Ottis Gibson reveals the game plan for upcoming Sri Lanka series

|| Cricfrenzy Correspondent ||

Bangladesh pace bowling coach Ottis Gibson said that he is not ruling out playing three pace bowlers in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. During the last four Test matches, Bangladesh used three pace bowlers twice whereas they opted for two pace bowlers on two occasions.

Pace bowler Abu Jayed and Ebadat Hossain remained constant in the pace unit that they were accompanied by Rubel Hossain and Al Amin Hossain respectively against Pakistan and India during the day-night Test match at Eden. Bangladesh used two pace bowlers in the opening Test against India while followed the same route during their last Test at home as well.

"If the condition dictates or you feel the condition look like you could play three fast bowlers then so be it," Gibson told Cricbuzz on Friday.

"I don’t know if we can play three pacers but I would imagine we can take a lot more than three pacers on tour but you won’t know who you are going to play unless you see the condition that you have to work with," he said.

"I think the way cricket is going with such large groups like West Indies been to England and they had I think 20 to 25 players and I think if we have 20 players to choose from it gives us more options. I don’t think we should pick 15-man squad and if the squad is 20 people I believe all 20 people should be available for selection which gives you wider scope for choosing the final XI," he said.

"We would certainly have a squad of 20 or however many people we take to Sri Lanka there should be at least three-four or five pace bowlers in the 20-man squad," he said.
Gibson further added that he is confident that Tigers pace unit have the potential to trouble the Lankans at their own den.

"In subcontinent conditions and our fast bowlers obviously being subcontinental players as well have enough skill to trouble the Sri Lankan batsman in those conditions. We don’t know how Sri Lanka will play whether they are going to leave some grass on the wicket or they are going to make a wicket for spin we don’t know those things yet but certainly from my point of view once we get together as a group my job will be to see that the players have the requisite skills so that whatever the condition dictate they can perform," said Gibson.

"If the ball is swinging we need to make sure people like Rahi who are an outstanding swing bowler are able to swing the ball and if the wicket is flat than we have guys who can still utilize that. Reverse swing might come into effect and we need to make sure guys are apt to speed on reverse swing. Those sort of thing it is out skilling players that we feel that they need to take wickets in those conditions," he added.

Bangladesh Cricket Board is planning a week-long residential camp ahead of the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka which was earlier scheduled for July-August was postponed because of the COVID-19 situation.

Bangladesh are expected to travel to Sri Lanka on September 27 for the three-match Test series that is scheduled to start in Kandy from October 24 that will be tourist's first three-match Test series in six years.