Tigers vow to puzzle England with spin web

Miraj, Sabbir, Rabbi all set to make debut today

Even though there was sense of discomfort and rustiness following a long gap in longer version format, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was adamant to shake it off by executing a blueprint of spin web against a rampant England who has been so dominant in Test cricket for years. Bangladesh bolstered their squad with a combination of right and left hand spinners that was enough to indicate that they want to expose the England’s traditional vulnerability against the spin.

There was though popular notion that Bangladesh would prepare a flat wicket to survive for five days but Mushfiqur Rahim, the Test captain of the country, made it clear that they want turning track in a bid to extract a result. The wicket-keeper cum batsman indeed was reluctant to give it a thought that they are going to play the Test cricket after 15 months.
“Taking 20 wickets on a flat wicket is difficult. So we have planned a little differently, and if the wicket helps our strength then I believe that we have enough quality bowlers that can take 20 wickets. And if we take our chances that is of course possible,” Mushfiqur said.
Sources close to the team management also revealed that Bangladesh gave the pitch curator a direction of making the turning wicket though there was confusion that if it is possible in little time. At the same time, the turning wicket may cause a rage turner which could draw the attention of ICC. But Bangladesh will be happy if the wicket breaks after third day.
Unarguably Bangladesh will go for the first Test here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium with a spin-heavy side and long tail. Out of four uncapped players—three off-spinning-all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraj, batsman Sabbir Rahman and pace bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi are all but sure to make debut. Mushfiqur Rahim shows his willingness to keep the wicket, meaning Nurul Hasan Sohan would have to wait for his debut.
Mushfiqur has kept belief on his batsmen to play a long innings.
“If you see that in the Bangladesh there are five, six batsmen who play all three formats. Whether it is Imrul, Shakib, Tamim, Riyad, Mominul they are all in good form. So if someone from the top four can play a big innings and we get more than 300 in the first innings it will be a big plus for us,” said Mushfiqur stressing on the needs of doing good in the first innings. 
“First innings will determine the course of the Test,” he pointed out.
He however was not fazed by his side’s lack of matches in the longer version format as he claimed they are an improved side despite having limited exposure.
If the states are taken into consideration, everyone would see some logic in Mushfiqur’s claim—Bangladesh lost just two matches in the last 12 but what the stats didn’t reveal that most of the Tests they drew by the blessings of the rain.
Bangladesh’s overall track record in Test looks so wretched still. They have won just seven matches, all of which against low profile Zimbabwe and another lowly ranked West Indies. They have lost 71 and drawn 15 after playing 93 Tests. Against England, Bangladesh lost all eight matches they played and quite unconvincingly. 
The diminutive wicket-keeper cum batsman said they have been going through a best phase in their Test cricket so far even though it didn’t match well with the success of ODI side.
“One-day or Test, the team is the same – Bangladesh. Obviously there are concerns regarding Test cricket, but in the last year of playing Test cricket we have actually played much better than we have in the previous 10, 12 years,” Mushfiqur said, being confident of Bangladesh’s chance against the England.
“Against a team like South Africa, we took the lead and got them all out – something that no other Bangladesh team have done. So we have a lot of plus points but still we have a lot to work on. You cannot suddenly become good in Test cricket. So the more we play, the more the players will be experienced and they will know how to get batsmen out or get through tough spells against bowlers. We have some players who are senior, and if they throw their weight behind the team then we will do well.”
What actually gave Mushfiqur a sense of belief is the weather, a stifling heat that would be tough to deal with for the English. Even though they have been here around for two weeks, Chittagong’s heat has been increasing alarmingly.
“Weather will obviously have a big effect. Maintaining concentration and consistency over five days will be challenging. I think it will be more difficult for them than us, as they are not habituated to this weather. Although they have been here for around 15-20 days, we’ll try to maximise our advantage to the full, be it from the wicket or the weather conditions.”

Tigers vow to puzzle England with spin web

Miraj, Sabbir, Rabbi all set to make debut today

Even though there was sense of discomfort and rustiness following a long gap in longer version format, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was adamant to shake it off by executing a blueprint of spin web against a rampant England who has been so dominant in Test cricket for years. Bangladesh bolstered their squad with a combination of right and left handspinners that was enough to indicate that they want to expose the Englandstraditional vulnerability against the spin. There was though popular notion that Bangladesh would prepare a flat wicket to survive for five days but Mushfiqur Rahim, the Test captain of the country, made it clear that they want turning track in a bid to extract a result. The wicket-keeper cum batsman indeed was reluctant to give it a thought that they are going to play the Test cricket after 15 months. Taking 20 wickets on a flat wicket is difficult. So we have planned a little differently, and if the wicket helps our strength then I believe that we have enough quality bowlers that can take 20 wickets. And if we take our chances that is of course possible, Mushfiqur said. Sources close to the team management also revealed that Bangladesh gave the pitch curator a direction of making the turning wicket though there was confusion that if it is possible in little time. At the same time, the turning wicket may cause a rage turner which could draw the attention of ICC. But Bangladesh will be happy if the wicket breaks after third day. Unarguably Bangladesh will go for the first Test here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium with a spin-heavy side and long tail. Out of four uncapped playersthree off-spinning-all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraj, batsman Sabbir Rahman and pace bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi are all but sure to make debut. Mushfiqur Rahim shows his willingness to keep the wicket, meaning Nurul Hasan Sohan would have to wait for his debut. Mushfiqur has kept belief on his batsmen to play a long innings. If you see that in the Bangladesh there are five, six batsmen who play all three formats. Whether it is Imrul, Shakib, Tamim, Riyad, Mominul they are all in good form. So if someone from the top four can play a big innings and we get more than 300 in the first innings it will be a big plus for us, said Mushfiqur stressing on the needs of doing good in the first innings. First innings will determine the course of the Test, he pointed out. He however was not fazed by his sides lack of matches in the longer version format as he claimed they are an improved side despite having limited exposure. If the states are taken into consideration, everyone would see some logic in Mushfiqurs claimBangladesh lost just two matches in the last 12 but what the stats didnt reveal that most of the Tests they drew by the blessings of the rain. Bangladeshs overall track record in Test looks so wretched still. They have won just seven matches, all of which against low profile Zimbabwe and another lowly ranked West Indies. They have lost 71 and drawn 15 after playing 93 Tests. Against England, Bangladesh lost all eight matches they played and quite unconvincingly. The diminutive wicket-keeper cum batsman said they have been going through a best phase in their Test cricket so far even though it didnt match well with the success of ODI side. One-day or Test, the team is the same Bangladesh. Obviously there are concerns regarding Test cricket, but in the last year of playing Test cricket we have actually played much better than we have in the previous 10, 12 years, Mushfiqur said, being confident of Bangladeshs chance against the England. Against a team like South Africa, we took the lead and got them all out something that no other Bangladesh team havedone. So we have a lot of plus pointsbut still we have a lot to work on. You cannot suddenly become good in Test cricket. So the more we play, the more the players will be experienced and they will know how to get batsmen out or get through tough spells against bowlers. We have some players who are senior, and if they throw their weight behind the team then we will do well. What actually gave Mushfiqur a sense of belief is the weather, a stifling heat that would be tough to deal with for the English. Even though they have been here around for two weeks, Chittagongs heat has been increasing alarmingly. Weather will obviously have a big effect. Maintaining concentration and consistency over five days will be challenging. I think it will be more difficult for them than us, as they are not habituated to this weather. Although they have been here for around 15-20 days, well try to maximise our advantage to the full, be it from the wicket or the weather conditions.