Over a short span in Test cricket, Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been able to find his spark from time to time. With Zimbabwe coming in for a series, Joy and the other young guns in the side approach this series to build momentum in their careers. The 24-year-old opener discussed his career, approach and the Zimbabwe series during an interview last week with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): What’s your feeling regarding Test cricket and how are you going to approach the Zimbabwe series?

Mahmudul Hasan Joy (MHJ): The number of Tests I have played in, we got some good results in those but in some we didn’t do well. So with the Zimbabwe series ahead, although they are comparatively not as competitive as the other Test sides, we have to dominate.

DS: Will this also be a series where the team will look for some solidity?

MHJ : The last time we played the West Indies series, it was a pretty similar team. Mushfiqur (Rahim) bhai wasn’t there due to personal reasons and (Najmul Hossain) Shanto bhai wasn’t there due to injury. The last two years, this has been the team. The team is organised and if we can do well here, it would help us get some confidence before the other big series. It could be the start of turning things around.

DS: Do you feel this is a series where you too have an opportunity to stake your claim?

MHJ : This would be a good opportunity for the openers to perform and solidify our positions. It would not mean that I would feel pressure but it would be about enjoying our cricket.

DS: You are Bangladesh’s only batter to score a Test ton in South Africa but you haven’t managed a ton at home yet. Are you looking forward to getting one here?

MHJ : I think it would feel great if I score a ton at home because when I scored that ton outside the country, it was the greatest moment for me.

DS: It’s evident from your batting that you try to play a lot of deliveries. Could you discuss what process you follow when building an innings?

MHJ : The new ball moves both ways, so if I survive that, it becomes easier. So I focus heavily on surviving the new ball. The focus is to play out the first 15-20 overs and then go for something bigger.

DS: Top-order collapses have bugged Bangladesh for a while. Do you think it would be the openers’ contributions that could thwart such instances?

MHJ: Yes, the openers and the top-order will have to take that responsibility. When you play bigger sides, it’s a must since they don’t give you many chances. So when the top-order collapses, all the pressure falls on the middle-order. If the openers provide a good start, the middle-order can play well and contribute to a big score. Given our bowling attack, we can be in a good position if the top-order bats well.

DS: Is this a template you feel Bangladesh has tried to execute from Mount Maunganui?

MHJ : Yes, that’s true. There we got a good start from the top-order and then the middle-order controlled things and we won the match.

DS: How would you term the transition from playing DPL to Test cricket?

MHJ : No, it would not be a big issue. We are moving seven days before the game, so we can take our preparations.