Hard work pays off for Robiul

Bangladesh pacer Robiul Islam (L) raises his finger to celebrate
dismissing Zimbabwe
batsman Regis Chakabva during the second day of the second Test at the Harare Sports Club
yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Two days before the second Test began, Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen, speaking at the team hotel in Harare, talked in depth about the bowling in the first Test which the Tigers lost by 335 runs. In his appraisal he gushed about Robiul Islam, who had taken nine for 155 amidst the embarrassment.
He had seen the hard work Robiul had put in at the National Cricket Academy in the months before the tour of Sri Lanka. He talked about the fitness regimes, and how hard it was for the Sathkhira lad to slog day in and day out on his fitness and bowling. One quote lingers in the ear: “That's how good players are created. It is not just the skill and talent, but long periods of hard work on those assets that produce result.”
On this tour, and especially yesterday, the results showed. On a pitch that has played much better than the strip used in the first Test, Robiul was lethal. His line was immaculate and he seemed a slower version of Dayle Steyn as like the South African pace supremo, his stock delivery was the one that was most dangerous  -- darting into the stumps before moving away in the air and off the seam at the last moment. The hard work that he put in was evident in the amazing level of fitness he showed in bowling a marathon opening spell of 11 overs.
Robiul beat the bat with his lethal stock delivery on a regular basis and was finally rewarded with the wicket of Chakabva in the 11th over, caught behind by skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, who had dropped a difficult chance in Robiul's previous over. The same formula was repeated in his next over, the away-moving ball kissing the edge of Sibanda's bat on its way to Mushfiqur's glove.
But the battle of the day was between the bowler of the series and the batsman of the series. His approach to Brendan Taylor was different from the first Test. Keeping true to their coach's words before the Test, Robiul and co. attacked the opposition skipper early, not letting him settle to a particular type of delivery. Robiul in particular took the attack to Taylor, peppering him with bouncers early in his innings, with the result being that Taylor could not settle into his favoured front-foot style.
The home skipper could have been out thrice in the 17th over bowled by Robiul. Taylor was unusually anxious to get to the other end and set off for a non-existent run to the first delivery, and only Tamim Iqbal's misfield from mid on saved him. In the fifth ball, Taylor fended away a bouncer that lobbed into the off side, out of reach of the close-in fielder stationed on the leg side. Having pinned him back Robiul bowled his stock delivery next ball, but the resultant edge landed cruelly short of first slip.
Robiul's input yesterday may have only been two wickets, but the presence of a bowler like him in a Test side is enormous. With Shakib Al Hasan back to full fitness and Shohag Gazi in the side, the Tigers' are now are in a position to reap the benefits of early pressure created by a marathon spell like Robiul's. Taylor holing out in the deep off Gazi late in the day is due in no small part to the fact that he was not allowed to dictate terms as in the first Test, which was largely Robiul's doing.
Considering the value he brings to a previously impoverished pace cupboard the team, searching for a series-levelling win, may well consider keeping Robiul's arm on ice whenever he is not bowling over the next four days. Judging by yesterday's effort, that may just be a necessity.