ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Despite having a dominant Test record against Bangladesh at home, West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite has given the assurance that his side will not underestimate the visitors in their two-match series starting here Friday.
Bangladesh last won a Test series in the Caribbean 15 years ago, with the Windies having swept the last two Test series against them 2-0.
However, speaking during a pre-match press conference on Thursday, Brathwaite said history would not dictate the series’ outcome.
“Everything that is gone is history. We are playing against a talented Bangladesh team. What is gone is gone; obviously, we have to come tomorrow and start well in whatever we do.
“… We’re playing against a talented Bangladesh team, and it won’t be easy. The performances before are gone, so we have to be ready tomorrow morning,” Brathwaite insisted.
He admitted that while 2024 had not been smooth sailing for the West Indies in Tests, the mood in the camp was still perfect.
Brathwaite said there was still much left to play for, especially with crucial points going towards the World Test Championship.
The skipper also pointed out that he expected his batters to be good in this series, especially considering that several had performed well in the ongoing Regional Super50 competition.
“We’ve been having a difficult year thus far, but we had some good performances with the bat, and it’s just that we need to draw from them as much as possible. We have four innings here, and it’s just to back your plans 100 percent,” Brathwaite said.
“Obviously, we looked at the points as a team, and we know that we have four games left in this cycle, and we can still come high up in the table, but we just have to believe.
“I think the batters are in a good space. A few of the guys would have played in the Super50 and got some scores, so that was good to see, and it’s just all about that belief,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said that despite missing some key players for the series, he expected the team to give a good account of themselves.
“We are practicing a lot and have been working hard the past few days…We are thinking positively all the time, and we are focusing on our game.
“We are missing some senior players. It’s been tough, but we still believe we can improve. We have a good side right now: young players are coming up, and they can perform in these conditions,” he said.
“We believe that we can play well and come out strongly.”
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