2024-03-23 10:47:57
First cricket ball in 2020. Debut in the national team in 2024! That too in an elite format like Test cricket. The fast bowler must have had tears of joy in his eyes when Nazmul Hossain Shanto handed over the Test cap to Nahid Rana.
The young pacer of Chapainawabganj started his journey in international cricket today. Bangladesh’s number 103 Test cricketer. A dark cloud of doubt was hovering around this match since yesterday. As the weather was a bit gloomy, there was a lot of doubt about whether the match would be played on time. Heavy rains the previous night added to that fear. But the sky of Sylhet is clear from dawn. Sunny weather invites cricket in whites with open arms. The sound of the bat-ball and the sweet morning sun, a picture perfect situation for test cricket.
Before entering the field, Bangladesh also witnessed another incident. Nazmul Hossain Shantar’s Test captaincy journey officially started today. Earlier he had led two Tests instead of Shakib. Bangladesh won the toss and surprised with fielding. After nine years, Bangladesh witnessed something like this at home.
This is the first time since May 2015 that Bangladesh won the toss and took the fielding. Seber played a match against Pakistan in Mirpur. Between these two Tests, Bangladesh played 27 Tests at home. He won the toss and batted in all 14 of them. This is the first time Shanto and Team Bangladesh’s plans for fielding have become clear. Entering the field with three pacers, Bangladesh entered the field with a very inexperienced batting order. Three Sri Lankan players Mathews, Chandimal and Karunaratne’s combined number of Tests (273) is more than the number of Tests of the whole squad of Bangladesh (271)!
Only Muminul Haque has played more than fifty Tests in this team. The condition of the rest can be easily imagined. In the gap of nine years between the two Tests, Bangladesh has won six matches by winning the toss and batting, drawing two. And lost six. Time will tell what is written in the fate of this match in Sylhet.