Batsman Mominul Haque displayed his class and temperament once again when he led Bangladesh’s batting charge in the first Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Benched in the one-day series and left out from Twenty20 International, Mominul returned to his groove in the Test and made an instant impact to score 80 off 162 balls. His exploits led the Tigers to 236-4, a commendable effort on a slow, turning pitch that kept Pakistani spinners interested all along the day at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.
Left-handed Mominul, who hit eight fours in his 162-ball innings, has now at least one fifty in his last 10 Test matches taking him to level with India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Englishman John Edrich in the record books.
Only four cricketers – South African AB de Villiers, West Indian Vivian Richards, and two Indians, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag – have more fifties in consecutive Test matches.
De Villiers leads the particular segment of record books with at least one fifty in 12 consecutive Tests and Mominul has now the chance to emulate him when Bangladesh meet India in June.
The former BKSP student, who was dismissed in the final ball of the day, however, said he had no knowledge about the record and has little interest about it.
‘I don’t know about this,’ said Mominul, And I don’t even want to know about it.’
Mominul was rather disappointed to get out in the final over, which if he could avert, he believed would have taken Bangladesh to a more comfortable position.
The leg-before dismissal off Julfiqar Babar, which Mominul had reviewed with no avail, also denied him a chance to make his fifth Test century and second in successive Tests.
‘There is some regret to miss out the century,’ Mominul lamented after the day’s play. ‘We would have been in a better position had I not been dismissed. A wicket at this late stage is a bonus to them.
‘I played that ball quite poorly. Maybe I was a bit casual. Sometimes the mind wanders when you are out in the middle for a long time.
‘I think I got out because I had a lapse in concentration,’ he said Mominul had been a symbol of consistency in Test matches having scored at least fifty in all but one of his 13 Tests, which made his average of 63.90 best since Don Bradman (minimum 20 innings).
‘I am playing a Test match after four months,’ he said. ‘I try to remember the routines of the previous games and follow it. If it goes out of control, it becomes difficult.
Mominul is confident that he can do well in limited-over version as well.
‘The ODI place is not in my control. May be I will get an opportunity if I make regular runs in Test cricket,’ he said.
‘I try to stay mentally positive. I don’t listen to what is being said. I will do what I have to do, and not worry about the consequences.’
-With New Age input
