Bangladesh need a partnership bowling
Syed Mohammed Pithu, Ctg
Sri Lankas 317 runs at the expense of two wickets on day three should suggest that the wicket remained absolutely placid and there was nothing for the bowlers. Unforgiving for the bowlers, it might be but its not that it didnt offer minimum turn and bounce as what the wicket of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium traditionally offers on day three of the Test. If not aplenty, there was turn and bounce for the spinners but for Bangladesh bowlers it wasnt enough. The main problem is there is no big turner in the group, a thing that has been a headache for the team management for long.
Bangladesh had two ways open on their way if they want to resist Sri Lanka from doing the carnage--either contain runs to strategically make the batsmen impatient or keep up doing good balls in right length, something which they failed to do throughout the day. One good ball is followed by two bad ballsthat was the scenario of the whole day. It wasnt also understood who the leader of this bowling group was. When Shakib is in the team, he leads the group but in the absence of Shakib, there should be someone who could fill his shoes. It wasnt also understood who took the role to attack the batsmen, and who took the role to defend. Its clear there is no plan in the place. But again when the bowlers couldnt bowl smartly in such sort of pitch, the plan, is there is any, never works.
Sri Lanka batsmen never looked tensed when they were batting. They knew the bad balls were on the way, so they were waiting for that and they got it plenty.
Two wickets were fallen and those two perished to a bad shot. By no means, Mustafizurs short-pitched delivery at just 128 km pace could trouble Dhananjaya de Silva, rather he was so confident in making runs by pulling it that it led his downfall. So he missed the double century what looked inevitable for him. Kusal Mendis was on 196 and tea session was just one over away. But he was confident that he would easily dispatch Taijul to the boundary rope for that he had to pay the price. Bangladeshi bowlers toothless bowling indeed made them so confident and it turned out to be blessings in disguise for the hosts indeed. The way De Silva and Mendis were batting, it looked that they would never get dismissed. If one of the two was in the crease, there was no doubt that Sri Lanka would take a lead on day three.
Partnership bowling is important in Test matches so Id say that we didnt do it that well. We couldnt really attack and defend from both ends. The wicket is good for batting but I thought we could have bowled better, Bangladesh Technical Director Khaled Mahmud Sujon said.
When the bowlers were toothless, clueless, they were not backed up well by the fielders, who put down some chances and also missed a run out chance that could have got Kusal Mendis on 150. On day two Mendis were dropped twice on 4 and 57. Just third over of the day three, he was again dropped on his overnight 83. In all cases, slip fielders had delayed reaction and those chances looked tougher but when the pitch is placid, you have to covert the half chances to the full chances if you want to win the matchthats what the cricket pundits say always.
It would have been better if we took those chances. The catch went through them in the slips, it would have been easier had it gone to hand. We missed a run-out chance. We could have fielded better, caught better, Mahmud rued, admitting the facts.
