Travis Head has warned against reading too much into Bangladesh’s tour game showing
Bangladesh insist their practice match capitulation at the hands of Cricket Australia XI on the weekend isn’t a preview of their performance in the Test series that begins on Thursday.
The tourists were bowled out for 54 in the second innings of their three-day warm-up against CA XI, facing only 22 overs as South Australian seamer Campbell Thompson took 8-25.
Taskin Ahmed, the Tigers’ leader of the attack, said despite the disastrous result (an innings-and-38-run loss), experience in Aussie conditions was invaluable.
Bangladesh haven’t toured Australia since 2008 and Taskin, who has played international cricket since 2014, has only played matches down under at the 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“That wasn’t a great feeling, losing against Cricket Australia (XI) that practice game,” Taskin told reporters at East Point beach on Monday.
“But in cricket, that happens. We are still trying to adjust to the conditions and pitches quickly.
“So that was a good preparation, but we lost.
“But we are still hoping to do well in the main match.”
The 31-year-old fast bowler sat out of the visitors’ ‘optional’ training session on Monday, instead joining Australians Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald for press opportunity disguised as a fishing trip.
The trio hit the crystal blue waters west of Darwin for close to an hour but came back empty-handed.
Instead of reaching for the fishing rod, Travis Head, the freshly crowned Allan Border Medallist, stayed on terra firma ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh of his career.
The dynamic left-handed opener had a short hit against Australia’s quicks in a centre-wicket session at the Marrara cricket complex’s secondary venue, before a hit in the nets under the watchful eye of batting coach Michael Di Venuto.
Head said he won’t be reading “a hell of a lot” into the practice match scorecard, emphasising that tour matches can be a challenge to get right.
“I’ve played in some pretty poor ones over the years as well, and they’re always a challenge because you’ve got your mind elsewhere,” Head told reporters on Monday morning from the outfield where Bangladesh were skittled.
“No disrespect to the CA XI team, but there’ll be guys in that Bangladesh team that are only purely worried about Thursday and what they needed to get out of it.
“They played well in the first innings … they’d be disappointed in that and what the outcome looks like externally. But I think internally they’d just be worried about Thursday.”
With firebrand Nahid Rana ruled out of the series with a side strain, Taskin has been thrust once again into the role of Bangladesh’s pace leader.
An injury cloud over left-arm spinner Taijul Islam saw him kept out of the bowling attack against CA XI, but Taskin was confident the “bruise” wouldn’t keep the Tigers’ all-time leading Test wicket-taker out of the XI come Thursday.
NRMA Insurance Bangladesh Test series
First Test: August 13-17, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 10am (local)
Second Test: August 22-26, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10am (local)
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Bangladesh squad (first Test): Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali Anik, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan
