How Bumrah, Arshdeep and Pandya can mimic Australia’s successful slow-cutters plan against Bangladesh
Till the end of the eighth over, Bangladesh batsmen seemed at ease. At 57/1, with Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto set, they were beginning to consolidate their position on a slow Antigua pitch that was gripping, offering some turn. It’s then that Australia’s seamers switched to the cutters and slower ones, even as leg-spinner Adam Zampa capitalised from the other end. Bangladesh innings never took off from then on as they managed only 140/8, which Australia overhauled comfortably by 28 runs via DLS as rain put full-stop to their chase.
If India were watching it, they couldn’t have got a better live demonstration of what they should be expecting from their next two opponents Bangladesh and Australia. India are scheduled to face Bangladesh at the same venue on Saturday and going by this game, it has all the making for a slugfest in these conditions. Having learned their lessons the hard way, Bangladesh won’t be any pushovers, particularly if the left-handed seamer Mustafizur Rahman puts his cutters to good use like Pat Cummins did in the second-half of the innings to complete the job started by Zampa. In Rishad Hossain, Bangladesh also have a leg-spinner with wicket-taking abilities in the middle-overs. (READ MORE)
