Bangladesh in India 2019: Test series
Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:43 am
Bangladesh will be playing their first WTC series, after an embarassing loss at home against Afghanistan. India have a perfect WTC record with 5 wins from 5 games and maximum points so far. The 2nd game in Kolkata will be the first day-night Test in the WTC as well as the first one for either side.
This series (Bangladesh's first tour of India) provides Bangladesh with many opportunities. Firstly, Bangladesh must assume that they will not be gaining any points on the table from this match. It would be an immense feat just to draw one of the Tests. Thus, Bangladesh's goal must be to put in a better showing than they did vs Afghanistan, where they lost by more than 200 runs. Realistically the best that most teams can expect when they tour India is to push the game to the 5th day. This should be Bangladesh's only objective team-wise, given how strong India are at the moment.
Individually, the absence of Tamim and Shakib, should be viewed as opportunities for other players. Others should feel honored to have the opportunity to score the runs and take the wickets that that pair would have gotten.
Apart from those two big names being missing, the squad is actually a fairly reasonable squad.
Shadman Islam (Age 24, Test caps 4, batting average 33.42, 1x50)
The best opening prospect since Tamim Iqbal, Shadman has impressed although he hasn’t really pressed on. He needs to either score a hundred or hit a few fifties in order to exceed expectations. Had a pair of half centuries in the recent A team tour of Sri Lanka, finishing as Bangladesh A’s second best batsman.
Imrul Kayes (Age 32, Test caps 37, batting average 25.37, 3x100, 4x50)
Experience counts for something and Imrul is sure to play with Tamim out. With the emergence of Shadman, he is very much now a backup, and his numbers would justify that tag. His biggest attribute is that he is one of the very few Bangladeshi batsmen who nearly always plays as well as his talent will allow.
Mominul Haque (Age 28, Test caps 36, batting average 41.47, 8x100, 13x50)
Was named captain of the Test side rather unexpectedly and it will the biggest test of his career so far. He has not been a young player for quite some time now, and must elevate his batting to the next level if he is to cement his place as Bangladesh’s greatest ever Test batsman. In 14 away Tests, he averages just 23 with a top score of 77, and India is now one of the toughest places for visiting batsmen to score runs. Although he scored a hundred vs Sri Lanka A recently, his most recent first class form is worrisome.
Mushfiqur Rahim (Age 32, Test caps 67, batting average 34.73, 6x100, 19x50)
Mushy has reportedly [finally] given up wicket-keeping duties in order to focus on being a specialist batsman, meaning he is sure to bat in the top 5. He is Bangladesh’s most technically advanced batter, and is the glue that holds the lineup together. He hit a magnificent 127 in the only previous Test match in India and should be confident of succeeding this time around as well.
Mahmudullah (Age 33, Test caps 46, batting average 32.54, 4x100, 16x50)
Riyad has somehow managed to find great form in red-ball cricket in the past year, hitting 3 of his 4 Test centuries in that period. His most recent form however is not good, and India’s multi-pronged attack will pose the greatest challenge of his career. As a senior batsman, he must contribute if Bangladesh are to compete.
Mosaddek Hossain (Age 23, Test caps 3, batting average 41.00, 1x50)
Although he debuted in 2017, Mosaddek has only played 3 Test in 3 years due to a multitude of reasons. He’s missed 11 Tests out of 12 in that time, and may very well miss the first Test in Indore, due to a family emergency. Possessing the highest first-class average of any Bangladesh batsman (57.35 from 39 games), he continues to see selection be hampered by a unique combination of bad luck, and foolish exclusion by the selection panel. His strong play of spin was on display as he was one of the few Bangladesh batsmen who looked at ease against Afghanistan’s array of spinners, and that will be missed in the first India Test.
Liton Das (Age 25, Test caps 16, batting average 23.71, 4x50)
Liton continues to be a confusing player. He often looks spectacular, only to look clueless the very next delivery. His wicket-keeping is miles better than Mushfiqur’s and his close-in catching is the best that Bangladesh has seen in their short Test history.
Mohammad Mithun (Age 28, Test caps, batting average 21.22, 1x50)
I don’t see the point of wasting opportunities on a player pushing close to 30, who has such poor averages, and such obvious limitation to his batting. He averages less than 35 in first-class cricket, whereas even Liton Das (also probably not good enough for this level) averages nearly 50.
Saif Hassan (Age 21, Uncapped)
A maiden call up for Saif comes during perhaps the toughest tour there is in Test cricket currently. A first-class average of 45.81 sees the tall right hander getting picked. Although I don’t know much about him, I would much rather see him than Mithun, who is a limited player who continues to make every squad for reasons known only to the selectors.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Age 22, Test caps 20, bat avg 18.03, 2x50, bwl avg 32.04, 7x5w, 2x10w)
Miraz’s development at the international level to date hasn’t quite matched his stature at the Under-19 level. At the junior level he was a genuine all-rounder batting at #5. At Test level, he is a bowler who can bat a bit. If he can improve his batting another notch, he may begin to be a reasonable like-for-like replacement for Shakib al Hasan. As of now, he’s a world class bowler on the turning pitches at home, but has yet to replicate that kind of form in away matches.
Nayeem Hasan (Age 18, Test caps 3, bowling average 23.70, 1x5w)
The youngest member of the BD squad in several years, Nayeem is a tall off spinner who has so far been the biggest turner of the ball amongst all the Bangladesh spinners. His batting too has potential, and I believe he’s already a superior bowler than Miraz. Nayeem remains one of the more exciting players for the Tigers.
Mustafizur Rahman (Age 24, Test caps 13, bowling average 35.17)
So profound has been Bangladesh’s struggle to develop fast bowlers, that the Fizz’s 13 caps makes him the most experienced of Bangladesh’s seam bowlers. His red ball skills mostly involve use of cutters on a wearing pitch and reverse swing, both of which indicate he will be more useful in Asian conditions than abroad. However, continuous fitness troubles often relegate Mustafiz to the bench.
Al-Amin Hossain (Age 29, Test caps 6, bowling average 76.66)
A bit of a random inclusion after a few years out of the national side, Al-Amin is more of a limited overs bowler. One gets the feeling that there are surely better Test bowlers than him in Bangladesh, so why exactly has he been selected, especially so suddenly?
Abu Jayed (Age 26, Test caps 5, bowling average 39.36)
Despite only playing 5 games, Jayed has already become the leader of the Bangladesh seam attack. He is arguably the greatest ever swing bowler that BD has produced, and usually operates at 128-130 kph. Facing Indian bowlers in India will be the toughest exam of his young career so far.
Ebadat Hossain (Age 25, Test caps 2, bowling average 191.00)
Bowled well with the new ball in his debut series in New Zealand, and displayed a bit of pace as well. Needs to work on his fitness and accuracy over long spells, as does any other Bangladeshi quick bowler.
Taijul Islam (Age 27, Test caps 25, bowling average 31.19, 7x5w, 1x10w)
The third Bangladeshi bowler to 100 Test wickets (all of them SLAs), Taijul has a knack for picking wickets by the bunch. By some distance the most experienced bowler in the squad, Taijul will be expected to bowl with control and discipline.
This series (Bangladesh's first tour of India) provides Bangladesh with many opportunities. Firstly, Bangladesh must assume that they will not be gaining any points on the table from this match. It would be an immense feat just to draw one of the Tests. Thus, Bangladesh's goal must be to put in a better showing than they did vs Afghanistan, where they lost by more than 200 runs. Realistically the best that most teams can expect when they tour India is to push the game to the 5th day. This should be Bangladesh's only objective team-wise, given how strong India are at the moment.
Individually, the absence of Tamim and Shakib, should be viewed as opportunities for other players. Others should feel honored to have the opportunity to score the runs and take the wickets that that pair would have gotten.
Apart from those two big names being missing, the squad is actually a fairly reasonable squad.
Shadman Islam (Age 24, Test caps 4, batting average 33.42, 1x50)
The best opening prospect since Tamim Iqbal, Shadman has impressed although he hasn’t really pressed on. He needs to either score a hundred or hit a few fifties in order to exceed expectations. Had a pair of half centuries in the recent A team tour of Sri Lanka, finishing as Bangladesh A’s second best batsman.
Imrul Kayes (Age 32, Test caps 37, batting average 25.37, 3x100, 4x50)
Experience counts for something and Imrul is sure to play with Tamim out. With the emergence of Shadman, he is very much now a backup, and his numbers would justify that tag. His biggest attribute is that he is one of the very few Bangladeshi batsmen who nearly always plays as well as his talent will allow.
Mominul Haque (Age 28, Test caps 36, batting average 41.47, 8x100, 13x50)
Was named captain of the Test side rather unexpectedly and it will the biggest test of his career so far. He has not been a young player for quite some time now, and must elevate his batting to the next level if he is to cement his place as Bangladesh’s greatest ever Test batsman. In 14 away Tests, he averages just 23 with a top score of 77, and India is now one of the toughest places for visiting batsmen to score runs. Although he scored a hundred vs Sri Lanka A recently, his most recent first class form is worrisome.
Mushfiqur Rahim (Age 32, Test caps 67, batting average 34.73, 6x100, 19x50)
Mushy has reportedly [finally] given up wicket-keeping duties in order to focus on being a specialist batsman, meaning he is sure to bat in the top 5. He is Bangladesh’s most technically advanced batter, and is the glue that holds the lineup together. He hit a magnificent 127 in the only previous Test match in India and should be confident of succeeding this time around as well.
Mahmudullah (Age 33, Test caps 46, batting average 32.54, 4x100, 16x50)
Riyad has somehow managed to find great form in red-ball cricket in the past year, hitting 3 of his 4 Test centuries in that period. His most recent form however is not good, and India’s multi-pronged attack will pose the greatest challenge of his career. As a senior batsman, he must contribute if Bangladesh are to compete.
Mosaddek Hossain (Age 23, Test caps 3, batting average 41.00, 1x50)
Although he debuted in 2017, Mosaddek has only played 3 Test in 3 years due to a multitude of reasons. He’s missed 11 Tests out of 12 in that time, and may very well miss the first Test in Indore, due to a family emergency. Possessing the highest first-class average of any Bangladesh batsman (57.35 from 39 games), he continues to see selection be hampered by a unique combination of bad luck, and foolish exclusion by the selection panel. His strong play of spin was on display as he was one of the few Bangladesh batsmen who looked at ease against Afghanistan’s array of spinners, and that will be missed in the first India Test.
Liton Das (Age 25, Test caps 16, batting average 23.71, 4x50)
Liton continues to be a confusing player. He often looks spectacular, only to look clueless the very next delivery. His wicket-keeping is miles better than Mushfiqur’s and his close-in catching is the best that Bangladesh has seen in their short Test history.
Mohammad Mithun (Age 28, Test caps, batting average 21.22, 1x50)
I don’t see the point of wasting opportunities on a player pushing close to 30, who has such poor averages, and such obvious limitation to his batting. He averages less than 35 in first-class cricket, whereas even Liton Das (also probably not good enough for this level) averages nearly 50.
Saif Hassan (Age 21, Uncapped)
A maiden call up for Saif comes during perhaps the toughest tour there is in Test cricket currently. A first-class average of 45.81 sees the tall right hander getting picked. Although I don’t know much about him, I would much rather see him than Mithun, who is a limited player who continues to make every squad for reasons known only to the selectors.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Age 22, Test caps 20, bat avg 18.03, 2x50, bwl avg 32.04, 7x5w, 2x10w)
Miraz’s development at the international level to date hasn’t quite matched his stature at the Under-19 level. At the junior level he was a genuine all-rounder batting at #5. At Test level, he is a bowler who can bat a bit. If he can improve his batting another notch, he may begin to be a reasonable like-for-like replacement for Shakib al Hasan. As of now, he’s a world class bowler on the turning pitches at home, but has yet to replicate that kind of form in away matches.
Nayeem Hasan (Age 18, Test caps 3, bowling average 23.70, 1x5w)
The youngest member of the BD squad in several years, Nayeem is a tall off spinner who has so far been the biggest turner of the ball amongst all the Bangladesh spinners. His batting too has potential, and I believe he’s already a superior bowler than Miraz. Nayeem remains one of the more exciting players for the Tigers.
Mustafizur Rahman (Age 24, Test caps 13, bowling average 35.17)
So profound has been Bangladesh’s struggle to develop fast bowlers, that the Fizz’s 13 caps makes him the most experienced of Bangladesh’s seam bowlers. His red ball skills mostly involve use of cutters on a wearing pitch and reverse swing, both of which indicate he will be more useful in Asian conditions than abroad. However, continuous fitness troubles often relegate Mustafiz to the bench.
Al-Amin Hossain (Age 29, Test caps 6, bowling average 76.66)
A bit of a random inclusion after a few years out of the national side, Al-Amin is more of a limited overs bowler. One gets the feeling that there are surely better Test bowlers than him in Bangladesh, so why exactly has he been selected, especially so suddenly?
Abu Jayed (Age 26, Test caps 5, bowling average 39.36)
Despite only playing 5 games, Jayed has already become the leader of the Bangladesh seam attack. He is arguably the greatest ever swing bowler that BD has produced, and usually operates at 128-130 kph. Facing Indian bowlers in India will be the toughest exam of his young career so far.
Ebadat Hossain (Age 25, Test caps 2, bowling average 191.00)
Bowled well with the new ball in his debut series in New Zealand, and displayed a bit of pace as well. Needs to work on his fitness and accuracy over long spells, as does any other Bangladeshi quick bowler.
Taijul Islam (Age 27, Test caps 25, bowling average 31.19, 7x5w, 1x10w)
The third Bangladeshi bowler to 100 Test wickets (all of them SLAs), Taijul has a knack for picking wickets by the bunch. By some distance the most experienced bowler in the squad, Taijul will be expected to bowl with control and discipline.