One would ideally expect a team to take at least a day’s break after achieving a historical landmark. After all, it’s not everyday that a team gets to beat South Africa in an ODI series. So it wouldn’t have been a crime had the Bangladesh national team members taken time off after completing the 2-1 series victory. However, barely 12 hours after the win, Bangladesh’s Test players were up and rolling in a training session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday afternoon.
Sure enough, a couple of the players — Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain — who were in the ODI squad were given a break, but the rest of them ensured that they made the most of the sessions just before being dismissed for the Eid holidays.
This is the kind of seriousness that Bangladesh’s team management needs to show with regards to Test cricket. They may have turned the numbers around in ODIs, but when it comes to Test cricket, there is still plenty of room to learn.
The last two Tests, against Pakistan and India, didn’t go too well for the Tigers. They went down to Pakistan, but they managed to hold their nerve and draw against India in a rain-affected Test. While the result was jotted down as a draw, rest assured, the Tigers of the new era wouldn’t have been happy with the way they played in that lone Test against India.
The ODIs saw Mashrafe Bin Mortaza marshal his men quite well in order to complete the turnaround. And when it comes to the Tests, a lot will depend on Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim as well.
To put it straight, Mushfiqur hasn’t been enjoying his run lately. In the last five Tests, his batting average has been a dismal 9.2. Ever since he had that finger injury against Pakistan, things haven’t been the same for the player.
There’s no doubt that Mushfiqur will have to play a vital role for the Tigers in the next two Tests. If he can hit form with the bat, he can hold Bangladesh’s middle-order together and provide the team with plenty of stability.
The good news for Mushfiqur is that the Test team looks a lot stronger than the one that played against India.
The return of Mahmudullah Riyad from injury will definitely suit the top order. He will also be happy to see in-form Nasir Hossain in the side, who was chosen ahead of Shuvagata Hom, since the latter failed to live up to the role that was expected of him both with the bat and the ball. With Nasir churning in good turners in the ODIs and having runs under his belt, he could use this opportunity to seal his position in the Test team.
He will also have the services of Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. While Rubel was in the Test squad for India, he was rested in a bid to keep him fresh for the ODIs.
On the other hand, the inclusion of Mustafizur could very well change the dynamics of this bowling line-up. Whether the team management will go in with Mustafizur on a generally placid Chittagong track remains a question.
However, the 19-year-old isn’t a newbie when it comes to the longer version of the game. He made his first-class debut in 2014 and ever since then notched up quite a few four-wicket hauls in the domestic circuit.
In fact, Walton Central Zone — the franchisee that he plays for — had opted to play him in the longer version of the Bangladesh Cricket League as opposed to the 50-over competition that took place recently.
With the bowling attack looking stronger, the batting order likewise seems to be in good touch. Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah will be hoping they can carry on with the momentum gained from the ODIs, while Mominul Haque will hope to make the most of the Tests after being excluded from the ODIs.
Speaking to reporters at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday, Riyad said that he expected the players to perform much better in this Test series compared to the previous ones.
“Since we are all in a good mood after winning the ODI series, we will feel a lot better in the Tests. So, in that aspect, I am hoping for a better result in this Test series,” he said.
“The one thing that I would like to emphasise on is that we are not a big team yet. We need to play consistent cricket more regularly in order to reach that level. Hopefully we can do that,” he concluded.
-With The Daily Star input
