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Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons is weighing changes to his playing XI for the second Test against Australia, with left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam in contention for a recall after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The second and final Test of the series will begin in Mackay on Saturday, with Bangladesh carrying a 1-0 lead after their nine-wicket victory over Australia in the opening match in Darwin. Shoriful missed the first Test but has since trained fully and declared himself fit for the series decider. Simmons admitted the pacer offers Bangladesh a different option but stopped short of confirming his inclusion. "He (Shoriful) offers something different, but again, we just won a Test match, so I am one who hardly likes to change winning XIs," Simmons said, as per ICC. "So it is a possibility, but I can't really say until we sit down and decide what we want to do," he added. Bangladesh's pace attack impressed in Darwin, and Simmons was pleased with the way his bowlers executed their plans against Australia's world-class batting line-up. "I'm impressed with all the bowlers because I think everybody bowled to what we spoke about (in Darwin). They (Australia) are good batters, they're world-class batters," said Simmons. "When you get them on this stage, you try and be consistent in areas that will test them, and it worked this time. Another day, it might not work, but as long as we stick to what we've planned and we make sure that they're under pressure all the time, is what we ask for," he added. The Bangladesh camp has arrived in Mackay with confidence following the opening-Test upset, but Simmons knows Australia are likely to respond strongly. Australia's defeat in Darwin was only their second loss in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, and Simmons has warned his players that they will face a more determined opponent in the decider. "The only thing I had to say to them, and I will repeat it anywhere, is that Australia is going to come harder. So we have to either keep that level of performance or get a little bit better," Simmons said, as per ICC. "Even if we get one percent better in some areas, then we will have to make sure that that's there. But we know that they are going to change their game; they're going to come harder at us," he said. Bangladesh will be looking to maintain the intensity that helped them secure a memorable victory in Darwin and claim the two-match series, while Australia will be desperate to bounce back on home soil. The second Test will be played from August 22 to 26 in Mackay. Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vc), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali Anik, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan, Shoriful Islam. (ANI)
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