Extra bounce behind Bangladesh's batting woes in Zimbabwe: Ashraful

Bangladesh suffered an innings defeat in the one-off Test before going on to lose the ODI series. They did, however, return home from Zimbabwe with the T20I series win.

Throughout the tour, Bangladesh's batters struggled against Zimbabwe's pace attack. Despite the change in formats, their batting woes remained the same.

Many have blamed the batting unit for the disappointing tour, and batting coach Mohammad Ashraful has accepted responsibility. He believes the batters failed to adapt to the extra bounce offered by Zimbabwean pitches.

Speaking to reporters at the airport after the team's return home today, Ashraful said, "There was extra bounce, and it took us some time to adjust to it. We didn't play well in the Test match. By the third ODI, we had adapted. I believe we can prepare in a similar way ahead of the 2027 World Cup."

For the first time in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh faced the prospect of losing all three formats on the same tour. That fate was avoided when they secured a dramatic four-wicket victory in the final T20I. However, none of Bangladesh's batters managed a century during the entire tour.

Ashraful believes a warm-up match before the full series would have helped the team adjust more quickly.

"With the rise of franchise tournaments, international teams no longer get practice matches before a series," he said. "In the past, playing a three-day game or an ODI before the series made it easier to adapt. That option is no longer available. Now we have to arrive and start playing straight away."

A much tougher challenge now awaits Bangladesh. In August, they will travel to Australia for a two-match Test series—their first Test tour of the country in 23 years. Once again, the batters will have to cope with pace and extra bounce.

Ashraful is confident the experience gained in Zimbabwe will prove valuable.

"This tour will help us in the Australia series as well. The extra bounce... Over the last seven months we had been performing well in our home conditions, but it took us some time to adjust to a completely different environment."