Tonny hemmings

Bangla National Cricket Stadium: Bangladesh’s spin consultant Mushtaq Ahmed has urged his spinners to stay calm and disciplined despite the temptation of exploiting spin-friendly wickets as the hosts prepare to take on West Indies in the series-deciding second ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (October 21).

With the hosts leading the series 1-0, both teams added left-arm spinners — Nasum Ahmed for Bangladesh and Akeal Hossein for the West Indies — as the slow, black-soiled surface in Mirpur is expected to play a major role in deciding the outcome of the match. The pitch, prepared under the guidance of Bangladesh’s new head of turf management, Tonny Hemmings, has already become a topic of discussion.

Mushtaq, a veteran of spin craft, cautioned his bowlers against getting carried away by the conditions. “I think as a spinner, when you see that kind of wicket, you get excited, and when you get excited, you don’t remember your process. Process is everything. You [have to] bowl good overs to get wickets, not just good balls,” he told reporters at Mirpur on Monday.