DHAKA, Jan 28, 2021 (BSS) – West Indies Vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood
insisted that the mental preparation is key to deal with the Bangladeshi
spinners, who are almost invincible at home den.
Bangladesh’s four-pronged spin attack consisted with Shakib Al Hasan,
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan scripted the side’s 2-0
whitewash by demolishing West Indies in their last visit in the country in
2018.
The quartet bagged all of the 40 available West Indian wickets in two
Tests with Mehidy Hasan Miraz leading the way with 15 wickets. Taijul Islam
snapped up 10, Shakib took 9 while Nayeem snared the rest of the six wickets.
Bangladesh sometimes didn’t get the four-pronged attack due to the ban
of Shakib Al Hasan but as the ace all-rounder is now back in the Test squad,
serving his ban, the Tigers are all set to unleash those four spinners in
Test series, starting from February 3.
From his personal experienced, Blackwood is mentally preparing to bat on
the spin-friendly pitches in Bangladesh and is upbeat that their batsmen will
handle the Bangladesh spinners well in the forthcoming Test series.
“These types of surfaces are very slow. So I have to (be prepared)
mentally, because technically I can’t do too much work right now,” he said.
“But mentally I know it is going to be very slow and it will spin. Once
mentally I am ready, I am good. Then everything takes care of itself. I am
batting very good in the nets, so I am just looking forward to transfer that
in the middle. I can’t really wait to just go out there and play some
cricket. I have been in Bangladesh for a while now so I am just eager to go
out and play some cricket.”
Blackwood however hopes to carry his New Zealand form in which he in
December 2020, he made 216 runs from four innings of two Tests which included
a fifty and the only century from a Caribbean batsman in the series.
“I am not really going to change my role. For the last two series, I
have been scoring runs. My goal is to continue to score runs, and just to win
some more games for the team,” Blackwood pointed out. “I can see that we are
trying new things, and they are working pretty well. I have full confidence
in this batting unit to get the job done. John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite,
young Moseley, myself and Josh is, I think, a decent line-up. Once we can
stick to our gameplan, I don’t see no way we can post some good totals,” he
added.
He went on to saying: “I am a very positive guy when I am batting. I
guess once any of the younger guys see me batting, some of that will rub off
on them. I am trying to motivate them as much as possible. I just try to keep
the game very simple. I have been talking to the batsmen about keeping it as
simple as possible, focus on one ball at a time. Once you can do that, I
don’t see why we can’t get the job done here.”
Blackwood also believes that the Test series will be a different ball
game after they were whitewashed in the one-day series in which most of the
regular starters were missing.
“I think this unit is a good one. I can see the hunger. We have been
training very hard for the past couple of weeks,” he said.