Different pressures in rainy Chittagong

The Chittagong gloom has seemed all-permeating in the days leading up to the second Test, but Australia and Bangladesh have equally strong but contrasting motivations to shine through the clouds when they take the field at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city at 10:00 am today. Rain is forecast for all five days but the silver lining for cricket fans is that, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, showers are not likely to be lengthy enough to cause major delays. 

With Bangladesh 1-0 up after their 20-run win in Mirpur last Wednesday, even a draw will give the hosts their maiden series win over Australia and a promotion to number eight in the ICC rankings. It will also mark their first Test series victory over a higher-ranked team, other than Zimbabwe and a second-string West Indies in 2009. A draw or a win will be seen as further evidence of Bangladesh's steep improvement in Test cricket, with Mirpur's triumph being their third Test win in less than a year -- quite a feat for a team that had won only nine of 100 Tests before Mirpur, as Australia skipper Steven Smith had pointed out before the series. 

There is understandably some pressure on the Australians after their first-ever Test loss against Bangladesh on a tour that was only confirmed at the 11th hour following the resolution of a pay dispute between the players and the board that ended with the players having their way. Even a win in Chittagong cannot prevent them from falling to number five in the ICC rankings and a 2-0 series loss will drop them to sixth. On top of that, they have selection headaches aplenty and will wait until morning today to name the playing eleven.

Read More: We will have to play a lot better: Smith

"They know they are under pressure, because normally they announce the eleven. In this case they haven't announced the eleven," said Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim before the match. "But the Australia team are very strong and they will come back hard. We know that. But our boys are also pretty fresh and they are very consistent in Chittagong also. So if we do the right things I think the result will come our way." 

It has been a series of bold statements. Smith's allusion to Bangladesh's record came in response to talk emanating from the home camp that it was possible to beat the Aussies 2-0. After the first Test, player-of-the-match Shakib Al Hasan said that the visitors will now respect Bangladesh more. In the lead-up to today's match Mushfiqur said that Bangladesh will continue their aggressive play and will not take the safe route, even though they cannot lose the series. 

While Bangladesh will be the more settled side, mentally as well as in terms of personnel, there is the chance that there may be a change or two from the eleven that played in Mirpur. The batting did not look terribly solid in the first Test with a bulk of the runs coming from th senior firm of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib in the first innings, and Tamim and Mishfiqur in the second. Nasir Hossain, who made his comeback to the team after two years, may make way for Mominul Haque. It may also be Mominul's replacement at number three, Imrul Kayes, who makes way.

The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhur Stadium pitch was under wraps for a large portion of the day before the start of the second Test. Photo: Star

With the pitch being rock hard and expected -- if the sun shines -- to quickly lose whatever moisture it has accumulated after hours under the covers, it remains to be seen whether Bangladesh persist with the two-pacer strategy by picking both Mustafizur Rahman and Shafiul Islam or whether Nasir, Mominul and Imrul all play with Mustafizur as the lone pacer. A third option is bringingin their fastest bowler Taskin Ahmed in place of Shafiul in hopes of utilising reverse swing on the abrasive surface. 

Fast bowler Pat Cummins talked about pacer Jackson Bird waiting in the wings after Josh Hazlewood picked up a left side strain during the first Test and flew back home. However, Hazlewood's place may also be taken by off-spinner Steve O'Keefe, with Cummins playing as the solitary fast man if Australia end up giving importance to spin after the spin-dominated first Test.

The batting is much more contentious, with both wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and number three Usman Khawaja under pressure, and at least one of them in line for the axe after failing in both innings of the first Test. Khawaja could be replaced by Hilton Cartwright or Matthew Wade may leave the team by handing the gloves to part-timer Peter Handscomb. 

Bangladesh will go into a second Test of a series in the lead against a higher-ranked side for the first time, other than against Zimbabwe in 2005 and 2014 and the West Indies in 2009, and that will have its own pressures. Australia will look to avoid an embarrassing series defeat that will prove their ineptness in the subcontinent beyond all doubt, after series losses in Sri Lanka and India over the past year.