Lehmann expects strong response from Australia in Chittagong Test
Heavily criticised after their first 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 tomorrow.
The visitors were slammed by Australian media when they lost the opening match in Dhaka by 20 runs and coach Darren Lehmann said 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 said at a news conference yesterday.
“[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 leftarm spinner Steve O’Keefe for the injured Josh Hazlewood and could play him alongside their frontline spinners Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.
O’Keefe was impressive during this year’s Test series in India, capturing 19 wickets, including a match-winning 12-wicket haul in the first Test victory.
Australia eventually lost the series 2-1 but Lehmann hinted that O’Keefe could be rushed back into the playing side.
“The way the wicket was you are not going to have too many overs bowled by the quicks as the game goes on and we expect the same sort of pitch,” he said.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who took the match-clinching final wicket in Dhaka, said the home side were also hoping for a turning pitch in Chittagong as they try to sweep the series.
“I hope it [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.”
Bangladesh came agonisingly close to beating England in Chittagong last year when they needed 33 runs on the fifth day with two wickets in hand.
Ben Stokes took the last two wickets to win the match for England but Bangladesh won the second match to tie the series.
The only two times Bangladesh have swept a series were against an under-strength West Indies side in 2009 and against a struggling Zimbabwe in 2014.