An extra seamer could have made a difference - Taskin Ahmed
The pacer also acknowledged that the decision to play an extra spinner was influenced by the pitch's appearance on the eve of the Test
Bangladesh pace bowler Taskin Ahmed said that additional fast bowler could have benefited the hosts on the opening day of the second Test against West Indies in Sylhet.
Bangladesh's pacers struck early after losing the toss but the visitors recovered from 27 for 3 to reach a commanding 235 for 4 before bad light forced an early end to the day's play.
Bangladesh's decision to field three spinners instead of three pacers appeared to backfire, with Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan and Nayeem Hasan combining to bowl 42 overs without picking up a wicket. In contrast, the two pacers, Hasan Mahmud and Taskin, claimed two wickets apiece.
Taskin said the morning conditions offered considerable assistance to the seamers and that a third pace option would have allowed them to exploit it for longer. He added that the team management had kept all three fast bowlers on standby, with the final XI only confirmed at the last moment.
"At one point it felt like another pacer would have helped. The moisture in that first hour, we were utilising it properly, the ball was moving, and there were chances of more wickets. With another fast bowler we could have bowled longer spells," Taskin said.
“The pitch had a lot of grass the day before. When we saw it was a bit dry, the decision to go with an extra spinner was made,” he said.
Taskin added that the pitch flattened out considerably as the day progressed, leaving little margin for error for both seamers and spinners. He urged his teammates to remain disciplined and patient as Bangladesh look to recover from a difficult first day.
“The margin for bowlers, whether fast or spin, is very small. If you go slightly off you get hit. There is no magic delivery here. The only way to get wickets is to bowl to the fielders for a long time and wait for the batters to make mistakes," he said.
Taskin also pointed to the introduction of the bouncer as a tactical adjustment that yielded results, with Hasan Mahmud picking up a wicket (of Kevin Wickham) after mixing short deliveries with fuller lengths.
“When nothing was happening bowling just lengths, we planned to mix the bouncer with the length to confuse the batters. And in that spell Hasan got a wicket.
“Whatever is working for one of us, whatever process is helping someone be consistent, we share it. There is no ego about keeping things to yourself in this bowling unit. I am sure one word from me could help a teammate and we believe that," he said.
Taskin also defended Bangladesh's workload management policy, saying Nahid Rana's injury should serve as a reminder of the risks of playing continuously without adequate workload management.
“Sometimes even after performing well you don't play certain matches because of rotation or workload. But the reality is that outside four or five bowlers, we just don't have others right now. And there are a lot of matches coming," he said.
“We are missing Nahid Rana. One injury led to another. If a bowler plays continuously without managing workload and picks up a serious injury, getting that rhythm back is very difficult,” he said.
