Australia out to salvage pride in final Test
HEAVILY criticised after their first ever Test defeat to Bangladesh, Australia are desperate to restore some lost pride when the teams meet in the second and final Test, starting in Chittagong today, which is scheduled to start at 11am Cambodian time.
The visitors were slammed by Australian media when they lost the opening match in Dhaka by 20 runs and coach Darren Lehmann admitted the players had been stung by the level of condemnation of the team’s performance.
“The boys are all hurting with the criticism you get,” Lehmann told reporters.
“[But] you deserve that when you don’t win. It is not good enough when you lose a Test match to anyone, but Bangladesh are tough at home.”
Chittagong does at least hold some fond memories for the Australians as they try to salvage a drawn series.
The only previous time they played a Test there, in 2006, the visitors won by an innings and 80 runs with nightwatchman Jason Gillespie scoring an unbeaten double century.
But Bangladesh are a more formidable opponent now and the biggest challenge facing Australia’s players is to find a way to combat the home team’s spinners.
All but one of Australia’s 20 wickets in the series opener fell to spin, and the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium pitch in Chittagong is expected to favour slow bowling.
Australia have recalled lefta r m spi nner Steve O’Keefe (pictured, AFP) for the injured Josh Ha z lewood a nd cou ld pl ay h i m a longside t hei r f r o n t l i n e s p i n n e r s Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.
O’Keefe was impressive during this year’s Test series s in India, capturing 19 wickets, ets, including a match-winninging 12-wicket haul in the first Test victory.
Islam ‘expecting win’
Australia eventually lost the series 2-1 but Lehmann hinted nted that O’Keefe could be rushedhed back into the playing side.
“The way the wicket was you are not going to have too manyany overs bowled by the quicks s as the game goes on and we expect the same sort of pitch,”ch,” he said.
Bangladesh lef t-a rm spinpinner Taijul Islam, who took the match-clinching f inal wicket in Dhaka, said the home side was a lso hoping
f o r a t u r n - i ng pitch i n Chittagong as t h e y t r y t o s w e e p t h e series.
“I hope [the wicket] will remain the same because we are expecting another win,” he said. “We have the capacity to win the series 2-0. We nearly did against England last year, so I don’t think it is impossible to beat Australia again,” he said. Bangladesh came agonisingly close to beating England in Chittagong last year wh when they needed 33 runs on thet fifth day with two wickets in hand. Ben Stokes took the lastla two wickets to win t the match for England b but Bangladesh won the secse ond match to tie t the series. The only two times BangBan ladesh have swept a ser i ies were a g a i n s t a n u nde nderstrengt h West Indies side in 2009 a nd aga i nst a st r ugu g l i ng Z i mbabwe i n 201 2014.