00:00The West Indies play two test matches against Bangladesh, with the opening game starting
00:04Friday in Antigua.
00:06Even though the Tigers lost 2-0 to both India and South Africa recently, they beat Pakistan
00:10in their own backyard by the same margin earlier.
00:14According to cricket analyst Fazir Mohammed, the West Indies have the edge, but Bangladesh
00:18cannot be taken lightly.
00:20He says the home side's batting is brittle, but Bangladesh's is even worse, which should
00:25be good news for the Windies pacers.
00:27So given all of those factors, I think the bowlers for the West Indies have a very good
00:32chance of dominating this series once they really fire up.
00:36And I'm talking about the fast bowlers here, specifically test matches in Antigua and Jamaica.
00:41If there's a bit of juice on the track, as we saw two years ago, Bangladesh could again
00:45be found wanting.
00:46They've got Mobinul Haq, who averages 37.
00:50They've got Litton Das, who averages almost 35.
00:52But apart from those two, there's very little else in their batting.
00:56So the Bangladeshis may see as well, in the bowling department, they've got quality bowling
01:01that challenges the West Indies as well.
01:03So it could be an interesting series.
01:05It could be one-all, depending on how things go with the weather.
01:08But I would like to see the West Indies really fire up with the fast bowlers and take the
01:13series 2-0.
01:14The Caribbean side will be without all-rounder Jason Holder, who has to focus on his shoulder
01:18treatment.
01:20So the question is, will the West Indies miss his services?
01:23It would usually be a loss to lose someone like a Jason Holder in the West Indies team.
01:27But not wanting to sound disrespectful of Bangladesh.
01:31But the reality is that if the West Indies play to their potential and take advantage
01:36of what would hopefully be helpful conditions for them, it really shouldn't matter.
01:41The absence, because you've got the likes of Al-Zahri Joseph, you've got Jaden Seals,
01:45you've got the senior man Kimar Roach.
01:47Someone with the experience of a Jason Holder, with bat and bowl, is always a loss.
01:51But given the quality and the potential nature of the opposition, it may not be that serious.
01:57The West Indies batting was a major concern when they lost to hosts England and then the
02:02Proteas in the Caribbean.
02:04That's an area that Mohammed says the men in Maroon must rectify if they want to succeed
02:09against a team from the Asian continent.
02:11They need to be concerned about the batting.
02:13It's as simple as that.
02:15Because again, Bangladesh have Anirudh Navid Rana, who is a decent fast bowler.
02:20He's a genuine quick bowler.
02:22Phil Simmonds, of course, a West Indies coach not so long ago.
02:25He comes here with that experience and that know-how and that understanding, leading the
02:29Bangladesh team as their coach.
02:31So clearly, they will be aware of the shortcomings in the West Indies batting line-up.
02:36The frailties.
02:37Yes, you might see a good innings, but then everything else falls apart.
02:40That tends to happen very quickly in West Indies cricket.
02:43When the West Indies toured Bangladesh during the pandemic, they won 2-0, followed by another
02:482-0 win in the Caribbean.
02:50So does it give the West Indies a psychological advantage going into the test matches against
02:54Bangladesh?
02:55West Indies should have that psychological edge because of those victories, a rare series
02:59victory in Bangladesh in 2021 with that depleted team during the time of COVID and again, just
03:05two years ago, as I mentioned.
03:07But Bangladesh are really an inconsistent lot right now.
03:10And I think a lot of that has to do with the turmoil in their politics, the overturning
03:15of the government of Sheikh Hasina.
03:17Following the test series, Mohammed expects Bangladesh to be more competitive in the ODI
03:22and T20 series that follows against the West Indies.
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