Mominul faces tough challenge for a spot in Test XI

Not too long ago,  Bangladesh’s batting lineup in Tests would appear incomplete without Mominul Haque.

Sports Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 14 August 2017, 05:31 PM
Updated : 14 August 2017, 05:31 PM

But he now faces the difficult task of finding his way back into the team after being left out of the Tigers’ last match, their historic 100th Test – which they won in Sri Lanka.

The left-handed top order batsman, however, has set his sights on an even tougher goal -- sealing his spot in the playing eleven.

Mominul made his debut in 2013 against Sri Lanka in Galle where he scored 55 in his only innings in that game. He smashed three centuries in his next six matches and had four centuries to his name by the time he played 12 games.

But the tons dried up in the next 10 Tests as he managed just four half-centuries from 17 matches in between. And his stunning average took a big hit. His average in the first five games was 83.42 which dipped to 58.12 after 10 Tests.

After 20 Tests he was averaging 51.15, which soon dropped below 50. When he lost his place in the team in Galle, his average had slumped to 46.88.

The decision to exclude the 25-year-old batsman from the team, however, was still controversial with his record speaking for itself. But the slump in form was undeniable.

“It’s not possible to maintain a consistent [form] graph when you are playing. It happens to everyone in the world, all the renowned batsmen, not just me. The graph will go down at one point,” Mominul said on Monday.

“That bout needs to be seen through. The real challenge is to overcome it and play well again. I hope I can get over this.”

Mominul was dismissed lbw by offspinner Dilruwan Perera in either innings of the first Sri Lanka Test which ultimately ruled him out of the Galle Test.

There is word that the coach had identified flaws in his technique against offspin. Mominul, however, shrugged off the suggestion.

“I don’t think there is a problem against offspin in particular. A batsman can get out off any sort of bowling, be it offspin, left-arm spin or right-arm spin. It doesn’t mean that it is a big weakness,” Mominul said with a smile.

“I didn’t really do anything extra [to improve my game against offspin]. If you think like that, it will become your blind spot.

“If you think you are good, you must work accordingly. For oneself, self-belief and one’s own view is what matters most. I may have worked on some flaws... but didn’t work on that separately.

His efforts clearly showed in the three-day warm-up match in Chittagong where he looked strong against spin as usual.

He could have taken a big step towards securing his place in the team by scoring a century at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Though he could not do it, he staked his claim with a solid 73.

“There are always regrets. When you get out scoring 100, you regret about not making 200 and if we achieve that, maybe we will regret missing out on 300,” Mominul said.

“I regret not being able to do a 100, obviously. Not getting out in such situations is better, playing big innings helps both yourself and the team...I should be able to overcome this the next time I get an opportunity.”