CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Nov 1: Coach Dav Whatmore has asked for fans and media to be more patient with the Bangladesh team after they slumped to their 25th loss in 26 Tests.

The hosts, who got full test status three years ago, were humbled by 329 runs by England as they clinched the two-match series 2-0 on Saturday.

“It was a very disappointing match for us, no doubt, but we need support,” Whatmore said. “This is not the time when we need people to say we’re terrible.”

England bowled Bangladesh out for 152 in the first innings and for 138 in the second after setting them a mammoth 468 for victory on a wicket offering pace and bounce to the quicker bowlers.

“We would have obviously preferred to make a bigger fight of it,” Whatmore said.

“It becomes a mental game when you are so far behind the opposition on day four. It takes a superhuman effort to just dig in and dig in. Things like that don’t happen very often.”

The former Australian Test player, who led Sri Lanka to a stunning win in the 1996 World Cup, said Bangladesh’s progress had been slow but steady.

“In sport if you are looking to go up from a position low down, it’s never ever a straight line,” he said. “There’s always a bit of here and there in the middle. How the team handles that in the future will determine how we shape up.

“I don’t think we should jump to conclusions. I still think the team has done pretty well.”

Bangladesh, who were listless in the shorter version of the game at the 2003 World Cup earlier this year, have shown signs of improvement under Whatmore in the past few months.

Meanwhile, England captain Michael Vaughan has warned team mates to expect a tough contest in Sri Lanka after his side’s 2-0 Test series win over Bangladesh on Saturday.

England travel to Sri Lanka for three Tests after finishing a one-day series in Bangladesh on Nov 12.—Reuters