“Mominul and Joy last played international cricket six months ago. That’s the challenge with one-format players,” Domingo said the day before the first Test in Chattogram. “Shakib and Litton are playing week in, week out. It is not a big step-up for them. But Mominul and Joy are looking good, the way they are playing. I know the currency is runs, but technically they are looking pretty good. Joy has got a lot of starts, so it is just about finding that tempo and get the big score.”
Shanto has scored just one half-century this year in eight Tests. He has also found form in the T20I and ODI sides of late, but has struggled for consistency there too.
“You could prepare raging turners for results right now, but that brings India into the game just as much. The same can happen on good wickets. It is a difficult situation”
Russell Domingo
“Batting one, two and three is probably the hardest job in international cricket. Hopefully they repay the faith, and give the coaches and selectors something to hang on to.”
“I have been very excited by him (Zakir). He has good energy,” Domingo said. “I know he has done well domestically; he has played a T20I for Bangladesh. I like the way he looks to score when he bats. A little Tamim-like in the way he bats. Nice and positive. Hopefully he can get off to a good, quick start tomorrow.”
“We are not going to risk Taskin in the first Test,” Domingo said. “He has come off a layoff and a few injections. To get him to bowl for a day-and-a-half in these conditions in Chattogram may not be good for him.
There has been a lot of chatter around the Chattogram pitch, known as Bangladesh’s batting paradise, but it was deemed “below average” by the ICC four years ago.
“I want us to play on good wickets so that our cricket can improve,” Domingo said. “It probably led to us doing well in that one Test in New Zealand. I am always very nervous about preparing wickets that are massively over the top. It doesn’t benefit any of our games in the long term.
“You could prepare raging turners for results right now, but that brings India into the game just as much. The same can happen on good wickets, where our batters can bat for a long time. Indians can bat for a long time too. It is a difficult situation.”