Nothing but relief

If not satisfied then the three-wicket victory in the first Test yesterday must have come as a relief for Bangladesh. Mushfiqur Rahim's men desperately needed a win to escape from the vicious cycle of defeats this year.

There was nothing wrong with the Bangladesh captain's first reactions at the post-match conference yesterday. “I think this win is a big deal because for a team like us, we don't get too many wins. And we lost a number of matches this year despite going so close. So we are happy that we managed to hold on to our nerves. We wanted to win and overcome and that's what happened.”

However, there is no scope to be excited as yet with this rare Test success because it reflected a perennial problem in Bangladesh's cricket; it's batting debacle. For an immediate remedy coach Chandika Hathurusingha could perhaps try increasing his batsman's workload. If someone faces fifty balls in the nets, they can perhaps face five hundred if required, as long as it helps them acquire the art of patience.

The way Shamsur Rahman got out in both the innings' barely reflected the value of an opener. Mahmudullah Riyad did score runs, but the way he lost his wicket on both the occasions' batsman inability to play long knocks.

Tamim Iqbal, who had hit form during the West Indies series failed to live up to his expectations. The technique of almost all the batsmen, apart from Mushfiqur, remains to be questioned.

The decision to include Shuvagata Hom in the side should also be one that the Faruque Ahmed-led selection panel can re-discuss. Whether he is ready to play at the international level remains a question.

A player can be unsuccessful in the initial stages of his career, but the manner in which Hom played his two Tests gave the impression that he has to do lot.

The refreshing fact was that the Bangladesh skipper was very much aware of their deficiencies.

“Had we won this game easily then there would have been a number of areas regarding which we would have forgotten about. So at least now we know that where to work on,” admitted Mushfiqur.

“This is a point (batting) that is a bit of a concern, no doubt. We were saying that we needed 20 wickets to win a Test, but I think what is more important for us is to put the runs on the board. Hopefully in the next match the batsmen will be more confident. The partnership in the top order is very important,” he hoped.

The sooner they attend this problem, the better, for their bowlers won't always be there to save them at the end of the day.