Mominul lacking confidence: Mahmud

Bangladesh Test skipper Mominul Haque is going through a rough patch of form with the bat in hand, and Bangladesh national team director Khaled Mahmud believes it may be due to a lack of confidence.

Mominul has been having a poor run of form with the bat, scoring just one fifty in his last 15 innings. The left-handed batsman failed to reach double figures in 12 innings, including four ducks.

To add to his misery, Bangladesh’s Test results in recent months haven’t gone their way, with the Tigers’ ending up on the losing side in three of the last four Test series.

“In one of his dismissals, the ball went through even before he could bring his bat down. This means that he is not confident,” Mahmud said. “It’s not easy to handle the pressure. It’s not like he’s not trying. It’s just that he is not delivering on the field. Perhaps he is under pressure regarding his batting.”

Mahmud said he believes the Test skipper is under pressure from the captaincy.

“From the outside, it can be seen at times that he is under pressure. This pressure might’ve affected his batting,” Mahmud said.

“He has hit the most centuries in Tests for us and he averaged over 50 at one point. So, the question begs itself whether the captaincy has become a burden for him,” he added.

Mahmud was hopeful about Mominul’s comeback and advised him to go back to the basics.

“I hope he will make a comeback. There is a question about the pressure of captaincy getting to him. If that is the case then we don’t want that,” he said.