It played true to that reputation when South Africa posted 575 for 6 over the first two days, before Bangladesh imploded with the bat. They lost 14 wickets on the third day, ending the match bowled out for 159 and then 143 following on. Mominul Haque, who made 82 in the first innings, was out twice in one session.
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“We have been batting like this for a long time,” Shanto said. “If you don’t get top-order partnerships, the rest of the batters will find it difficult in red-ball cricket. I don’t know how our top-order batters prepare or think, but if it goes on like this, this will be the result. This was a good wicket. Even in Mirpur, the type of wicket it was, we shouldn’t have got out so quickly. Overall, we didn’t bat well in these two Tests.”
“We are making runs individually,” he said. “Mominul bhai made a century, but we couldn’t support him in Kanpur. Shadman [Islam] made 90-odd [in the first Test in Pakistan] but there was no support [from the top-order batters] at the other end. The top order can only help the team with big partnerships. We talk about winning after being 26 for 6 in Pakistan but our top order didn’t bat well. Top-order runs will ensure consistent performance from the team.”
Shanto conceded that his own lack of runs was also contributing to the top order’s collapses. He made 9 and 36 in Chattogram, as Kagiso Rabada first dismissed him with a brilliant delivery in the first innings, before he inside-edged one to Tony de Zorzi at leg slip off the left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy. Shanto has scored just a single fifty in his last 17 Test innings, 15 of which have come his appointment as full-time all-format captain in February.
“I have an important role as a top-order batter. I am supposed to score runs,” Shanto said. “It is not happening, and the worst thing is, I am getting out between 20 and 40. It is not good for the team. I have to concentrate more in my batting.”
Shanto suggested that the team tends to suffer whenever there are distractions around it such as the discussions around his captaincy. There have been regular off-field issues since the Pakistan tour. Less than a week before this Test series against South Africa, the BCB sacked head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, while Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t fulfill his wish of playing a farewell Test in Dhaka after the government told him it couldn’t guarantee his safety due to the protests around the Shere Bangla National Stadium.
“[Distractions] might have contributed, but it doesn’t mean we will play this poorly,” Shanto said. “Bowled out for 100 or 150 runs. Players have to adjust with these things, even though it is difficult. Still, it shouldn’t be this bad. We have to improve our skills and change our thinking. We have to find out specifically exactly what is happening.”
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
Source: ESPN Crickinfo