'We are better at home'

Can the 'accidental captain' create a good impression when he leads his side in the second Test against Sri Lanka with the aim of winning the series? If Mirpur really does offer joy for the bowlers, stand-in skipper Mahmudullah Riyad will need to be imaginative and proactive, unlike his first shot at the cherry in Chittagong, especially as the team's main weapon in ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will not be there to deal the body blows that were integral in famous wins against England and Australia at the same venue.

There is reason to question why spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz was removed from the attack immediately after providing the early breakthrough and kept away from bowling for a long period on the second day of the first Test, which hinted at the conventional practice of bowling left-arm bowlers to right-handed batsmen. However, one cannot blame Mahmudullah much for his captaincy in the first Test as the pitch had offered nothing to the bowlers and it is understandable that a captain temporarily in charge may be shy about making bold decisions.

He was impressive in field settings but Mahmudullah should show greater intent in the second Test, which they want to win. When he said in the pre-match press conference yesterday that they will play with positive intent like in the Chittagong Test, it sounded good but he needs to execute that thought in his leadership first.

The team will also need the responsible batting approach he displayed in the first Test in order to overcome the challenge of a Sri Lankan attack led by ace spinner Rangana Hearth.

However, Mahmudullah's confidence during the press conference was encouraging. "I always like the challenge of leading this side. I try to lead by performance, so that it also inspires the rest of the team. We have some key players who are helping with the new role."

Mahmudullah also has full confidence in his batting department. "The pitch is result-oriented and there will be help for the spinners. I think our team is better, especially at home. It will be a good contest. Herath is very experienced and both he and Dilruwan are good quality bowlers. They can trouble batsmen with their skills. Our batting is getting better day by day. We are confident but we have to execute our plans."

The biggest challenge for him however will be to make up the absence of Shakib and reignite Mehedi Hasan Miraz's fire so that the off-spinner can reprise his Mirpur heroics against England in 2016. With all the talk about Bangladesh's successes at the venue against England and Australia, the fact that these two players combined to deliver the triumphs indicate the difficulty of the task facing Mahmudullah.

Bangladesh beat England by 108 runs in Mirpur in October 2016 where Shakib provided the first breakthrough to open the gate for Mehedi to take six wickets in the first innings and in the second innings Mehedi took six and Shakib four scalps to dismiss England in a single session and win the Test.

Bangladesh beat Australia by 20 runs at Mirpur in August 2017 with Shakib striking 84 and bagging five-fors in both innings. Mehedi took three wickets in the first innings and two in Australia's second essay, helping seal a 20-run win.

"It is challenging to fill Shakib's role. He is a word-class bowler and batsman and a complete cricketer. Still, I believe we can fill his void with the spinners we have," was the assurance from the stand-in Tigers skipper.

If the man from Mymensingh can inspire his side to prove his words right, then a Shakib-less Test and series win will get a special place among Bangladesh's Test successes and mean much more than a jump up to eighth in the ICC Test team rankings in the event of another draw.