Bangladesh would be
chasing 321 runs in fourth innings to win the first Test, which is a tough
task, but not impossible……
The light was too poor to continue play and
thus, a further play was not possible. After a tiring day, both teams walked
out the field with various thoughts in their respective minds. An interesting
day awaiting for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe tomorrow, where both the sides would
cash in big time.
Perhaps, Zimbabwe left the field thinking they have given
the hosts a total to chase, which would be an uphill task in the fourth innings
of a Test in the subcontinent, where the wickets behave wickedly – much more assistance
for the spinners. Again, the fragile technique of the Bangladesh batters
against the new ball would also encourage Hamilton Maskadza and his men.
Whereas, while leaving the field, Imrul Kayes and
Liton Das might have thought, at least 26 runs have been cut out from the
overall total without losing any wickets. What they would need to do tomorrow
is play with a positive frame of mind. Indeed, Bangladesh would need to bat
with a positive frame of mind on Day 4 as because, even though a Day 4
wicket in the subcontinent behaves wickedly, but still now, the Sylhet deck has
not deteriorated like Mirpur or Chittagong. It is still a very good track to
bat on if the right the kind of attitude is displayed.
Bangladesh would be chasing a total on Day 4, which they
have never chased before. They have won four times by chasing in the
fourth innings, but those totals were not above 300 runs. Yes, Bangladesh have
scored 300 and above thrice in fourth innings, but sadly, in those matches, the
Tigers lost. Their highest score in the fourth innings is 413 against Sri Lanka
at Mirpur in 2008. Moreover, in the 150-year old history of Test cricket, a
team has won 20 times while chasing a total of 321 and above and in the
subcontinent, such has happened just five times!
The records and meek surrender in the first innings don’t
give enough hope, but still, in cricket nothing is impossible. Bangladesh just
need to bat positively.
Now batting positively does not mean having a go at the
bowling from the word go, but exhibiting resolve is also a part of it. The
Bangladesh batsmen need to bear in mind, the ball tends to move a bit in the
morning session in Sylhet and thus needs to leave the ball more outside that
channel of uncertainty rather than attempting to drive or poke. Leaving the
ball in that region would frustrate the bowler to change his line of attack and
that is when a batsman needs to cash in.
In the first innings, the Zimbabwean new ball bowlers – Kyle
Jarvis and Tendai Chatara – feed in the rush-of-blood of Bangladesh batters.
The more Bangladesh attempted to drive outside off, the more they put the
ball there and also, had been successful in bringing the ball back in after
bowling a couple of outswingers, which beat the fragile defence of Bangladesh batters
more often.
And for which, Bangladesh batters need to curb their
aggressive intent and invest time in spending time at the crease and deal in
singles and twos to build productive partnerships. Switching to a limited-overs
mode won’t help Bangladesh much. Batsmen like Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur
Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad are experienced enough to stitch partnerships and
steer the ship safely to the shore.
In the first innings, there was a bad tendency of exposing
the edge among the top-order batters, which should not be repeated. Such things
happen when a bit of problem exists in the back lift. If your back lift is not
appropriate, your bat comes down by exposing the edge and also leaves a gap
between bat and ball – you lose the battle.
It is expected, head-coach Steve Rhodes has observed the
chinks in Bangladesh batting technique and would definitely work on those.
A calm and composed batting approach would help Bangladesh a
lot tomorrow.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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