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Tigers focus on pink ball Test after humiliating defeat in Indore
INDORE, Nov 16, 2019 (BSS)- Keeping aside the humiliation of the first Test in Indore, Bangladesh wants to concentrate fully on their next assignment in Kolkata, where they will have the maiden experience of playing under lights with pink ball.
Mominu Haque, the Test captain of the side, said that the players remain excited to be the part of the history. Not only Bangladesh, for India, the Kolkata Test will be their first ever day-night Test.
After the Indore Test finished inside three days, following their innings and 130-run margin defeat, Bangladesh got extra two days more to practice with pink ball.
Bangladesh indeed has no way but to stay in Indore because they are scheduled to fly for Kolkata on November 19. The Kolkata Test begins on November 22 amid much fanfare.
The team management had already arranged optional practice for the side at the Holkar Stadium in Indore and it would start from tomorrow (Sunday).
“We have to forget this Test as early as possible,” Mominul said after the match.
“It’s now past and we have another opportunity for our redemption in Kolkata. We have to grab that chance.”
“We have to be stable mentally after such sort of defeat. Pink ball Test is a great opportunity for us. The two teams are in the same boat as far as the pink ball Test is concerned. We are really excited to play with the pink ball for the first time.”
Coming to this Test, Mominul said that the lack of Test cricket is having its toll as they take time adjusting with longer format cricket.
The latest defeat was Bangladesh’s 87th in 116 Tests, amongst which 41 was by innings margin. The stat indicates how vulnerable they remain in the Test cricket since their elevation to the elite format in 2000.
”I think we have to play a lot of Test matches. If you see, (in) last seven months, we played only one or two Test matches,” Mominul said.
”We did not play enough Test matches like other teams play. I think that’s the main thing [for our failure],” he opined.
Mominul said that though there was threat from the opponent bowling camp, they failed to apply them properly against one of the best bowling attack of the world.
”Of course it was threat [facing the Indian pace bowlers] but along with that I think we failed as a batting unit,” he said. ”They are now world’s number one bowling side with the three-man pace attack but at the same time we could not capitalize our chances,” he remarked.
Mominul added that the top order needed to show more patience as they paid the price of lacking patience though he felt there was nothing wrong with the batting approach.
”Batting approach was right. I don’t think it was like that [wrong batting approach]. Maybe we needed to realize that we had to bat patiently against this opponent because they deliver the loose ball so rarely,” he said.
”So the players who play up in order should bat more patiently in the longer version format,” he concluded.
BSS/SMP/AU/07:10 hrs