West Indies captain Roston Chase credited his team’s improved batting against spin for their 1-0 Test series victory over Bangladesh. He also pointed out that the hosts’ decision to prepare spin-friendly surfaces worked against them. The visitors secured the series after the second Test in Sylhet ended in a draw on Monday, following their dominant eight-wicket victory in Dhaka last week.
The West Indies batters averaged 47.81 against spin bowling across the two Tests, losing just 16 wickets. In comparison, their spinners proved more effective than Bangladesh’s, claiming 24 wickets at an average of 26.79. The visitors’ superior performance against spin turned out to be a decisive factor in the series.
With this victory, West Indies registered consecutive Test series wins in Bangladesh for the first time since 2021. They also completed their first calendar year without losing a Test series since 1994.
Chase attributed the improvement in his team’s batting against spin to their preparations in Chennai ahead of the Bangladesh tour. The West Indies players attended a red-ball batting camp in India, where they worked extensively on tackling spin bowling and addressing their weaknesses.
“When we usually come to Bangladesh, the spinners eat us for dinner most of the time,” Chase was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
“But I think that we are an improved unit in terms of playing spin and also the preparation that most of the guys had going to Chennai and preparing in similar conditions in India, practising against lots of spin and working on areas that we weren’t so good at. I thought that it worked well and it just goes to show that when you prepare well, you get results.
“We came here with an open mind because we know that Bangladesh have been using seam attack more in the past few games that they have won. So if the wickets were seam-friendly, we would have our seamers to work in our favour, and if it was spin-friendly, we would have the same artillery in the spin department. They opted to go with the spinning surfaces and it backfired on them. So, we’re very happy.”
The West Indies skipper also expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, highlighting the challenge of winning a Test series in Bangladesh. Although the visitors had hoped to win both matches, he acknowledged that the conditions in Sylhet made it difficult to force a result.
“I am very happy. Obviously, Bangladesh is always a tough place to play cricket. So, to beat them in their own backyard is always a pleasure. We wanted to win both games but it didn’t happen. This game was a bit slower than the first one, especially with all the bad light taking time out of the game, so it made it a bit even harder for us to win. But I thought that we still played well and kudos to the guys for winning the series.
Chase also reflected on West Indies’ performances in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. After a difficult first year, the team had identified their series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as opportunities to improve their standing and establish themselves against teams closer to them in the rankings.
“We had a tough time in the first year of the cycle. We spoke about coming to dominate the second year in the cycle, playing against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. We thought that these were teams that were closer to our skill level and obviously closer to us in the rankings. So, we wanted to challenge ourselves in terms of winning all three series. We won two out of three, so I thought that it was a good year.
“We did not lose a series [this year]. This is something that hasn’t been done for a number of years. So, it just goes to show that when you sit down and plan and you put in the hard work, anything is achievable. I just think that we’re going in the right direction as a unit and as a team,” said Chase.
The West Indies spin attack played a crucial role in the series triumph, with left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican leading the way. He finished the two-match series with 16 wickets, taking his overall Test tally to 100. Warrican became only the second left-arm spinner from the Caribbean side to reach the milestone.
He also moved to 76 Test wickets in Asia, putting him just one behind former West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh, who holds the record for the team with 77 wickets in the continent.
Chase was particularly impressed with Warrican’s consistency and ability to build pressure on the Bangladesh batters throughout the series.
“I thought Warrican bowled well in both games. He controlled his economy rate very well. I thought that he built a lot of pressure and put the balls in front of the batsmen for a long period of time. So, I thought that was the hallmark of his bowling throughout the series, along with spinning and straightening as well. So, I thought that he really kept us in this series and really won the series for us,” said Chase.
Meanwhile, Chase admitted that West Indies had been in a strong position to win the second Test but credited Towhid Hridoy for producing a remarkable innings to keep Bangladesh in the contest. Hridoy remained unbeaten on 242, putting together crucial partnerships with the final two batters to help the hosts secure a draw.
The skipper said that he had no major regrets about the result, acknowledging that individual brilliance is an integral part of Test cricket.
“We came here to win both games to see if we could move up to sixth in the Test rankings. I thought we were in a great position to push for a win, but Towhid Hridoy played a great innings, and that’s what Test cricket is about. Sometimes you think that you’re in a commanding position and then someone comes and does something spectacular. So, that’s all in the game.”
