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Tigers hopeful of Mirpur turnaround
DHAKA ﻿MONDAY﻿ ﻿MAY﻿ ﻿23﻿, ﻿2022﻿, JAISHTHA 9, 1429 BS
“I don’t think this is going to be an easy game at all. Both teams want to win this game. I think the last game [in Chattogram] was a close-fought contest. I think this will be similar. The game will go forward at a quicker pace. We have to be ready for that. I’m looking forward to some exciting cricket.”
Chris Silverwood
Sri Lanka head coach
SPORTS REPORTER
The conditions in Mirpur, the added spin threat and Bangladesh’s record in the past few Tests in Mirpur against spin all come into view as the Tigers gear up for the second Test in Dhaka today. Injuries in the pace and spin department further dampened the outlook and the Tigers will be wary of just how favourable home conditions turn out to be.
Conditions in Mirpur have remained stable over the course of the past five years, but results fluctuate wildly. At times the hosts have won handsomely. Other times results have been nothing short of embarrassing. Bangladesh lost the last two Tests in Dhaka, to the West Indies and Pakistan.
The last time Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh before this series, there was a high-scoring, albeit largely uneventful, draw in Chattogram despite Mominul Haque’s tons in both innings. Bangladesh then suffered a 215-run defeat in Dhaka to lose the series 1-0.
Asked if he was hopeful of a positive result, Mominul said he was, given Tests in Mirpur usually produce results. The last time a draw played out in Mirpur was against South Africa in 2015, but that was only because no play was possible after the first day.
“I feel that we have a good opportunity. We have to start from scratch, without thinking of what happened in Chattogram. As you said, we are trying to get out of that scenario,” Bangladesh skipper Mominul said at the press conference yesterday.
Mominul had been spotted in discussion with coach Russell Domingo and curator Gamini Silva ahead of the press conference yesterday. Conditions will play a big part in the second Test and Mominul perhaps wanted to get his coordinates right.
The last two times Bangladesh have played Tests in Mirpur, they lost the toss. On both occasions, the away team batted first and put the squeeze on Bangladesh in the latter stages of the game with spin. So, even at home and on a surface where the Tigers play a majority of matches, Mominul was wary of calling it his side’s best opportunity to get a win.
“Considering conditions and everything else, it is a good opportunity. It’s not the best opportunity but it is another opportunity for us to win a series. There are rarely matches at Mirpur which do not see a result,” he said.
West Indies’ Rakheem Cornwall got nine wickets and Pakistan’s Sajid Khan scalped 12 in the last two Tests in Mirpur, which is as much an example of Mirpur’s spin-friendliness as it is of Bangladesh’s batting instability.
On top of that, Bangladesh have injuries to off-spinners Nayeem Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz.
Mominul, who now realistically has to go with four front-line bowlers due to Shorful Islam’s injury as well, admitted that Mosaddek Hossain had a good chance of making the playing eleven. With pacers not amongst the wickets in Chattogram, the burden of shouldering the lion’s share of overs will fall squarely on Taijul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan.
“If Mosaddek plays, his role will be different. It’s important to use him intelligently. At times you have to deal with situations like this [injuries] and you have to face up to them accordingly. Since they [Taijul and Shakib] are there, hopefully it won’t be too much of a problem,” Mominul said, knowing full well that the Test can go either way but given Sri Lanka’s batting depth, it will be a difficult task for the Bangladesh bowlers.
Conditions in Mirpur have remained stable over the course of the past five years, but results fluctuate wildly. At times the hosts have won handsomely. Other times results have been nothing short of embarrassing. Bangladesh lost the last two Tests in Dhaka, to the West Indies and Pakistan.