Will Mehedi spit venom at Mirpur again?

Cricket is a game of uncertainty. It's a very popular saying which sometimes sounds a bit cliché. However, even in the era of topsy-turvy T20 cricket, the oldest format of the game often unfolds in ways that reminds ardent fans of the saying.

The hype surrounding the Bangladesh-Australia series started to escalate soon after Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the schedule. Then one statement after another from the Tigers' camp regarding a possible 2-0 victory not only gave a great twist to the series but also seemed to have some impact on the minds of the visitors.

But who knows what actually waits when a spell, a session, a simple mistake in decision-making or lack of concentration can change the complexion of a match, especially when there is another character which can overshadow everything -- rain.

It is always impossible to predict who will be the hero or villain but one thing for sure is that one man will enter the ground at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today with a level of confidence unmatched by the other 21 members on either side.

Bangladesh off-spinner Mehedi Hasan cannot forget what happened in his last Test match against England at Mirpur in October 2016. A crowning moment for Bangladesh cricket at Mirpur had been delivered by this 19-year old, who finished with a match haul of 12 wickets to spark scenes of jubilation after a five-wicket haul in his debut match in Chittagong.

When all talks have surrounded on the employment of England-like tricks, it is understandably believed that this young man would need to be one of the major architects in fulfilling yet another home domination.

The first difference this time is that the young man may feel the pressure of expectation. But as everybody knows Mehedi loves to smile, even in the most pressurised situations. And perhaps this quality will help him absorb the pressure to a great extent.

It can however be said that this time the biggest challenge may come as there is no doubt that the highly professional Australians have worked a lot to nullify him and they will simply try to outthink him if the batsman can settle in the middle.

Mehedi, who captured 16 wickets in his five matches after that memorable 19-scalp series against England, is an orthodox spin bowler with a round arm action, whose smartness lies in gripping, even with the new ball, and experimenting with the length.

True, Australians have got this kind of information regarding this bowler but what his close followers believe is that he has got the brains to anticipate the batsman's mind and tries to exploit the stronger part of a batsman. And if he can generate turn and bounce at pace like he did against England, he can be deadly again and revive those memories.

A flashback to the home series against England where Mehedi had bamboozled Alastair Cook with a beauty which had zipped on at pace to hit the batsman's back leg after giving quite a number of loose balls in the previous over only showed his intelligence.

This time however he will also need to show maturity to comply with his team's ploy of killing the Aussies with the venom of spin.