Tigers ready to give another close fight
England aim to keep winning momentum ahead of India tour
Syed Mohammed Pithu
A positive vibe gripped the whole country after the way Bangladesh fought with the might of England in the first Test, something that was beyond the imagination for a team who hadnt been in longer version format for almost 15 months.
Expectation that nobody dared to do in the first Test, now gets increasingly higher as the adorable fans wants the team Bangladesh to come all guns blazing against England in the second Test, starting today at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The team that was almost written off and a match which was expected to be a one sided affair, Bangladesh got them into the winning position with 33 runs required with two wickets but a reverse-swing burst of Ben Stokes denied them the victory what could have been a landmark win for Bangladesh in its history.
Bangladesh never won against a top flight opposition barring Zimbabwe and depleted West Indies but they at least created a chance to break the jinx now if the performance of the first Test is taken into the consideration. But at the same time, history is against them. If the stats are taken into consideration, Bangladesh never played consistently well against a top opposition in the longer version format. In 2015, Bangladesh pushed Pakistan throughout the first Test in Khulna to earn a win-like draw but broke down in the second Test in Dhaka. As they became a force in ODI cricket, this time, people expect the stat will unlikely to affect them.
They didnt show any rust during the first Test but Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim knows that playing consistent cricket is the thing which will be challenging for his side. They have hinted to come off the age already but it would be only confirmed if they push England once again in the second Test.
Our challenge will be to play consistently, especially against a side like England. We wouldnt have become the No 1 team in the world by beating England in Chittagong. Still we want to do well over four to five days in a Test, and afterwards if we get into a winning position, we will push on, Mushfiqur said.
While England will want to continue their winning momentum heading into the India series, ideally Bangladesh should want to avenge their defeat. For Alastair Cook and his men it will be the last time they could tinker with their side as it is an apt situation for them. Left arm spinner Zafar Ansari will make his Test debut, with pace bowler Steven Finn replacing Stuart Broad, as England would make two changes from the first test, Cook confirmed.
Zafars going to make his debut coming in for Gareth and Finnys coming in for Broady, Cook said Ansaris inclusion will mean that Cook has a left-arm spinner, an off-spinner in Moeen Ali and a leg-spinner in Adil Rashid at his disposal.
Cook knows very well that Bangladesh would play to their strength and they will get another turning track in Mirpur. But if last two days rain, caused by the low pressure of Bay of Bengal, may put an impact on the pitch and there is weather forecast of rain on the first day of the Test. Both of the team knows very well that the toss will be imperative as the pitch was under cover ahead of the Test.
Bangladesh are expected to make two changes to the side like England with fast bowler Shuvashis Roy and allrounder Mosaddek Hossain Saikat likely to make debut replacing Shafiul Islam and Taijul Islam. Saabir Rahman after complaining the stomach pain is now fit to play.
