Mominul excited about pacers

Bangladesh national Test team skipper Mominul Haque said he was excited about their pace attack ahead of the first Test of their two-match Test series against New Zealand starting today.

Despite New Zealand providing pacers with advantageous conditions, the Bangladesh quicks have failed to take advantage in previous tours.

The pacers included in the current Test squad have massive averages in New Zealand, with Abu Jayed Rahi’s 65.66 being the best among them. Taskin Ahmed averages 143, Ebadot Hossain 191, and Khaled Ahmed doesn’t have one as he failed to pick up a wicket in the last tour.

But this time around, Mominul is hoping for something different.

“Taskin, Ebadot, Rahi and Shoriful (Islam) have done well recently. We also have Khaled and Shohidul. So, we have a number of pace bowlers in our midst. I am excited to see them do well, especially how they have improved over the last 12 months,” he said in a virtual pre-match press conference on Friday.

Bangladesh are not just struggling in the bowling department but also in batting. They are without both Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, and in their absence, newbie Mahmudul, who scored 66 in the warm-up match ahead of the first Test, will have to try to take on the mantle.

Mominul said about Tamim, “Our number one opener Tamim bhai is missing. He is one of the best openers in the world. So, we are trying to replace him in this series.”

He also added that he was impressed by Mahmudul since he hit a century against New Zealand in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.

“When I saw him score the century against New Zealand in the Under-19 World Cup, I got excited by him. He might be the next superstar, although we shouldn’t say it in the media. I am impressed by him and hopeful that he will play good cricket,” the captain said.