Batsman Mominul Haque said on Saturday that he was not thinking about any other format apart from Test cricket although he performed well in the just concluded Dhaka Premier League, country’s traditional 50-over tournament. The left-hander scored 671 runs in 16 matches of DPL with an average of 41.93 runs and a strike rate of 95.99, with one hundred and seven fifties to showcase both consistency and aggressiveness.
Mominul, who last played against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup, was dumped into the oblivion after the tournament as he was tagged as a ‘Test Specialist’.
Prior to the DPL, Mominul had spent several hours in the nets with his coach Mohammad Salahuddin to reinvent himself so that he can make a comeback in other formats.
However, Mominul said that he does not think a good season is good enough for that. So, he opted to focus only in Test cricket as solid performance there would probably help him to make a comeback in the shorter formats as well.
‘I am not thinking about any other format at the moment,’ Mominul told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
‘I am considered to be a Test player and if I want to get into other formats I have to do well here [Test].
‘I have to think about other formats after performing strongly in Test cricket.
‘I feel if I do exceptionally well in Test then in future probably coach and selectors will consider me for other formats.’
Mominul said that he does not pay much attention to his ‘Test Specialist’ tag and just enjoys the game.
‘Neither it hurts me, nor does it give me a sense of pride. I have built this reputation. By the grace of Allah, my Test average is good.
‘I have achieved this. But it does not make me feel bad or proud. I enjoy if I am always in the game, nothing else.’
Mominul said he is eager to face England in the forthcoming home series as he gets very little chance to play and thus wants to give his all.
‘The series is desirable to me perhaps more than anyone else, because I am not in the game for a long period. Maybe this could be one of the reasons I am looking forward to the series.
‘I get a chance to play three to four matches (for the national team) in a year. I don’t know about others. But my hunger is very big. Because I know I will get only few chances. So, I always try to give everything.’
Mominul believes that Bangladesh also have a good chance against England where they are scheduled to play two Test matches and three one-day internationals.
England and Australia have hundred per cent winning records against Bangladesh in Test matches as the Englishmen won all their eight Test matches against the Tigers while the Aussies won all their four games.
‘I think we can expect some positive result as we are a good side in home condition.
‘We have Mustafiz, Sakib Bhai but a good leg-spinner would have been handy for us. We are not as good in Test as we are in one-day internationals. It will take time. But in our condition I think we can do it (beat England).’
-With New Age input
