Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has hinted that there may not be major changes to the playing XI for the second Test against Australia following the team’s historic victory in Darwin. However, with left-arm pacer Shariful Islam returning from injury, Bangladesh now has the option of fielding four fast bowlers.
Bangladesh defeated Australia by nine wickets in the first Test in Darwin, taking a 1–0 lead in the two-match series. The team has since arrived in Mackay and completed its training ahead of the second Test.
Shariful has rejoined the squad after recovering from injury, raising the possibility that he could return to the playing XI. There has also been speculation that Bangladesh may opt for four pacers in Mackay.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Simmons said no final decision had been made yet.
“We haven’t decided that yet. We’ll make the decision on Friday,” the Bangladesh coach said when asked about the possibility of playing four fast bowlers.
Simmons also emphasized that Shariful’s return does not necessarily mean the successful combination from the first Test will be broken.
“We’ve always had good options. We have five fast bowlers in the squad. Three of them played in the last match and we won by a big margin. We’ll decide tomorrow how many pacers we want to play,” he said.
The coach was also pleased with the Mackay pitch, describing it as firm and suitable for Test cricket. Although there is some grass on the surface, Simmons believes the wicket should offer good conditions for batsmen as well.
“The pitch is good. There’s a bit of grass and it’s very firm. It’s a good Test wicket. Every wicket is good for batting. The key is whether you can bat properly,” he said.
Simmons was reluctant to predict whether the match would last the full five days. With a smile, he joked that the curator would probably be the right person to answer that question.
Bangladesh faced an additional travel delay of around 14 hours while travelling from Darwin to Mackay because of flight complications. Simmons, however, said the team was not overly concerned.
“Flight delays are out of your control. You can’t control that. That’s what happened to us. The important thing is that we arrived here safely,” he said.
The coach was also cautious about assessing how much the team’s experience in the Top End T20 series would help in the Test. However, he singled out Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque for praise, saying both had benefited from their experience in the conditions.
The second Test between Bangladesh and Australia will begin on Saturday, August 22, at 6:00 a.m. Bangladesh time in Mackay.
