The Bangladesh dressing room will be boosted with ace all-rounder Shakib’s return to full fitness along with pacer Taskin
Minhaz Uddin Khan: Hosts Bangladesh will eye to end their run of defeats when they take on Pakistan in the second and final Test of the series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Saturday.
Bangladesh have conceded nine straight defeats – five in the T20 World Cup followed by three T20Is and the first Test in the home series against Pakistan.
The task for Bangladesh will be daunting.
There were occasions when Bangladesh had the upper hand in the first Test played in Chittagong.
The home team had a lead of 44 runs but let the opportunity slip with a poor show in the second part of the game with both bat and ball.
The Bangladesh dressing room will be boosted with ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan’s return to full fitness along with pacer Taskin Ahmed, who will be expected to inject a bit of pace.
The batting has been Bangladesh’s chief concern for a long time now, starting with the top-order failures.
This continued in both innings of the first Test of the series, which included the side’s best performer in the format – captain Mominul Haque.
Shakib’s inclusion will add strength to the batting which in the first game depended on Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das.
The bowling, which is likely to be spin-heavy, will be bolstered as well by Shakib’s return.
Top-order batsman Saif Hasan is ruled out from the game as he is suffering from typhoid and this might hand Mahmudul Hasan Joy the debut.
Though Bangladesh captain Mominul emphasized on having a flat wicket for the game, it will not be a surprise to see the pitch at SBNCS favoring the spinners and the combination of the Bangladesh line-up will give the first hint.
The ball will grip as the match progresses, and the batters will have to build their innings, and play the waiting game to score runs.
“Everyone from the sub-continent plays spin very well, so it is better not to give them a spin wicket. I think everyone else would do the same. I prefer a flat wicket,” Mominul said during the pre-match press conference Friday.
Pakistan on the other hand will hope their openers – Abid Ali and Shafique Abdullah – hold on to the performance from the first Test.
The duo had put on partnerships in excess of 100 runs in both innings, and this proved to be a decisive factor in swinging the match in favor of the Pakistan side.
With the ball, the pace bowlers will be expected to lead irrespective of the pitch condition.
Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the two bowlers Bangladesh batters will be cautious against.
Hasan registered a five-wicket haul in the first innings, while Shaheen took five in the second.
Pakistan will be expected to field the winning combination if no major injury concern occurs.
In terms of head-to-head, Bangladesh till date have faced Pakistan in 12 Tests with the latter winning 11 of them and the other ending in a draw.
Bangladesh XI [probable]:
Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib al Hasan, Liton Das (wk), Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain