‘Dry’ Chattogram outfield ‘not risky at all’, says Tait

The outfield at Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium appeared dry on the eve of the third and series-deciding ODI between Bangladesh and New Zealand. 

Patches of uneven grass and visible barren strips -- resembling worn pitches -- could be seen across the ground.

Groundstaff indicated that there had been no water supply for the past four to five days, a situation they said is common at this time of year.

New Zealand pacer Will O'Rourke suggested the dry conditions could make for a quick outfield.

“Does look dry. Looks like it's probably pretty quick. So once it beats the inner fielders, it's probably going to run away,” Will said at the press conference on Wednesday.

He also felt the pitch itself might offer pace and bounce.

“Did like the look of the wicket though. Looked like there was a bit of grass on it, so hopefully there's a little bit of pace and bounce. I think we'll obviously find out tomorrow, but we obviously like to pride ourselves on our fielding so, we'll put our best foot forward tomorrow,” he added.

Bangladesh pace bowling coach Shaun Tait shared a similar view, though he was more cautious in his assessment.

“Looks a good wicket, but it's difficult to tell exactly what it's going to play like. Traditionally if you look at Chittagong, it's a pretty good batting surface and sometimes it can keep a little bit low, but I don't want to read into the wicket too much,” he said.

Image

He was, however, encouraged by the condition of the square.

“The square in general down here actually looks quite good and the curator, speaking to him today, said he was quite confident because there hasn't been as much traffic on it lately. So I think they've had a chance to make the square look really nice,” he added.

Asked whether the conditions could pose a risk to fielders, Tait dismissed concerns.

“No, not risky. It is what it is, it's fine. It's fine. I mean, that's what the surface is. I've got no real in-depth comments about the surface or the oval, the ground. It looks fine to me.”