we had at least managed to take seven or eight wickets, we might have concluded that our total was simply too low. So, in that regard, things were a bit off."
Warrican, who took a match haul of 9 for 116, was adjudged the Player of the Match. But Shanto said that his match haul was down to Bangladesh's poor batting than the "quality of his bowling".
"Honestly, I'm not trying to belittle anyone, but I feel that our poor batting played a bigger role than the quality of his bowling," Shanto said. "No disrespect intended, but I believe we could have played him much better."
Shanto also threw his weight behind Taijul Islam, who has taken five wickets in the last four Tests, two of which were in Australia. In Mirpur, he returned match figures 2 for 130 in 38.1 overs.
"[Taijul] has bowled consistently well over the years," Shanto said. "He perhaps wasn't at his best in this particular match. But that can happen. One shouldn't be too quick to judge someone who has been our best bowler and has performed consistently for so long. I am confident that he will make a strong comeback in the second Test."
There were also questions raised about the nature of the pitch. In the recent past, the surfaces in Mirpur had enough assistance for fast bowlers as well. But the one used for the opening match of this series was quite spin-friendly. Shanto said it was keeping in mind West Indies' perceived weakness against spin.
"The conditions were set by considering the opponent's strengths, our own areas for improvement, and the opponent's weaknesses," he said. "If you look at the pitch during the first two days, it was actually quite good. We didn't bat as well as we should have, especially after a decent start. I don't believe the conditions were curated with the World Test Championship final in mind.
"Secondly, the spinners have also taken wickets, both at home and abroad. For instance, [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz has taken five-wicket hauls in several places, and Taijul has also bowled well. The wicket was specifically designed with the aim of dominating them by relying on our spinners, who have historically won us matches. We had that confidence then, and we still do. Unfortunately, it didn't work out this time, but I don't believe we made any significant errors regarding the conditions."