Mirpur [Bangladesh], October 26 (ANI): Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has dismissed suggestions of turmoil within the team following the removal of batting coach Mohammad Ashraful, insisting that the players remain focused on their upcoming two-Test series against West Indies.
"Is this the first time there's chaos before a match?" Simmons said ahead of the first Test, according to Cricinfo. "Every series is important. Those that we played earlier in the year were important too. But the thing is how we go about our preparation for the series. I think that the group that was here have been excellent in the last three or four days. They've been doing their work and now the whole team joins together. It's what we do over the next two days, it's not what's happening outside, it's what we do as a team to prepare."
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Saturday that Ashraful had been reassigned from his role as batting coach, with Mohammad Salahuddin appointed to take over on an interim basis.
The decision came after Bangladesh's mixed results in the UAE earlier this month, where they drew a one-off Test against Afghanistan before losing both their matches against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in the ODI tri-series. The move has prompted speculation that the board's decision was linked to the team's recent performances, while reports suggest the BCB is also looking to appoint another batting coach ahead of the tour of South Africa.
Simmons, however, said the squad was concentrating on the task at hand, with the first Test against West Indies beginning on Wednesday in Mirpur.
"I think everyone is very focused on the Test match. The same in the Test match in Abu Dhabi, I think everyone was focused on the Test match and what's in front of them. I think there's that goal and that desire to play in the World Test Championship and this is the first time we've had that opportunity to be there. So I think everyone is going to be up and ready for the Test matches," Simmons said, as per Cricinfo.
Bangladesh are currently fourth in the World Test Championship standings and view the series as an important opportunity to strengthen their position in the race to reach the final.
Their drawn Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi attracted criticism, with questions raised over whether Bangladesh's batters had been sufficiently proactive. Simmons defended the team's approach, saying the players had followed the instructions of the team management and that the pitch had played better than anticipated on the final day.
"I don't think it was a case where they didn't respond to the match situation. I think that they played it exactly how we wanted to play it. The wicket got better than we thought it would. So on the last day, it was a lot better than we thought it would be on the last day. I think from that, at the end of the day, we should have won the Test match. We missed a run-out, we dropped a few catches. So, at the end of the day, we should have won the match, but I don't think we played it in the wrong way," he said, as per Cricinfo.
Simmons also reflected on his previous experience in Bangladesh as West Indies head coach, when his team won the Test series 2-0 in 2021. That tour included Kyle Mayers' unbeaten 210 in a successful fourth-innings chase in Chattogram.
The Bangladesh coach said he hoped to create similarly positive memories this time, albeit with his current team.
"I have very good memories and pleasant memories of that tour. I was the leader of the winning side and hopefully I'll have same memories here, being the winner of the winning side. I'm not that emotional to say, well look, oh it's West Indies. When they're playing someone else, I'm on their side. When I'm playing against them, I still want to win the series," Simmons concluded.
The first Test match between Bangladesh and West Indies will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur from Wednesday, October 28. The second Test match will be played in Sylhet from November 5. (ANI)
'It's what we do as a team to prepare': Head coach Phil Simmons dismisses talk of chaos in Bangladesh camp
