Patience will be key for success for Bangladesh when they take on hosts Zimbabwe in the lone Test match, said Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo.
Visiting Bangladesh side will lock horns with the home side in the solitary Test, scheduled to begin at Harare Sports Club Wednesday.
Bangladesh are visiting the African nation for the first time in eight years with the ambition of bettering their performance in Tests.
The side this year have played three Tests so far, two against the West Indies at home and one against Sri Lanka in the island nation, and have conceded defeats in all of them.
Former South Africa coach Domingo driven by his past experience in Harare emphasized that the team will have to work hard to reap success.
“Patience when you play in Harare is very important. I have been here few times and scoring runs haven’t been very high. It is going to be a patient game whether you are batting or bowling. You have got to maintain pressure for long periods of time before we get wickets. It is not a venue that you got to run through the batting line up or score 350 runs in a day,” said Domingo to the media Monday.
“They [Zimbabwe] are very smart the way they play their cricket here. We know the work we have over the next few days. We have to make sure we stay patient and disciplined and that we hold our chances. Chances might not come around that often in these surfaces and if they do come we got to make sure mentally that we are ready to take those chances.
“Results are always very important. I thought even though we lost the series against the West Indies, we played some good cricket and also the same with Sri Lanka. But there were lots of positive sides to come from that. So the team want to focus very much on the process. If we can focus on the performances and on the brand of cricket we are playing on, doing the basics well, hopefully, the results will come our way. We are aware that the results are important, we need to start winning some Tests but we also need to make sure to keep focus on our preparation and approach and processes and the mindset going into the Test,” the Bangladesh coach added.
Eyes will be on the Bangladesh fast bowling attack given that the condition in Harare is expected to help mostly the seamers.
The last time Bangladesh played in Harare, in 2013, the two-Test series finished in a draw with the two sides winning a game each.
Former Bangladesh pacer Robiul Islam picked the most wickets in the series, 15, with two five-wicket hauls in the two Tests.
Bangladesh squad this time involves four pacers in the shape of Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed and Shariful Islam.
Combined, the group brings in an experience of only 27 Tests, well short compared to the most Test playing nations.
“Like I have always said I am very happy with the progress the fast bowlers have made. They have worked so hard, they deserve some success. The results haven’t always come for them but they have brought in some really good work. They are never shy to put in the hard yards,” said Domingo.
“There might be inexperience in the number of Tests they have played, but they have worked really hard. There has been a massive improvement in their understanding of fast bowling, in their skill set and in their endurance. I don’t think it is far away when a fast bowler wins us the Test in tough conditions,” he added.
