'Bangladesh outplayed us in all departments,' admits Sammy

Bangla Press Desk: West Indies head coach Daren Sammy was forthright in his assessment of Bangladesh’s performance following his team’s 2-1 ODI series defeat at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

Sammy, who has long been familiar with Bangladesh through his stints as player, captain, and franchise cricketer, expressed surprise at the nature of the Mirpur surface before the series began, famously remarking that he had “never seen this kind of wicket.”

However, at the end of the contest, Sammy conceded that Bangladesh had adapted far better to the conditions.

“Look, it's the thing, no matter what conditions you face. Yes, the wicket was new to us, we'd never seen anything like it, but it's not like one team bats on one wicket and the other on a different one. We all had to play on it. And that’s where skills, mindset, and temperament come out. Bangladesh was better than us in all three disciplines,” he said.

The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain praised Bangladesh’s strategic approach, noting that their understanding of par scores and pacing of the innings made the difference.

“You know, the first two games, it looked like they understood what was a par score, and you could see the approach. Even if they were scoring in blocks of tens—sometimes at 2.5 runs an over—they just knew that if they kept wickets in hand and gave a push in the last 10 overs, they could score seven or eight an over to reach 200. And then they knew if their spinners put the ball in the right area, they were good. They were able to assess and had the skillset to play better cricket on that wicket than us,” he added.

Sammy also alluded to the broader context of World Cup qualification, suggesting that Bangladesh’s choice of spin-friendly pitches reflected their immediate priorities.

“I'll tell you this—I always ask for home advantage. I can’t tell the Bangladesh team or the authorities what wicket to prepare. My focus is to ensure that my team, when they travel away, have the skillset to counteract whatever comes. This series was very important for both teams,” he said.

“At home, you're supposed to do what you have to do to win. That’s the most important thing. Whether that affects your development when you go outside Bangladesh—that’s on them. I’m not against it. I just think my players didn’t play well throughout the series,” he added.

The West Indies coach did not hide his frustration with his bowlers, who failed to capitalize on conditions that should have suited them.

“I’m really disappointed in the way we bowled. Look at the ODIs we played this year—Ireland, England, even at home against Pakistan—and then you come to Bangladesh, where spinners should be licking their lips. This was the most favorable condition to execute your plans,” Sammy said.

He reiterated that Bangladesh’s superior game awareness and discipline were the decisive factors.

“What we displayed over the last three games was very poor and not consistent enough. In all three matches, we allowed Bangladesh to score above par. It was more like a 3.5-runs-an-over pitch, but we were chasing over four every time. Except for when Keacy Carty or Shai Hope put their hands up, we didn’t handle the challenge well,” he admitted.

“Bangladesh played really well—kudos to them and the conditions. But we didn’t match them skill-for-skill with the ball, bat, or in the field. They are deserving winners,” he concluded.

BP/SP