DHAKA, July 9, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful 
attributed the team's continued batting struggles in Zimbabwe to the 
challenging playing conditions, saying the batters are yet to fully adapt to 
the bigger boundaries and extra bounce on offer.

Bangladesh have failed to meet expectations with the bat since the one-off 
Test in Harare. They were dismissed for low totals in both innings of the 
Test before being bowled out for 116 while chasing 142 in the opening ODI, 
losing by 25 runs.

In a video message released by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Ashraful 
said Bangladesh's batters had performed consistently well at home over the 
past seven months but found it difficult to carry that form into Zimbabwe.

"In the last seven months, Bangladeshi batters have played consistently well 
on home soil. However, due to the conditions in Zimbabwe, it was not possible 
to maintain that rhythm," Ashraful said.

"We faced the same challenge on our 2022 tour here. This time too, we could 
not do well in the two innings of the Test and the first ODI."
Ashraful also pointed to an element of misfortune, saying some well-timed 
shots from Bangladesh batters ended up finding fielders during the first ODI.

However, he identified the size of the boundaries as the biggest difference 
between playing in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

"In Bangladesh, games are usually played with boundaries of 60 to 65 meters. 
But in Harare, the boundaries are around 73 to 75 meters. As a result, shots 
that easily go for boundaries at home are within the reach of fielders here. 
Our batters have not yet fully adapted to this change," he said.
 
The former Bangladesh captain further said the Harare pitch has offered more 
assistance to pace bowlers than the surfaces the team has recently 
encountered at home.

"There is extra bounce on the wicket here. Although we have played on good 
batting wickets in Bangladesh over the last seven months, that extra bounce 
is creating a different challenge in these conditions," Ashraful added.