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“It’s like every time Bangladesh bat first in Sylhet, they score more than 300,” a commentator was heard saying during the Tigers’ three-match One-Day International series against Ireland.
Well, he was not wrong. Bangladesh have batted first five times at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Their lowest total in these five matches is 321-6.
In the series against Ireland, Bangladesh have broken their record of highest total twice. In the first ODI, they amassed 338-8 and then went up a notch to put up 349-6 in the second match.
In both matches, the batters were fluent and flamboyant, playing shots throughout the innings. While it was a clear indication of the intent the Tigers were trying to exhibit, it was also a display of what the Bangladesh batters could do.
Mushfiqur Rahim, who had been struggling for runs prior to this series, scored at a fabulous strike rate. In the first match, he scored 44 off just 26 balls. In the next, he scored the fastest century by a Bangladeshi batter as he reached triple figures in just 60 balls.
Towhid Hridoy, the youngster who debuted in this format in this series, scored 92 off 85 balls in the first match, and then 49 runs off 34 balls in the next.
Except for Tamim Iqbal and Yasir Ali Chowdhury, all the batters have had a fair outing with the bat, and they have batted with intent and done so in quick time.
With the World Cup later this year, this has been great preparation for Bangladesh considering how they have struggled to score big in recent times.
Since the start of 2021, before this series, Bangladesh had only managed to score beyond 300 three times in their 18 innings batting first. Their batters have been constantly criticised for their lowly strike rates, and while the intent was in the question, the wickets at home were also under scrutiny.
After they used heavily spin-friendly pitches to win against Australia at home in Twenty20 Internationals, Shakib Al Hasan said that playing on such pitches could ruin a batter’s career.
Thus, playing on such pitches in Sylhet, where there was trouble for the batters early on with the new ball and runs later on, may just give Bangladesh some much-needed practice for not just their upcoming Ireland tour in May but also the World Cup in India, where there might be pitches of all kinds.
After their second ODI, Liton Das claimed that playing in Sylhet felt like playing away from home.
“Batting was difficult early on. We played on such a wicket in Bangladesh after a long time when we felt like we were playing abroad.
“This (kind of wicket) will help a lot. When you will face good bowling attacks in the World Cup, the ball will move like this. They will bowl with quality. When you keep scoring 300-350 consistently, that means you are playing good cricket,” the Bangladesh opener said after the second ODI.
Not just the batters, these pitches also provide the Bangladesh bowlers with a different challenge, especially the spinners as there has not been much assistance for them on these wickets. Alongside that, the pacers get to make use of the swing and seam movement available, only honing their skills.
While the performances against a lower-ranked and depleted Ireland side might not be conclusive, it may give the Tigers a start with the World Cup approaching very fast.
