Uncapped spinner Hasan Murad claimed a hat-trick as bowlers shone for Bangladesh in their lone warm-up match against the West Indies select XI that ended in a draw at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Monday.聽
The first of the two-match Test series starts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on November 22, followed by the second Test in Kingston, Jamaica, on November 30.聽
Bangladesh reduced the hosts to 87-9 in 27.4 overs on a rain-curtailed day on Monday. Left-arm spinner Murad鈥檚 treble came in the last over of the match when he dismissed Daniel Beckford, Navin Bidaisee, and Chaim Holder.聽
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, leading the side in the absence of regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, used seven bowlers in the match.
Pacers Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed each took two wickets, while Shoriful Islam and Mehidy grabbed one each.聽
Bangladesh made 253-7 before declaring the innings on the opening day of the two-day game.聽
Overall, Bangladesh鈥檚 outing before the first Test has been a good one. However, concerns over the top-order batting remained as both openers鈥擬ahmudul Hasan and Zakir Hasan鈥攖hrew their wickets away.聽
Since the Pakistan series, the batting from the upper order has been a big concern for Bangladesh.
In the last six Tests鈥攖wo each against Pakistan, India, and South Africa鈥攖here have been only five fifties and a hundred from the batters from one to four.聽
Shanto addressed the issue after his side was swept by South Africa at home. Shanto batted at four, mostly in recent times, while Mominul Haque batted at number three.聽
But Mominul had to come at four in the second Test against South Africa when Bangladesh played Shadman, Mahmudul, and Zakir together.聽
Mominul, though, came in at three in the warm-up match while Shadman missed out.聽
Mahmudul got the start against South Africa but failed to score any fifty. He averaged 22.75 in that series.聽
Zakir played only in the second Test in Chattogram but failed to get a double digit in both the innings.聽
Bangladesh will not only miss Shanto but also the service of veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim in the series. They both have been ruled out of injuries. Their absence will certainly make the batting more vulnerable.聽
If the top order fails again, that will make the case a tougher one to solve for Bangladesh, even if the bowlers perform.聽
So in the Test series, Bangladesh will hope that their batters, especially the top order, make a substantial contribution to make life easy.聽
