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Travelling is a nightmare for Test teams and that goes double for subcontinent teams.
So Bangladesh will be thrilled about playing Australia in a Test series at home, starting on Sunday, because the Tigers travel about as well as unrefrigerated fish.
Not since 2009 in the West Indies have they won on the road, but the best all-rounder in the world according to the ICC, Shakib al-Hasan, told The Guardian the Tigers feel they are "very much unbeatable at home" regardless of the opposition.
It seems a silly statement to make about the second-worst team in the world but even blind confidence is kind of admirable and the recent raw data almost backs him up.
Bangladesh's past eight Test series
- 2014: Three-Test series v ZIM — won 3-0
- 2015: Two-Test series v PAK — lost 1-0
- 2015: One-off Test against IND — drawn
- 2015: Two-Test series v SA — drawn 0-0
- 2016: Two-Test series v ENG — drawn 1-1
- 2017: Two-Test series in NZ — lost 2-0
- 2017: One-off Test in IND — lost by 208 runs
- 2017: Two-Test series in SL — drawn 1-1
During a two-year run from October of 2014 to October last year, during which Bangladesh only played at home, they lost just one of a possible 10 Tests at home, which sounds impressive until you dig down into that run.
The first three Tests were against Zimbabwe, which … you know … name a current Zimbabwe player. But Bangladesh won 3-0 and that's not nothing. It is, however, close to nothing, especially as it is their ONLY series win anywhere since 2009.
Then came Pakistan in 2015, which included the only game Bangladesh lost in that two-year period, but it was emphatic.
Pakistan declared twice — a five-session 557 and a rapid 195 — while the hosts were skittled for 203 and 221. That came after a first Test that saw 1,515 runs scored in just three innings.
If this trend of high scoring on flat tracks continues, Australia and the out-of-form David Warner will feel right at home.
The 'series' against India means nothing because its one and only Test was destroyed by rain, as were both Tests against South Africa, although the dismissal of the Proteas for just 248 on day one is nothing to sneeze at.
Perhaps the latest series, against England in late 2016, is the only one that has any relevance to Australia's chances.
The 1-1 draw was just reward for stingy bowling by Bangladesh and, in the words of Alastair Cook, a lack of "world-class spinners" for England.
Will Nathan Lyon be enough for Australia? Definitely if he continues his strong form from India. Will Ashton Agar experience the Steve O'Keefe effect (i.e. all those deliveries that are darts in Oz start spinning the perfect amount to find an edge)?
What does all this mean for Australia?
It would stand to reason that if the Aussies could run India close over there, then a series in similar conditions against a far less-talented opponent with a worse home record will be a cake walk.
But as impressive as Australia was in India, our expectations were so low that anything short of capitulation was a positive. Things are different now.
Not only are we expected to win this time around, the players are also coming off a truncated preparation thanks to the pay dispute that totally in no way impacted their relationship with the governing body.
One of the few warm-up matches against proper opposition they had scheduled was called off due to rain, so the players' performance in Bangladesh conditions is still a bit of a mystery.
But maybe all that just means they are well rested after a five-month break between Tests.
Matt Renshaw's performance in India and continued emergence as one of the best Chris Rogers impersonators in the world bodes well, while Peter Handscomb's effort batting out a draw in Ranchi is more representative of his skill than the rest of his disappointing returns in the hunt for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Meanwhile, Steve Smith is still a gun, Usman Khawaja is finally back where he belongs and Glenn Maxwell scored a Test century on the subcontinent earlier this year.
As far as the bowling stocks are concerned, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird in the squad, the loss of Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson should not hurt too much.
But perhaps lost in the optimism of the last tour were the issues remaining within this team.
As we mentioned earlier, Warner's form is still a question mark and he is yet to prove himself away from home, averaging 31 with no centuries in his past 33 innings on foreign soil.
Meanwhile, Matthew Wade is in for a nightmare as a wicketkeeper on Bangladesh pitches and unless he can somehow find runs at seven - he has failed to get out of single figures in more than half of his 13 innings since coming back into the team - he can expect more selection speculation.
Spin could still be a problem, with Lyon in need of some bouncy pitches to be at his best. If he doesn't get what he wants, he could be in for a long pair of Tests, while Agar is being touted as an all-round saviour, which has been a curse for every Australian with that tag since Michael Bevan.
All that being said, if Australia loses this series, there will be hell to pay. There's no real excuse not to perform and anything less than one Test win (weather permitting) will be a disappointment and bode terribly ahead of the home Ashes series.
Topics: cricket, sport, bangladesh, australia