Published: Aug 27, 2017, 05:57 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 27, 2017, 05:57 PM (IST)
Though Australia are way ahead of Bangladesh in rankings, former cricketer Dean Jones says hosts Bangladesh hold the edge as the two teams clash in the first Test at Mirpur. Jones drew comparison with the England series where the hosts outwitted England in the second Test to save the series. Bangladesh also toppled Sri Lanka, who had earlier defeated Australia at home. He also expressed concern about Australia’s performance in sub-continent, saying they need to improve themselves. READ: Australia lose 3 before stumps, Day 1; trail Bangladesh by 242
“(Bangladesh) might have been under-performers until a couple of years ago but they are a real deal now, especially in their own backyard. They have to start favourites … look at the way they knocked off England last year. Then they just beat Sri Lanka a few months ago, and we all know how (Australia) went in Sri Lanka (0-3 loss) last year – so that tells you something,” Jones told The New Daily.
“We improved, but we didn’t win the series. We still lost two Test matches. They might have worked out a method against India, but this is a different challenge. Bangladesh has some high-quality spinners that will pose problems for Australian batsmen. If our guys get into the mind-set that we went well in India, so we should be able to handle Bangladesh, then they will be in big trouble,” Jones said about Australia’s performance in Asia.
