What's ailing Bangladesh Test team? Veterans weigh in

During the second Test match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, experienced batter Mominul Haque said first-class cricket in the country has been unable to make the players ready for the challenge posed by international cricket. For this reason, big-name cricketers in Bangladesh don't play much domestic first-class cricket. 

But it's not the only reason why Bangladesh have been a poor Test side. Not learning from past mistakes, lack of self-awareness, tendency to look for shortcuts to success and no national culture are behind Bangladesh's continuous failure in the longest formats, experts say.

On a bowling-friendly Sylhet pitch, batters from both sides suffered and in the end two batters - Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva - made the difference. But the way Bangladesh batters impatiently threw away their wickets in perfect batting conditions in Chattogram was baffling and it made one wonder if they lack Test temperament. 

The Business Standard (TBS) spoke to veteran cricket coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain and former skipper Mohammad Ashraful in an attempt to find the answer. 

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim 

Inability to build Test mindset

The state of Test cricket was not as bad a few years ago. At least the application was better. We are getting weak in terms of mindset because of our domestic state, especially in Tests. There is a lack of mental toughness. Our batters are giving up after some time. They are failing to bide their time. Batters acclimatise themselves to Test cricket in domestic cricket but we have been unable to do that.

No cricketing culture 

Not being able to stay patient is the culture of our cricket and country overall. We look for shortcuts to success not only in cricket but also other aspects of life. This very trait influences our cricketing culture as well. There is no denying that.

Lack of preparation 

If you don't prepare for something completely, you'll always feel that you are not good enough to compete at this level. You'll start to feel inferior and try to hide in the corner. 

Bowling

While batting, there might be a period when you don't look for runs. You just hang in there and look for the perfect opportunity. It's applicable for bowling too. When there is a big partnership, you just have to be patient and block the scoring opportunities. Against set batters, we went for the kill and in the process gave them scoring opportunities. But we had to dry up the runs and hurt the batters' ego. We leaked runs when tight bowling was required. We lacked game awareness and did not have a proper plan.

Commitment 

The batters could have survived if they had wanted to. Mehidy Hasan Miraz did that, didn't he? Taijul Islam also could have batted longer. Apart from odd misbehaviours, the pitch had no demons. But the desire to bat long has to come from inside. But they felt inferior. The art of survival comes from meticulous practice and preparation. It doesn't happen overnight. 

Gazi Ashraf Hossain 

Not learning from mistakes

We did not learn from our past mistakes. Yes, we did not play longer version cricket leading up to the series. But we got an idea in Sylhet how Sri Lanka were trapping our players. We faced the consequences of dropping Kamindu Mendis. The wicket was much better in Chattogram but failed to correct the mistakes. A host of batters could have survived had they left the ball well. But they were impatient. And we dropped catches again.

Switching formats 

I feel the batters have to prepare well before switching from one format to another. Apart from five or six guys, all of them play multiple formats. I think we could not come out of the ODI/T20 mode and switch on the Test mode. We showed our weakness in fielding and batting.

Backing bowlers 

The bowlers fought with a lot of heart but the fielders failed to back them up. Bowlers are not to blame for the 500+ total. As the chief selector, I want to appreciate the performance of the bowlers, especially the pacers. They created chances and picked up wickets. It was an inspiring performance from them. We need fielders and batters to step up.

Test mindset

In the second innings, all of the batters got set. Everyone won't make big runs but at least two or three batters have to have substantial contributions. We have to address the mode of dismissals too. Sri Lanka pacers have got the batters out time and again delivering from wide of the crease and angling the ball in. Analysts are pointing out the weak zones but they are getting out in the same manner. If you are able to leave, the bowler will bowl at the stumps. This is a basic drill. Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das - these three are very experienced batters. The bowling was not threatening enough to prevent at least two of them from hitting hundreds.

Mohammad Ashraful 

Test mindset and quality of domestic cricket 

A head coach in first-class cricket used to get around Tk40,000 in 45 days just a year ago. If you give a head coach such a small amount of money, how will the mindset grow? The change in habit and culture has to take place in domestic cricket. You can increase Test match fees and pay the national head coach handsomely but it won't help if you forget the roots. I never expected Bangladesh to play like this. They played well last year and then won a Test against New Zealand. 

Not enough preparation 

Taijul Islam is an experienced campaigner. He is stubborn and that's why he could survive. You cannot survive in top-level cricket if you don't have the mindset and preparation. You can't be afraid. When we used to play, we didn't have many facilities. Now there are so many of them but yet there is little change in performance.