Bangladesh Leave ODI Pain Behind and Turn to Tests: A Championship Final Dream Rides on the West Indies Series

Bangladesh have put the disappointment of the tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates behind them and turned their attention to the two-Test series against the West Indies. Red-ball cricket is already in the air — the West Indies' practice match at Bashundhara, Test cricketers training in a nearby net and selectors discussing the squad in the dressing room all paint the same picture.

Taijul Islam and Mominul Haque are not playing in the West Indies' two-day practice match against a BCB XI, but both were seen moving around the ground. Two Test squad cricketers were practising in a net beside the match. The national team's three selectors were spotted in discussion beside the BCB XI dressing room — a conversation about what today's announced squad for the two Tests against the West Indies should look like.

Test cricket has lately become Bangladesh's favourite format. Their improvement in it over the past year has been striking: after winning two Tests at home against Pakistan, they beat Australia in Darwin, and the dream now is to play the Test Championship final in June.

The discussion is relevant now only because the West Indies series is at the door. Otherwise, the frustration of the tri-series in the Emirates would still be consuming the country's cricket. Even amid the red-ball atmosphere at the practice ground, that sting could be felt — players, selectors and board officials alike are in low spirits, unable to accept that Bangladesh will not play the final of a tri-series involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Tawhid Hridoy, who captained the side in the tri-series because of Litton Das's injury, cannot accept it either. After the seven-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in Sharjah the day before yesterday, he reacted that whenever the team goes to play a big series, a tri-series, the Asia Cup or a World Cup, everyone wants to win the trophy individually and as a team — but it is only said in words and never reflected in deeds.

Hridoy's words pointed directly at his own team. But the selectors cannot find a way to act on them either. One of them sounded helpless: whom would you replace, and whom would you bring in to solve this problem? From start to finish, he said, the whole thing looks like a problem.

Another person involved with the national team, standing nearby, refused to talk about one-day cricket at all. His full attention is on Tests now; in his words, he does not want to keep the ODI matter in his head at all — the next one-day match is a month away, and there will be time to think about it then; for now, it is better to focus on the Test Championship.

The West Indies team arrived in Dhaka while Bangladesh were still in the Emirates for the tri-series. Bangladesh are currently fourth in the Test Championship. Of their remaining six Tests, if they win these two at home against the Caribbean side and two against England in February, a place in the final will remain within reach. The task is hard, but not impossible.

In such a situation, however, Bangladesh needed a full-strength squad, which they do not have for now. Nahid Rana was already ruled out with injury and will not play the West Indies series. The new worry is Litton Das, who missed the tri-series with injury — his fitness test is tomorrow, and a final decision on him will come after that.

Test squad cricketers began training individually in Dhaka during the tri-series, but the full squad is due to start training together the day after tomorrow. There is therefore little time to assemble the team before the home series.

The West Indies, meanwhile, are in full training mode. After a day's practice in Mirpur, they are playing the two-day practice match. To use the chance to adjust to Dhaka's weather, they fielded first in the practice match, which also tested their bowling. Facing the Caribbean bowlers, Kalam Siddique, batting at number three for the BCB XI, scored a century; the BCB XI made 371 for 7 on the first day against the West Indies.

The West Indies' main purpose in the practice match is to adapt to the conditions. For the BCB XI players, though, it is also a chance to build confidence — and to spread that confidence into the Test squad. Bangladesh's camp wants the road back from ODI pain to Test success to begin on this very practice ground.