West Indies captain Roston Chase said on Tuesday in Mirpur that his side wanted to win both matches of the Bangladesh vs West Indies Test series, The Daily Star reported.
Chase spoke at a press conference on the eve of the opening Test, which was scheduled to start at Mirpur on Wednesday. West Indies are playing two Tests on the tour.
The stakes are tied to the World Test Championship. West Indies are eighth in the standings, and the Bangladesh series is their final assignment of the current cycle, according to The Daily Star.
"If we want to make any strides in terms of going up the table, it has to be in this series," Chase said.
World Test Championship table: West Indies eighth with one series left
Chase said his target is two wins, which he believes could lift West Indies to fifth or sixth place by the end of the cycle, The Daily Star reported.
"We're in some good form coming into this series, so we want to take two wins and try to take ourselves up the ladder and finish probably in fifth or sixth position and that would be a good Christmas gift for the team as well," he said.
The newspaper did not report Bangladesh's current position in the standings. It also carried no Bangladesh team news and no comments from the home captain or coach.
How did West Indies prepare for the Dhaka conditions?
West Indies arrived after a longer build-up than their hosts. The squad held a camp in Chennai before reaching Dhaka on October 18, giving them time to adjust before the series, The Daily Star reported.
Chase said most of the squad trained in Chennai. Players who missed the camp were already in India for the white-ball series.
Since arriving in Dhaka, the team has completed two full-unit practice sessions and played a practice match. They did not train on Tuesday, the day before the first Test.
"Most of the guys were in the camp in Chennai and those who weren't there were in India for the white-ball series. And then we had two good practices, as you said, as a full unit, and we also got in a practice game," Chase said.
Bangladesh had a shorter window to prepare as a team. Most of their players returned home after the ODI tri-series in the UAE, which ended for them on October 21, according to The Daily Star. That left them about a week before the first Test.
Chase said the heat in Dhaka had been "hotter than usual," but his players had settled.
"I think the guys are comfortable in the conditions. We've been putting in the hard yards. It's been a bit hot, hotter than usual, but as I said, the guys are enjoying the conditions so far and we've been obviously suited to them as well," he said.
What has Roston Chase's West Indies side done in Tests this year?
West Indies arrive with recent results behind them. They won a home Test series against Sri Lanka and drew another against Pakistan, The Daily Star reported.
Their record this year, according to the newspaper:
- Tests played: 4
- Won: 2
- Drawn: 1
- Lost: 1
Chase cited that run when he set out his goal for the tour, describing his side as being "in some good form."
Mirpur Test opens two-match series
Mirpur is hosting the opening Test. The Daily Star's preview did not say where or when the second Test will be played.
The research available at publication covers only the build-up and does not include a score or result from the first match.
Chase framed the series as a straightforward equation. His side has two Tests left in the cycle, and he wants to win both. Whether that is enough to move West Indies from eighth to fifth or sixth depends on the results in Bangladesh, as the captain said.