& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Mehedi laments lack of concentration

Mazhar Uddin
"It's not like the pitch is unplayable; none of the deliveries kept extremely low but there is turn. However it's still not very difficult for the
batsmen and if they can play normal cricket they will get success," Mehedi Hasan Miraz, the only Bangladesh batsman to show some form of resistance by remaining unbeaten on 38 during Bangladesh's disastrous first-innings total of 110, told reporters after the second day's play at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
If his teammates had applied Mehedi's words, perhaps it would have been a different scenario altogether for the home side. And his next few words about how to deal with such a situation should certainly prompt the Bangladesh batsmen to reconsider their mental strength.
"You have to be more focused on these types of wickets. If you lack concentration even a little bit then you have to pay the price. If our batsmen can bat with focus we can hope for something good," he said.
The first-innings debacle was more a product of mistakes from Bangladesh's batsmen than the turning wicket, with injudicious shot selection and lack of concentration remaining the biggest concern forthehome side.
Liton Das, Mahmudulah Riyad and and adapt to the nature of the wicket, which demands a batsman lean down and wait till the last moment. However, the Bangladesh batsmen looked to chase the ball with minimal footwork and paid the price as the last five wickets fell for just three runs.
And despite the bowlers coming back strong and scalping eight Sri Lankan wickets, Mehedi believed that they were inconsistent with their line and length.
It will be a daunting task for the Tigers to salvage anything from the game considering that Sri Lanka already have a lead of 312 runs with two wickets in hand going into the third day, but an optimistic Mehedi was eyeing a turnaround, albeit with the crucial proviso that the batsmen not repeat their mistakes.
Bangladesh have never successfully chased over 300 runs in the fourth innings of a Test and when asked about the possibility of a win, Mehedi's comparison to the win in Bangladesh's 100th Test over Sri Lanka in Colombo last year when chasing 191 did not quite fit the current situation.
"We have won a Test match against Sri Lanka on their home soil. I think if we are able to chase the target of 200 1191 ] runs in Sri Lanka, then we can chase over 300 runs on our home soil. I think this is giving us the confidence before we go out to chase. Obviously if our senior players are able to bat well and take responsibility, we will be able to get a result in our favour," said an optimistic Mehedi.
Mehedi's thoughts on the possibility of winning the Test may sound simple, but only if the Tigers can apply his words will Bangladesh be able to avoid their first Test series defeat on home soil in nearly three years.