The second Test against West Indies in St Lucia provided another indication that if Bangladesh’s pace bowlers are given proper wicket and opportunity they can also do well, said bowling coach Heath Streak. Three pacers – Al-Amin Hossain, Shafiul Islam and Robiul Islam – did reasonably well to bowl West Indies out for 380 runs and then returned quickly to maintain some pressure in the second innings.
An inexplicable batting failure left Bangladesh still struggling to find their feet in this Test but that took nothing away from the pacers, who, barring the opening session on the first day, were always on top of the opposition.
‘I am very pleased, impressed with this effort,’ Streak said after third day’s play. ‘Just a little disappointed in the first session of the first day when I thought we really lost a great opportunity to put them on the back foot. But after that we recovered well, came back and bowled in good areas.’
The performance encouraged Streak to look at the broader picture adding that if some works can be done with this group of pace bowlers they can also become match-winners at Test match level.
‘I think one of the problems back home is that they are not playing enough first-class crickets,’ said Streak. ‘When they get big workloads like this, it’s difficult. It’s tough if the batters do not get the big totals, giving the bowlers time to rest and recover to come back in the second innings.’
Streak gave the example of Al-Amin Hossain, who, he said had a big workload in the first Test and then in this Test match and then required to bowl quickly again in the second innings.
‘You know their body is not used to that. These are some other things that need to be addressed,’ said Streak, who found one solution in first-class cricket to the problem.
‘You have seen the last Test match they played in January and now we are in September. Not much first class cricket between them. So it’s really difficult to keep them physically in the right condition to play,’ he said.
The former Zimbabwe captain sees a bright future ahead, saying if Taskin Ahmed achieves the fitness required for Test match and Abul Hassan completes his recovery from fitness the competition will be intense.
‘I think it’s time we are looking at other guys coming through,’ he said. ‘Hopefully eventually Taskin is fit enough to be able to play at this level. That will give us some good stuff. We are hoping that people like Abul Raju recover well enough to come in and pushing for positions.
‘And once you create that group of five to six or seven players all fighting for position it’s a good thing. So I am really confident. Yes, there is lots of work to do. I think there are lots of positives as well we can take.
‘Taskin and Rubel [Hossain] have got the potential to be strike bowler. Guys like Robiul and Shafiul [Islam] are for me change bowlers who can go and keep the pressure and bowl lots of overs.
‘So you need a balance of people who can attack and try to get some wickets and guys who can keep the pressure on,’ he said.
-With New Age input
