Tigers not yet give up their hopes
Sports Reporter, Ctg
With 504 for three, no doubt, Sri Lanka are the only team in the Test to push for a victory but Bangladesh didnt give up their hopes. They instead hope to bowl Sri Lanka out quickly on day four before setting a good target for them in the fourth innings. It might sound illogical but Bangladesh are determined not to bow down with such ease.
Sri Lanka are in a better position. Tomorrow is very important for us to see how quickly we can bowl them out and then bat well in the second innings. I think a lot will depend on how the wicket plays on the fourth day, said Bangladeshs technical director Khaled Mahmud Sujon.
He got the belief actually hoping that the pitch will deteriorate on the fifth and if they could put Sri Lanka in batting, setting a good target, their chance of winning the match will increase.
I believe that it still hasnt deteriorated that much at this stage, said Mahmud. I dont know how long the wicket will last. But we have to do it within five days. I am hoping the wicket will stay well for our second innings.
I cant really say that we are in a position to push for a win or save the game. We obviously started with the target of winning the game. They still have seven wickets in hand with two set batsmen at the crease. Tomorrow morning will tell us who will take control.
Resuming the day on 187 for one, Sri Lanka scored 317 on day three at the cost of just two wickets to reach 504 for three at the close of the day. Kusal Mendis scored 196 while Dhananjaya de Silva made 173 and combined for a 308-run partnership to pay a solid platform after Bangladesh were dismissed for 513 in their first innings. But the partnership couldnt go that far should Bangladesh slip fielders became more proactive. Mendis was dropped thrice on 4, 57 and 83 while he was on 150, Bangladesh couldnt take the chance of inflicting a run out on him.
We have certainly worked on slip catching during the training camp. We only have two slip fielders in our setup but they work hard. We tried Sunzamul at third slip or gully. It is important to have specialist fielders in Tests which every team has. But we should definitely work more on them, Mahmud informed.
He however didnt believe that Sri Lanka batsmen applied them better than the Bangladeshi batsmen for which they were in the top.
I wouldnt say Sri Lanka applied better than us. Mominul and Mushfiqur were outstanding. Tamim and Imrul got us off to a good start. Riyad batted well too. Two of their young batsmen have played really well. I wouldnt say that there was much difference between the two batting line-ups, he remarked.
Mahmud also defended captain Mahmudullah Riyad on his strategy of not using Mehidi Hasan Miraj properly when he was in wicket-taking mood.
It had nothing to do with strategy. The captain took the decision why he wasnt brought on to the attack late. Maybe because there were two right-handers at the crease but I always say thats not the main thing. Miraz is a fine Test bowler. I think the thinking was to bring him in later.
Mahmudul also clarified of the decision of not including Abdur Razzak in the final XI despite calling him in the national set-up after four years.
He(Razzak) wasnt in our setup for a long time but theres no reason to doubt his experience. I think there was more confidence in Sunzamul because he was in the setup, he was training with the national team. Maybe we thought that Sunzamul would be better in these conditions. Razzak was in our plan; he wasnt just brought all of a sudden. But we needed to give him time, which may make it easier for him.
