What should Bangladesh do ahead of the Mirpur Test

The ghosts of Multan and Fatullah revisited at Chittagong on the fifth day. Bangladesh were 33 runs away from creating history and the responsibility was on Sabbir Ahmed and the tail-enders to steer the ship safely to shore without making the weather heavy. 90 overs were available for the home team to bury the ghosts of Multan and Fatullah, but sadly, within 19 minutes of the final day, the hearts of the cricket fans of Bangladesh broke. The Bangladeshi ship of hope sunk in the Bay of Bengal leaving the nation stunned.

Yet another defeat, yet another day of unbearable pain which will haunt the fans and cricketers in the years to come.

But this Test match has not been without positives for the home team. Despite not playing a 5-day match in the international arena for more than a year, they showed tremendous character against one of the top Test teams in world cricket. They put chills down the spine of the English men and tested their nerves and skills.   

Within a few days, the second Test match will commence at Mirpur and Bangladesh should plan appropriately ahead of the Test so that, the spirited performance at Chittagong doesn’t seem to be a flash out of the pan.

Bangladesh should forget the memories of Chittagong and move on

After a brilliant display at Fatullah against the world champions Australia in 2006, Bangladesh surrendered meekly in the second Test and the story was same against Pakistan as well last year. After Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes’ defiant stand at Khulna, the Tigers were found wanting in the second Test and lost the match in an abysmal fashion. On both occasions, they failed to maintain their hunger, focus and form to test the oppositions.

After such a heartbreak, Bangladesh will be at risk of losing their focus from the game and the first thing the Tigers should do is to forget the traumatic memories of Chittagong as soon as possible and move on. The Chittagong Test match should act as a motivating factor and a big learning curve for the boys.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, sounded positive during the press conference as he stated, “Sometimes you have a distinctive feeling after losing a game. We tried what we could. Nobody expected Bangladesh to play in this manner after 15 months, so we had to prove that we could do something. We could show our character to a side like England. They have a lot of experienced players. I wouldn't use the word frustrating, but I would call it a learning experience”.

Inspiring words from the captain and it hints, he has not been broken by the overall outcome of the match. He also stated about the positives gained from this Test and the areas where his team should improve more.

That’s the way to go.

Maintaining this fighting spirit in the second Test will be the main task for Bangladesh at Mirpur.

Sabbir should bat up the order

It never seemed that Sabbir Rahman was playing his first ever Test match, but his calm and composed presence at the crease made everyone felt, he had been playing Test match for more than four or five years. Many in Bangladesh used to portray him as a swashbuckler, but each and every time they failed to notice Sabbir’s ability to keep the ball on the ground while executing the drives with pristine timing. He has a very good technique and using him lower down the order is nothing but a waste.

Sabbir, if he is fit to play at Mirpur, should bat at number five instead of Shakib Al Hasan while Mushfiq coming in at number six and Shakib at seven. Shakib has been batting at number five for a while, but in my opinion, it will be a wise act to compromise with a batsman who’s more composed than Shakib and let Shakib play in the team as a genuine bowling allrounder.

Inclusion of an allrounder at number eight    

The emergence of Mehedi Hasan has given the Bangladeshi attack the extra mojo and the support which Shakib Al Hasan is needed. Mehedi’s heroics with the new ball struck gold for the Tigers, but he is yet to come of age with the bat, even though, he’s known as an allrounder.

In that sense, the number eight position is not ideal for him and should come out to bat at number nine. Meanwhile, Bangladesh need to fit another allrounder at number eight position, who can prove a point both with the bat and ball. Bangladesh do have the better options for this position.

Players like Soumya Sarkar, Shuvagata Hom and Mosaddek Hossain, who has been included in the team as a cover of Sabbir who fell sick after the first Test, are the options available for Bangladesh. Among these players, Shuvagata is a hard working cricketer, but seldom creates an impact. Mosaddek is yet to make his Test debut, but showed his capabilities in the 50-over matches, both with the ball and bat. Meanwhile, Soumya is one of those players, who is capable of creating an impact with the bat while his three quarter length stuffs can be helpful in keeping one end tight.

In my opinion, Soumya can be a very good option at number eight.

Bangladesh should play only one pacer         

  

I hate to say this, but at present, Bangladesh don’t have enough quality pacers available for the Test matches. And for which, it will be fair enough to invest faith in just one pacer while Soumya, if he plays, can play the role of the second seamer. As Shafiul Islam has been rested, the options for Bangladesh are, Kamrul Islam and Subashis Roy. 

Kamrul Islam has been a total waste at Chittagong and his body language indicated, he lacked the attitude of a fast bowler and self belief. Bangladesh might give Subashis a chance as this guy has been proving his worth on the dead wickets for a long time and his average and strike rate is way better than Kamrul in first class cricket. 

A plan for Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes has been the thorn in the throat for Bangladesh throughout the series. Both with the ball and bat, he has been a champion. While batting, he mixes caution with aggression very well and while bowling, he is a handy customer, especially with the old ball, he reverses it at will to flummox the batsmen.

But Ben Stokes can be vulnerable with the bat if the ball is delivered at pace on a fuller length. Shakib proved this in the first innings when he exposed his defense by pitching it on a touch-full in and around the middle and off stump with a quicker delivery. While Sabbir showed how his reversing deliveries can be countered by staying back and behind the line of the ball.    

Bangladesh should utilize the lessons learned in Chittagong productively at Mirpur so that the outcomes are good and not frustrating. 

Note: This article has been published at Wr8sports on 25/10/2016 What should Bangladesh do ahead of the Mirpur Test

Thank You

Faisal Caesar