Chief selector Habibul Bashar said earning “respect” in Australia will be Bangladesh’s primary aim on their upcoming tour.
The Tigers are heading Down Under bandaged and on crutches, with no replacement for the Nahid Rana-sized vacuum across the two-Test series. Yet, the team management are perhaps more concerned about the batting unit, which collapsed in Zimbabwe recently.
Despite having most of their regular batters, Bangladesh folded for 140 and 185 in Harare, losing the one-off Test by an innings and 85 runs. The challenge in Australian conditions, against one of the most feared pace attacks in world cricket, will be far greater.
Asked after yesterday’s press conference -- a day after the squad announcement was made -- what concerned him the most, Bashar simply replied: “It’s batting.”
During the presser, the former Bangladesh captain was also asked whether there was pressure to respond after the defeat against Zimbabwe. “Almost the full series… we didn’t bat well despite winning the T20 series. There was no pressure [from the higher-ups in the board], but you know that when you lose against Zimbabwe, it is difficult to accept. Not that we didn’t have to hear anything. We have to answer and also get told off,” Bashar said.
Team management sources had previously claimed Rana was used in the white-ball formats because “the team were losing”. If that was the case, it proved a costly decision and highlighted the need for a stronger red-ball mindset.
Having rested Taskin Ahmed, Rana and Shoriful Islam for the Zimbabwe Test, the Tigers featured all three quicks in the white-ball series, and are now hoping Shoriful, also injured, can recover in time for the second Test.
The challenge is compounded by the left-hand-heavy composition of the batting order. Bangladesh have four left-handers in the top order, with backup opener Soumya Sarkar also a left-hander, while the only right-hander in the top four, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, has been left out because of his "current form".
“We considered other openers, but our current right-handed prospects are very new and taking them directly to Australia without proper preparation would be difficult,” he said.
Soumya spent long hours working with senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin in the nets yesterday, but his inclusion appears to be a stop-gap solution. Tanzid Tamim, meanwhile, remains an unknown quantity in Tests, while Jaker Ali has struggled in international cricket and was dropped before returning for the Australia Tests.
With Litton Das also unavailable for the first Test, after having emerged as a saviour at number six, the batting line-up looks fragile. Bashar’s prescription was to “maintain a positive, attacking mindset” -- an approach that did not work out too well for England in the last Ashes.
Given the scale of the challenge, though, barely surviving the Australia tour may be enough for the depleted Tigers to return with the "respect" Bashar spoke of.
