Bangladesh, Windies stand at same point ahead of ranking battle
The chair is quite familiar to West Indies head coach Darren Sammy. He has often sat in that chair in Mirpur’s press conference room — sometimes as the West Indies captain, sometimes as the captain of a BPL team. For the past year, Bangladesh’s head coach Phil Simmons has also been feeling the heat of that same chair. Yesterday, Friday, both of them sat in that chair again, but at different times.
After several twists and turns in their press conferences, the questions directed toward both coaches eventually converged at one point — today’s start of the three-match ODI series. The most discussed issue surrounding the series is the ICC ODI rankings. The West Indies, ranked ninth, must maintain their position to secure direct qualification for the next ODI World Cup. Bangladesh, currently in tenth place, must climb to at least ninth by 31 March 2027. Naturally, the outcome of this series will influence that race.
Before converging at that single point, the two coaches’ press conferences took different paths. Sammy was asked about the breakup of the West Indies team, while his compatriot and Bangladesh coach Simmons had to address racist comments made by some fans toward Bangladeshi cricketers following their whitewash defeat in the ODI series against Afghanistan. Sammy was visibly emotional when discussing the breakup of the West Indies, and Simmons expressed frustration over the racist remarks targeting the players.
Before this crucial ranking battle, the Bangladesh team is under fire over their recent results against Afghanistan. The West Indies’ recent performances have also been criticised. However, in the ODI format, Sammy’s team has had relatively less discomfort in the recent past. Despite losing to Nepal in T20s and India in Tests, the Caribbean side defeated Pakistan in their most recent ODI series last August. And the memory of Bangladesh’s whitewash defeat to the same side last December is not too old either.
Since then, so many other controversies have dominated Bangladesh cricket that that particular episode has faded from memory. But Bangladesh’s tough times in the ODI format began right from there. The recent whitewash at the hands of Afghanistan is just the latest chapter in that downward spiral. The blow was so harsh that, upon returning home after the series, the players were booed at the airport. Cricketer Mohammad Naim, when he complained about the booing on social media, faced even harsher backlash.
Speaking about these issues yesterday, Bangladesh’s head coach Phil Simmons advised his players not to respond on social media. But he also raised another point, saying, “I’m very disappointed with the (racist) comments made about Zakir Ali. It’s not right.” Setting aside all the outside noise, Bangladesh’s main challenge now is to rediscover their rhythm in ODIs.
After four consecutive ODI series defeats, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s team urgently needs to answer whether they’ve forgotten how to play this format. For that, there might not be a better stage than Mirpur! Since the matches are being played there, West Indies coach Sammy is wary: “They’re playing at home. They know the conditions very well. To beat them, we’ll have to play very good cricket.” The main concern for him, however, lies in the batting. Bangladesh have been bowled out in all but one of their eight ODIs this year. In the last match against Afghanistan, they couldn’t even reach 100 runs.
Bangladesh’s batting crisis was further highlighted by Simmons yesterday: “The middle order is the biggest concern for Bangladesh. We’re working with the batsmen on what needs to be done at this time.” To address that issue, Mahidul Islam, who has been called up to the squad, may make his debut today. That might solve the middle-order problem — but will Bangladesh be able to rediscover their familiar ODI rhythm?