Plethora of challenges for Mominul
Over the past 10 days Bangladesh cricket has gone through a succession of upheavals, with the latest and greatest being the two-year suspension handed out by the ICC to the now former Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan for not reporting three separate approaches by a bookmaker to engage in ‘corrupt conduct’.
After this epochal change, Bangladesh cricket faces significant changes and challenges in the coming days. Mominul Haque is the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) choice to be the new Test captain to lead Bangladesh into a new era as the BCB accepted the Board of Control for Cricket India’s (BCCI’s) request to play a day-night Test in Kolkata in the second match of the upcoming two-match series against India. Before that Mahmudullah Riyad will be the first to step into Shakib’s shoes as he was named captain for the three-match series against India starting from November 3.
Although India will, like Bangladesh, be playing their first match with the pink ball, the task will be much more difficult for Bangladesh to adapt to the pink-ball cricket with hardly any preparation. Both teams will have just two days of preparation between the Indore and the Kolkata Tests but for the visitors, ranked ninth in Tests, will have to adjust to the new format against the top-ranked side in their own den.
The last and only time Bangladeshi cricketers played a longer-version game under lights was back in 2013 in the final of the Bangladesh Cricket League and since then the BCB had turned down New Zealand’s request to play a pink-ball Test last year.
Since the defeat over Afghanistan at home and the shock of missing out their premier cricketer for one year it will be a huge challenge for Bangladesh to make a turnaround from a situation where they already have their backs to the wall.
Much like the entire team it will be important for the newly appointed Test skipper Mominul to prove his worth in foreign conditions, having scored all his eight Test hundreds at home.
The 28-year-old however did lead the Bangladesh A team in the unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A, but to take the next step and more importantly fill the huge gap left by Shakib, the performer and the leader will be crucial.
The struggle for the Tigers to adapt to the longest format of the game has always come under question, especially away from home and especially when the opponent is India.
Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo admitted that there were concerns from the players for the pink-ball Test due to the lack of preparation, but added that his experience of the day-night Test during his tenure for South Africa in the 2015 Adelaide Test against Australia could be an advantage this time around.
Apart from skills the biggest concern for the Tigers will be to overcome the mental barrier and come out as a strong unit in the coming days.
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