‘Great chance for us to win a Test series’

Bangladesh struggled with positive decision making during the first Test against Sri Lanka as their bowlers struggled on a surface that was built to score big runs. Mahmudullah Riyad insists that there will be more help for the bowlers at Mirpur and opines that Tigers have a great chance to win the series if they can continue their positive intent.

Bangladesh managed to grind out a draw in the first Test at Chittagong and there were a lot of thinking to do ahead of the second Test which starts tomorrow. Speaking to reporters today, captain Mahmudullah Riyad confirmed that spinner Abdur Razzak is under consideration but insinuates that there could be changes in the lineup according to the conditions.

"[Razzak] is under consideration and so is the other spinners. But we haven't finalized our best XI yet.

Tigers' bowlers toiled for more than six sessions to pick up nine Sri Lanka wickets at Chittagong as the Lankans amassed over 700 runs in their first innings. Bangladesh managed to get out of a difficult position following brilliant knocks from Mominul Haque and Liton Das. The stand-in skipper hinted that the Mirpur surface will be more difficult for the batsmen.

"From what I have seen, it seems like a dry surface. There was help for bowlers in the tri-nation. I think it will be challenging for the batsmen, but we have to keep our intent," Riyad said.

The skipper might have talked about positivity but was also of the opinion that the bowlers need to keep their enthusiasm in check.

"There will be extra help for spinners here which sometimes gets us too excited. So, we have to keep that in check and bowl well in partnerships."

He said that the result was a positive outcome for the Tigers in the end and it will help them do better in the second Test.

"We got out of a tough position in the first match. So, this game is a great chance for us to win a Test series. I think all the players are thinking positively, which will help our outcome."