Mehidy backs Bangladesh to Take on Australia in Green Mirpur Wicket

Read also: Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan MIraz has backed his team to put up a strong fight with Australia despite the expected presence of a green-tinged surface at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur in view of this opening ODI on Tuesday.

It is the surface in Mirpur however that has attracted much of the pre-series hype for this three-match ODI series, particularly with the presence of grass making it even more tailor made than normal for fast bowlers. But Mehidy feels Bangladesh is ready for the challenge and can adjust to any conditions that the wicket will favour.

The Bangladesh skipper said prior to the series opener that his side has evolved the necessary skill set and confidence to excel on any kind of pitch. “International cricket is such that you have to adapt, and I think the home team are prepared to take on a wicket which will certainly assist seamers more than meandering Mirpur tracks,” he stressed.

For Bangladesh the series acquired extra importance as they prepared for the future ICC events. Mehidy acknowledged that performing on sporting wickets against a quality opposition like Australia is integral to the development of the team. Another point of contention that had come to the fore recently in discussions about the quality and characteristics of Mirpur pitches was a demand from fans to prepare more balanced surfaces for batsmen and bowlers.

Australia, who recently lost an ODI series to Pakistan, have already started training in Mirpur after arriving in Dhaka. The visitors will be raring to go this time as they have not played an ODI series in Bangladesh for 15 years.

Australia might have a strong team with seasoned internationals and hard hitting batsmen, but Bangladesh will aim to exploit both the conditions and their captain Mehidy. And, with the captain confident his side can compete against the visitors in all fronts, he’s targeting a bright opening display for home supporters.

But with two low-on-confidence sides looking for a close encounter, the focus will be on the Mirpur surface – and how it plays once they bowl that first ball. Added to that, played at home or away, the series features a nice clash of Bangladesh’s local superiority against Australia’s well proven international standard.