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Tigers focused on going another step further

First Test starts today at Mirpur

Bishwajit Roy
The ground of SAHARA' the Sher-e-W CUP .2014 Bangla National
Stadium in Mirpur got back its greenish look after all those 'hiccups' it witnessed during its renovation period. A wide-angle view of the ground proved to be a soothing experience for many yesterday as the home of cricket finally was set to host the first Test from today between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, bringing an end to all the uncertainty that preceded the series.
With Bangladesh due to make their first international appearance of this year, the arena should have ideally been filled with plenty of buzz and excitement.
However, the sudden fear following the emergence of the 'Big Three' dampened the total atmosphere.
Unfortunately this match has been overshadowed by the fear of the country's future in Test cricket. Mushfiqur Rahim and company instead should look to maintain their gradual improvement in the longest format.
The Bangladesh captain also made it clear in his pre-match press conference yesterday that his boys were very much focused on their job at hand. The job is
however not at all an easy one for the Tigers, despite the fact that they have earned a reputation as a very competitive side in their own den, even in this format.
The visitors' know-how in the subcontinent conditions, their good-looking pace attack and the presence of two stalwarts in Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, all put together would be a real hurdle for the home side.
However, Bangladesh are no longer the "whipping boys" of Test arena. This team had rewritten history against Sri Lanka by drawing against them at Galle last year. They also carried on their good form against New Zealand in the last home series. There would be no shortage of inspiration for the Tigers to play good cricket against the Lankans in the series, to prove that those embarrassing days which witnessed one-sided matches are gone forever.
To do that, Bangladesh need to bat patiently and purposefully and need to see the opening stand contribute; pace bowlers need to take some early wicket besides the consistent service from the spinners led by Shakib Al Hasan.
Mushfiqur however promised an interesting series with regards to some effective pace bowling - an area which got all atten-
tion from the home side's think-tank.
"We have now improved our batting in the first innings, put up good totals. A lot of things happen in the second innings but we have planned ahead this time. We are well prepared, so hopefully this will be an interesting series," said a confident Mushfiqur.
"The challenge will be for our pace bowlers, who are yet to play to their full potential. I hope they keep on improving as they have in the last 12 months. They have to take wickets but at the same time, create consistent pressure. I am looking at them, and I hope they deliver this time," he added in line with coach Shane Jurgensen's mantra of playing positive and aggressive cricket in the series.
One might say that to think of a Test win against Sri Lanka, at this point would be too ambitious, but Mushfiqur has the belief, which was reflected from his confident statement yesterday: "Our pacers are capable of taking twenty wickets if we get a good start from our pacers."
Bangladesh's demand is for a sporting wicket. A referral to the past experience, however, proves that one cannot be sure if that desire will be fulfilled. It will be better for them to put aside the pitch issue and unleash a determined performance that brings back memories of the Galle Test.