Bangladesh’s batting is lacking the desire to win

At the end of the fourth day of the Mirpur Test, Bangladesh’s total was 152 for 3. The lead against Pakistan is now 179 runs. However, even on the day when veteran batsman Mominul Haque reached the milestone of 5000 runs, there was no strong drive to win in Bangladesh’s batting approach.

Especially when the game started after a long rain break, Bangladesh was expected to score runs quickly and increase the lead. But Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim’s batting did not show that alertness. At the end of the day’s play, Bangladesh’s lead is still 179, which means that Bangladesh will have to bat for a lot more time on the last day of the match. As a result, the hosts are not able to give Pakistan much time or a big target for the fourth innings. Bangladesh is in danger of missing the opportunity to win the match by all out their opponents due to their slow batting.

Mominul in the 5000-run club

Mominul Haque reached a milestone at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Monday. He completed 5000 runs in his Test career by hitting a boundary off Noman Ali. Mominul became the third Bangladeshi after Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim to achieve this feat. He scored 56 runs before being dismissed.

Mominul and captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto put on a 105-run stand for the third wicket, but the pace of run-scoring was slow. Shanto was unbeaten on 58 and Mushfiqur Rahim on 10 at the end of the day’s play.

Rain delays and slow batting

After the lunch break, play was stopped for a long time when heavy rain lashed Mirpur. When play resumed, Bangladesh’s batsmen did not try to be aggressive despite having wickets in hand. As a result, the lead is still below 200 with just one day to play.

Earlier in the morning, Bangladesh were in trouble after losing 2 wickets for 23 runs in the early hours of the day. Mahmudul Hasan Joy returned for 5 and Shadman Islam for 10 runs. From there, Mominul and Shanto managed the innings, but they failed to score the ‘quick runs’ needed to win. It is believed that the Mirpur Test is heading towards a draw if they do not score quick runs and declare their innings on the last day.