Kolkata: Their batting frailties fully exposed by Indian pacers in the just-concluded two-match series, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque said Sunday that they need to work on their mental strength ahead of the long Test season next year. Mominul Haque hoped that the lop-sided series would help them make a better Test playing nation.
“As a team we have not been able to play well whether it is batting or bowling. There are a lot of areas to improve. If we do that we can give a good account of ourselves next year. We have about 10 Tests lined up in 2020,” Mominul said at the post-match press conference here at the Eden Gardens.
“You must be aware that we don’t play Tests frequently. We will play about 10 Tests next year and hopefully we will put up much improved show. We all need to prepare better mentally. Hope we will become mentally stronger and improve day by day. We will need some time. The message to our young batsmen is to learn well from this series and results will come in future,” added Mominul.
The decision to play their maiden pink ball Test was taken three days prior to Bangladesh’s departure for India, but Mominul is no mood to give any excuses for the poor show.
“There is no point to give an excuse. Losers give excuse. As a team we have not been able to put up a good show. We batted poorly. There are a lot to learn from this series. Struggle makes one perfect. It’s about learning rather than feeling disappointed,” asserted the Bangladesh skipper.
Mominul was also not ready to blame the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision to agree for the Day/Night Test as wrong. “The decision wasn’t wrong. We may have failed but we had to start somewhere. We could learn from this series. India also were new to pink ball. Maybe we could have some practice matches but that’s the way it is,” said Mominul.
Mominul was handed the captaincy baton after Shakib-Al Hasan was suspended by the ICC, while Bangladesh’s all-time leading run getter Tamim Iqbal also skipped the series citing personal reasons. He had a woeful run with the bat in the series with scores of 37 and seven at Indore, while he made a king pair here.
“I don’t think much about my individual performance. I think about the team and it’s disappointing with the way we have played. Maybe I’m struggling but I will improve soon,” asserted Mominul.
PTI
