West Indies captain Roston Chase has emphasized that his team’s mission in Bangladesh is far from finished, despite a commanding eight-wicket victory in the opening Test in Dhaka. We could have bowled a bit better on this wicket.
As the team prepares for the second match of the series in Sylhet, scheduled to commence on November 5, Chase noted that the side is determined to end their current ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on a positive note. Scheduled to begin on November 5, both teams will now move to Sylhet for the second Test. But we came here to win the series, winning a Test match anywhere in any conditions is a beautiful feeling. This Test match we didn’t play our best.
Although winning under challenging conditions provided a boost, the skipper insisted the squad is not getting carried away with half the job still remaining.
Reflecting on the triumph, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons attributed the win to a dominant start with the ball during Bangladesh’s second innings.
Simmons noted that picking up four quick wickets effectively shattered the opposition’s momentum. While acknowledging a resilient 50-run effort from Nayeem, the coach stressed that the bowlers remained patient and adhered to their tactical processes to keep the target within a manageable range of 170 runs. And that we did,” he said, i thought that really broke the back of the Bangladeshi batting and then we just had to stay patient from there and try to get the other wickets. But I thought especially Nayeem this morning played well for the 50 that he got and he kept us out there longer than we wanted to be, i don’t want to say we let them off. We believed it could be defended, given the state of the pitch, after setting 170. I thought that we read it correctly,” he added.
The visitors made a tactical adjustment on the opening morning in Dhaka after observing the pitch conditions. According to Simmons, the decision to leave out Kemar Roach in favor of spinner Joshua Bishop was made after seeing significant grass removed from the surface. The management felt the altered conditions favored spin, a call that ultimately proved correct as they navigated the playing field. We made a last-minute change in leaving out Roach and bringing in Bishop,” he said. I don’t think we made too many mistakes about the conditions,” he said.
Simmons also praised the pitch itself for maintaining consistency, noting that it provided an unusual amount of bounce for a Dhaka venue. He pushed his players to bat with clear intent, urging them not to let the Bangladeshi spinners find a rhythm. By attacking rather than allowing the bowlers to settle, the visitors successfully applied the pressure needed to dictate the game’s flow. Spinners have always won us matches in the past.
For Bangladesh, the path to the World Test Championship final has grown significantly more difficult following this loss.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted that their goals have been set back, requiring the team to secure four wins and a draw from their remaining five fixtures against West Indies, South Africa, and England to stay in contention.
Despite the mounting pressure, Najmul stated the team intends to focus on one match at a time rather than fixating on the points table.
Addressing criticism regarding pitch preparation, Najmul rejected claims that the surface was designed with the WTC final in mind. He explained that the pitch was chosen based on an assessment of the opponent’s weaknesses, though he conceded that the team’s own bowling lacked precision. The captain noted that failing to pick the correct lengths, particularly in the fourth innings where only two wickets fell, proved costly.
Najmul accepted individual responsibility for the defeat, specifically pointing to his own failure to convert in the first innings. He expressed that as a senior batter familiar with local conditions, he should have anchored the innings to push the team’s total toward 370 rather than 270. He further identified the absence of the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim, who was sidelined by a finger injury, as a significant loss for the squad during the opening match. An experienced cricketer in this kind of condition.
