Spirited by a remarkable fight back that salvaged the first Test match, Bangladesh are looking forward to leap one more step to clinch the match and the series as they meet Pakistan in the second Test in Mirpur on Wednesday. Players enjoyed two days of rest to fill their gas ahead of the crucial Test match that can take their standings to a new height in Test circuit as it will be against a ‘major side’ like Pakistan.
Only skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, leg spinner Jubair Hossain and pace bowler Shahadat Hossain attended the optional training session at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium under the guidance of coach Chadika Hathurusinghe on Monday.
Tigers have so far only managed to clinch Test series against lower-ranked Zimbabwe and under strength West Indies in their history since their inception in 2000.
After making a remarkable comeback in the opening Test match at Khulna, coming behind from 296 runs in their second innings to earn their maiden draw against Pakistan, Tigers are relishing the prospect of making a final cut.
Selector Habibul Bashar was present all through during the Khulna Test match and with the new found self belief, he feels that time might just have arrived for the Tigers.
‘Surely we can go for the final kill,’ said Bashar.
‘We are having a positive mindset and that can help us in taking an edge over the opponents,’ he said.
‘Our comeback raised our confidence to a new level. Not many teams can do that especially against a team like Pakistan possessing such versatile bowling attack,’ he said.
Bangladesh are going through a memorable run against Pakistan when they made a clean sweep in the three-match one-day series and followed that with a comprehensive win in only Twenty20 International before going into the opening Test.
Pakistan hoped that they would break the duck in the opening Test after posting the first innings lead before Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes hammered their individual career best scores to steer the Tigers to 555-6 in the second innings to secure the draw.
Bangladesh owed their comeback to Tamim Iqbal’s maiden double century of 206 runs and Imrul Kayes 150 runs that also helped them in posting a record 312-run opening stand.
‘Naturally after this kind of performance boys can think of a win,’ said Bashar
‘But that will largely depend on how we perform in the first innings,’ he said
‘If we can get over them in the opening few sessions, boys are capable of holding to the momentum,’ he said.
The concerning areas for the team management will be the absence of pace bowler Rubel Hossain and doubts over Mushfiqur Rahim’s keeping.
Bangladesh fast bowler Rubel Hossain has been ruled out of the second and final Test of the series after suffering a side strain.
Rubel felt discomfort during the fourth day of the first Test of the series in Khulna and subsequently underwent a scan on Monday in Dhaka which confirmed the injury.
‘The results confirmed a Grade-1 left side strain. It takes about three to four weeks to recover from such injuries. He [Rubel] will begin his rehab in the next couple of days,’ Bayzidul Islam, national team physio was quoted in the press release as saying.
Pace bowler Abul Hasan has been called up to replace Rubel in the Bangladesh squad for the second Test.
Bashar believes that it will not have a major impact as Shahadat is doing well while they will wait till last minute before opting to include substitute wicketkeeper- batsman Liton Kumar Das.
‘If Mushfiq is unable to keep we will include Liton and retain him [Mushfiq] as a batsman,’ said Bashar.
Mushfiq sustained the injury while trying to take a catch and was rested for nearly two days when the gloves were taken by Imrul Kayes and for some times by Mahmuduallah.
-With New Age input
