Darren Lehmann in deep focus before picking the Playing XI for Chittagong Test

Australia have now only won 1 Test out of 12 Test matches in Asia, and the numbers are terrifying for a team of their stature. Bangladesh are no longer pushovers, and the visitors had to acclimatize themselves to this fact. The team led by Steve Smith went down against the home side by a margin of 20 runs in the first Test of the two-match Test series at Dhaka.

Once again it was spin, that was the enemy for the team on a turning track at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium where Shakib Al Hassan took the merits with two five-fors’ in as many innings. The second Test too is predicted to follow suit, with spin being the determinantal factor. Australian coach Darren Lehmann has to make the tough decisions following the dismal show put by his side in the series opener.

O’Keefe called back

With right-arm pacer Josh Hazelwood ruled out of the series, the onus was Pat Cummins to fill the shoes. Steve O’Keefe was called back to the squad, following his poor showing in latter matches of the Indian Test series. Jackson Bird remains as the second-choice fast bowler, with Cummins leading the line for the side.

With the tourists not going for a like-for-like replacement, the coach justified the move by pointing out the number of overs bowled by the Bangladesh pacers during the opening Test. “The way the wicket was, how many overs did the quicks bowl for them (in the second innings)?” asked Lehmann.

“You are not going to have too many overs bowled by the quicks as the game goes on. We expect the same sort of pitch. And that’s fine; it is what you expect here,” head coach Darren Lehmann added. Mitch Swepson might just get his chance after not being picked up in the Playing XI at Dhaka, with Steve O’Keefe not very far from the corner.

“Once we get there, we will take a look at the wicket and the conditions and whether we change that or go with one quick or two quicks or three spinners (will be discussed),” Lehmann said. “It really comes down to what we want to set our side up like for the second Test, and the wicket,” concluded the 47-year-old.