At times, it seemed like the old Bangladesh team management led by Chandika Hathurusingha had a negative view of Mominul Haque. If so, he has hit back, big time.
Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2018It was only when he stepped out of the crease twice in the nineties did the usually restrained Mominul Haque allow us a glimpse of his emotions. He didn’t time the first one well, a straight bunt off Lakshan Sandakan that went past mid-on for four, but the next whistled through wide of mid-off. It was an excellent shot, but before you could marvel at it, there was something else demanding attention. The scowl on Mominul’s face.Until day three, it will be good to bat on – Samaraweera
Sri Lanka leaked 40 runs too many, but given the state of the pitch, they might be well-placed if they keep Bangladesh to less than 500. This was the assessment of batting coach Thilan Samaraweera at the close of day one. The real test of this surface, he felt, would come when Sri Lanka begin their own innings.
“It is hard to say because this is the first day, but I feel that until day three this is a good pitch to bat on,” Samaraweera said. “It will turn slowly from then on. We will see how we do from now. It looks like a good batting pitch but once we bat in the second innings, we will know how flat this pitch is.”
Meanwhile, Tamim Iqbal, who kickstarted Bangladesh’s innings with a 53-ball 52, believed his team could claim a dominant position despite the state of the surface.
“I hope the wicket becomes difficult from tomorrow when they come to bat,” Tamim said. “Our responsibility would be to capitalise on this position and score as much as possible. A big score always puts pressure regardless of the pitch.”
Usually, his celebrating a hundred involves taking off the helmet, raising his bat to the dressing room and then just carrying on. But Mominul broke that pattern in Chittagong. It seemed like he had a point to prove to someone, and although that scowl was easy to see throughout his innings, its presence during what should have been a moment of happiness was striking. His partner Mushfiqur Rahim had pulled him into a big hug but Mominul wouldn’t even smile. Oddly enough, it may be the most expressive he has ever allowed himself to be on a cricket field. His team-mates loved it too. “He had a point to prove,” Tamim Iqbal said. “He did it. I liked what he did. I understood what he meant.”Mominul’s approach with the bat was positive, building on the quick start provided by Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes. By the time he was joined by Mushfiqur after lunch, he was hitting a boundary every other over. He has always been strong on anything that lets him free his arms but he was also leaning into his drives rather than just playing them from the crease. There were plenty of fours through midwicket and mid-on as well, though that was more a reflection of how poorly Sri Lanka bowled.”Mominul was amazing throughout the day,” Tamim said. “He kept on playing the shots. He had a 103 strike-rate when he reached his 100. We knew it was a nice wicket to bat on, on day one. So it was most important for us not to throw our wicket. It is normal for a batsman to get overexcited on such a wicket, and play a risky shot. He knew how important his wicket is for us. We needed their big partnership. They were sensitive and positive. If there was a ball to hit, they did it very well. Mominul is still not out so I am sure he will go a long way. “With his two boundaries in the nineties, Mominul raised the second-fastest hundred by a Bangladeshi, and the second-fastest by any batsman in Bangladesh. Not too long ago, it was said that he was not suited for short-form cricket, and that he had trouble facing offspin and short-pitched bowling.The doubts over Mominul’s ability to handle short-pitched bowling date back to the 2014 tour of West Indies, which was also Chandika Hathurusingha’s first Test series in charge as Bangladesh coach. Mominul tackled that length very well, never getting out to a bouncer during the two Tests.Three years later, when he was dropped from the Galle Test, Mominul was said to have a problem against offspin. This was because he had been dismissed by Dilruwan Perera four times in five innings even though his overall form at the time wasn’t an issue. At times, between September 2014 and October 2017, it was difficult to conclude anything other than that Bangladesh’s team management held an unnecessarily negative view of Mominul.One of the main figures of that management is now in the opposition camp. Hathurusingha has never called Mominul out in public and Mominul too has never spoken of Hathurusingha as someone who has held him back. Even during a press conference in August when Mominul’s exclusion from the first Test against Australia was announced, Hathurusingha avoided making any comment on him.But in his time as Bangladesh coach, players, selectors and board officials have hinted that Hathurusingha had something to do with Mominul not being in favour. And within 24 hours of that exclusion, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan reinstated Mominul after reportedly heated debates with Hathurusingha.Mominul was one of the few bright spots for Bangladesh on their tour to South Africa last year. And earlier this month, he made scores of 258 and 107 in first-class cricket with strike-rates hovering around the 75-mark – signs perhaps that he is working out a way to score quicker.It wasn’t that Mominul had to become a different batsman to do all these things. He just needed people believing in him, like most sportsmen in any team environment. That belief, for the most part, has remained consistent among senior Bangladesh players who have always backed him. But perhaps the most powerful decision-maker in Bangladesh cricket from 2015 to 2017 didn’t share it. It is somewhat fitting then that Mominul has flourished in the very first opportunity since the end of Hathurasingha’s Bangladesh reign.