|
Driving, poking and nibbling at deliveries pitched outside off stump cost Bangladesh a wicket every 18 balls against West Indies' fast bowlers in the two-Test series in July this year. It was a new low, resulting in the worst Test series for batting any side in more than 63 years. Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, two-thirds of the West Indies attack that tormented Bangladesh during that series, will lead the attack again when the return series starts in Chittagong on Thursday. Bangladesh's only respite is the absence of captain Jason Holder, who has had a stellar 2018. It is likely that despite the subcontinent conditions, West Indies will still fancy a three-man pace attack with either of Keemo Paul, Shermon Lewis or Raymon Reifer likely to partner Roach and Gabriel. So it is imperative that Bangladesh solve their problems outside the off stump. It troubled them even during the Zimbabwe series earlier this month. Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara opened up the top order in the first innings in Sylhet before the spinners took advantage in the second to set up a famous win. They had success in Dhaka too before big partnerships in the middle-order got the hosts out of danger. But nothing compared to that West Indies tour four months ago. And while on many occasions Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes had described the Antigua Test - where they were bowled out for 43 - as an exception, its roots are in Bangladesh's rise as a one-day force. For a long time, fast bowlers employed short balls to attack Bangladesh batsmen in all conditions. While their technique on the back foot has improved by leaps and bounds, their appetite for scoring runs quickly has made them vulnerable, tempting them to drive away from the body and eventually nicking off. A deeper look reveals a pattern of indecision even when trying to defend deliveries pitched outside off stump. In the West Indies series, batsmen were dismissed 15 out of 30 times trying to defend such deliveries. Against India in February last year, out of the five batsmen dismissed by deliveries pitched outside the off stump, four got out trying to defend. It was three out of five against Australia at home last year, and seven out of nine against England in 2016. Perhaps they're worried about those balls coming in to threaten their pads and their stumps. Perhaps that's why they're unwilling to leave as many deliveries as they should. But all they need to do is look at the way Mushfiqur Rahim batted when he made the Bangladesh's highest score. He was past a hundred, but since it was the start of a new day, he knew there might be changes to the pitch and that Zimbabwe's bowlers would be fresher. He understood he needed to start all over again and so, in the effort to get set again, he left as many balls as he could, even though it meant he'd be scoring very very slowly. That extra effort is vital for a top-order batsman to succeed at this level. And not putting it in is costing Bangladesh. After the Sylhet loss, coach Rhodes and later stand-in captain Mahmudullah acknowledged that discipline in batting was becoming a major issue. Even Mushfiqur, in the long run, has been susceptible to good length balls outside the off stump, losing his wicket eight times to this line of attack in 2018. Oppositions know he is Bangladesh's best batsman and so they up their game every time they face him. Additionally, he's had to shift his positions between No. 4 and No. 6, which means that he ends up batting with the lower order and would be forced to take a few risks to get important runs. Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Liton Das have all been out four times to balls in the off-stump corridor this year. Mominul Haque had it particularly rough in the West Indies, getting out thrice like that on that tour alone. However, against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on either side of that tour, he has come away unscathed by deliveries along that line. Despite the lack of pace and bounce in Chittagong and Dhaka, West Indies' fast bowlers are unlikely to give Bangladesh any respite. But with the confidence of their come-from-behind victory against Zimbabwe, they should have a little more confidence in their batting unit and that really can make all the difference.
|
