Mominul optimistic as Shakib back in business

Bangladesh Test team captain Mominul Haque is feeling optimistic ahead of Bangladesh’s second and final Test match of their series against Pakistan as Shakib Al Hasan has returned to the fray. The match will start today at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Mirpur.

The Tigers lost their first Test match of the series by eight wickets in Chattogram despite having a lead in the first innings. Bangladesh lacked the presence of Shakib, who could contribute with both batting and bowling.

Mominul, after being inducted as the Test captain in 2019, hardly got the service of Shakib in the red-ball format, primarily due to the all-rounder’s year-long ban due to his undisclosed conversation with a bookmaker.

But since Shakib made his comeback after the end of his banishment, the all-rounder skipped the Sri Lanka tour for the Indian Premier League and was out of the second Test against West Indies at home due to injury.

The Dhaka Test against Pakistan, which starts today, will be the third occasion when Mominul will have Shakib at his disposal.

And with him coming back to the team, Bangladesh will opt for a team combination with seven batsmen and four bowlers, said the captain.

“Shakib bhai makes it easy to make a team combination. He is looking good. He has recovered from the injury. He makes life easier for any captain. He is important for team combination. His return is a positive thing,” Mominul said in the virtual media engagement on Friday.

The return of Shakib might cost Abu Jayed his place in the playing XI, as the right-arm pacer bowled only 16 overs in Chattogram Test and failed to pick any wicket.

The wicket of SBNCS is always a mystery, even for the home team. Mominul thinks that Bangladesh should not offer a spin-friendly track towards opposition from the sub-continent though he does not want to make any excuses.

“Everyone from 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. I also don’t agree that professional cricketers should give a wicket or anything as an excuse. A pro cricketer has to play well in a paddy field,” he said on Friday.

“It will be the normal Mirpur wicket. We all know it is difficult to predict. But I don’t think it will be how we played against Australia,” added Mominul.

SBNCS hosted 13 Twenty20 international matches right before the Test against Pakistan in the past couple of months, and the scoring ratio suggests that the surfaces were very difficult to bat on.

Mominul believes that with the change of format, the pitch will also behave differently.

“I think it will be a better wicket for red-ball, than white-ball. I think there are two white balls from each end, which makes batting a bit difficult. I think it won’t be as difficult tomorrow,” he told the media.