MOMENTS

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was included in the Tigers' 16-member squad for the upcoming Test tour of Pakistan despite Bangladesh Cricket Board sources claiming that the 37-year-old's fitness for red-ball cricket would be taken into consideration before selection.

Shakib played in Bangladesh's last red-ball assignment in May when the Tigers hosted Sri Lanka for a two-match series and has featured in T20 cricket since then, including stints in the Major League Cricket in the USA, the Lanka Premier League in Sri Lanka, and a deep run in Canada's GT20.

Middle-order batter Shahadat Hossain Dipu was left out, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Taskin Ahmed returned to the side. 

The Tigers will leave for Lahore tomorrow and will train at the Gaddafi Stadium on August 14, 15, and 16 before the first Test begins on August 21. The second match will start on August 30.

SQUAD: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed

An agonising five-run defeat against Pakistan saw Bangladesh bow out of the ongoing ICC Under-19 World Cup from the Super Sixes on Saturday. The reigning Asian Champions had high hopes of winning the title for the second time since 2020, and it seemed as if a semifinal berth was almost in their grasp. The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin caught up with Stuart Law, the coach of the Bangladesh Under-19 side, as he reflected on the things that went wrong, takeaways for the young Tigers from the tournament in South Africa among a few other topics. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): It must have been a painful exit for the Bangladesh team from the ICC Under-19 World Cup.

Stuart Law (SL): We spoke about not only winning the match but also in the time where we needed to keep that run-rate above Pakistan to qualify and spoke about the best way to do this. We won the toss and we would bowl first and try to restrict Pakistan under 200 which we did and did very well. Bowling was excellent; great performance from (Rohanat Doullah) Borson and (Sheikh Parvez) Jibon and they were standouts with the ball in hand and our fielding was excellent. We took great catches and executed a good run-out. We were really up for the fight. Then when we were batting, we knew we have 38.1 overs to score the runs which work out in four runs per over. Unfortunately, the pressure got a bit too much for us and Pakistan bowled very well with good pace. The pitch was different from what we been playing in Bloemfontein as there was good bounce and wasn't batter-friendly, so it was always going to be a little bit difficult. However, we feel we should have won the game and we should have been progressing to the semifinals. It was heartbreaking.

There were a lot of tears in the dressing room and the boys were really upset and disappointed with their performance with the bat after putting on a great performance in the field. It was a tough one to comprehend and to explain the last evening for the players, it was difficult. We all wanted to continue this journey forward but unfortunately it was cut short.

DS: How much does it hurt you as a coach?

SL: It doesn't hurt me as a coach but it hurts me because the players are so upset. I am not here for myself, I am here for the players. I have been on this journey for 20 months with them and I think I have missed one practice game in cricket throughout the whole 20 months. To watch these boys to develop not only as young cricketers but also as young men, it was a huge outpour of emotion. I hope you don't want to feel that often as I said to the boys last night (Saturday), 'look pain of this defeat will disappear, it's the memories that we created will last forever. Just think about the memories we are still Asia Cup champions and will remain the Asia Cup champions for the next two years. That's a huge positive and the first time Bangladesh achieved the feat. So there's really good things we have achieved along with the journey and we have numerous series wins and two wins outside of Asia. Hopefully, the hurt of missing out on the semifinal will disappear quickly and we fly out of South Africa today and hopefully starting from tomorrow, it will be a lot easier to forget about it.

DS: Do you think batting was a concern for the team throughout the tournament?

SL: I always think we could have been better in all areas but we are talking about kids who are under-19. Every day they are going to make mistakes as a young man learns from making mistakes. Yes, we have made similar mistakes quite often which is probably more concerning than actually making the mistake. It's a development stage in their career; to play at the higher level under extreme pressure is only going to benefit them in the long run. Yes, everyone wants to win, don't get me wrong, this age group shouldn't be all about winning. We should bank on unearthing some of the talents for the Bangladesh senior team in years to come. I think we have achieved that quite well.

DS: Who are the players you think can go on to represent the senior team soon?

SL: There are a few and from the bowling point of view. I mentioned Borson and I will get back to the Asia Cup semifinal against India and in the final against UAE, he was unbelievable. We had a good quality back up in Maruf (Mridha) and (KIqbal Hossain) Emon as well. But the standout fast bowler would be Borson and probably the lesser mentioned spinner would be Jibon. In all conditions, whether it's a spinning one or not he finds a way to create pressure and put dot balls together and he got wickets in important time and he was outstanding against Pakistan too. There's another: Ariful (Islam) -- against Ireland, USA and Nepal he scored some quick runs to elevate the run-rate. I think they got to develop in how to get better in their games and there is one thing that Ariful needs to learn is how to rotate the strike when there is pressure. (Ashiqur Rahman) Shibly had a good Asia Cup as well and he is probably on the radar.

DS: What will be your message to the players who will now take a step further in domestic circuit from the under-19 level?

SL: My message would be to go out there and to listen to their coaches. Every coach has a different philosophy at different level and you need to do what the coach and the team needs. The process doesn't change; what they have learnt here will give them success everywhere they go as long as they stick to it and believe it. Batting is one of the departments which still needs developments and needs to understand the value of a solid defence, being able to use your footwork and create better opportunities to rotate strikes and power. They all got power in their timing, so they don't really need to go to all these power hitting coaches. You know 90 percent of your power comes from your makeup, DNA. So these guys need to find another way to get the job done as they have got good skills. Just keep drilling these things.

DS: What is your personal plan from here on?

SL: I haven't been spoken to by Bangladesh about continuing. There are a few opportunities in the pipeline for me. I would dearly like to stay with Bangladesh and continue my work here and really enjoyed seeing the boys from the 2016 Under-19 side as part of the coaching panel back then and how they are doing well at the international stage. I really enjoy my time in Bangladesh and I don't have any bad words to say as it's a great place to work and the players are receptive and responsive and eager to learn and get better. That just gives you a great feeling to continue. Conversations are yet to happen, so I don't know at this stage what is going on.

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed made an instant impact on his return to Test cricket after 14 months as he came up with a sensational bowling performance on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi yesterday. 

Taskin finished with 3-57, helping his side bowl out the hosts for 274 runs in their first innings within a day after the game finally started on the Day 2 after the opening day's play got washed out.

Taskin had taken a break from the longer-format earlier this year citing injury issues but after the end of the last ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, he changed his mind and made himself available for selection for the Pakistan Test series.

The selection panel also showed faith on the experienced pacer as they picked him for the second Test squad but before that, they wanted to see how Taskin fared in the longer-version.

And for that, they played him in the second four-day match against Pakistan Shaheens where he bowled 15 overs and also dismissed Imam-ul-Haq in the first ball of his opening spell.

Similarly, the 29-year-old, who previously played 13 Tests since his debut in this format in 2017, tasted success almost immediately, going through the defences of Pakistani opener Abdullah Shafique with a splendid in-swinger in the last ball of the first over of the game after Bangladesh chose to field first.

Taskin, who came in as a replacement for the injured Shoriful Islam, set up Shafique brilliantly as he bowled his first five deliveries outside off, moving away from the batter, before finally pitching the ball on a good length and bringing it back sharply into the batter, hitting the top of off-stump.

"That wicket [Shafique's] was really enjoyable for me. First, I set him up with away moving ones and then in the last one I brought it back into him. That was intentional," Taskin told the reporters in the press meet after the end of the second day's play.

Taskin didn't get any more successes in his first spell where he bowled four overs but kept the pressure on Shan Masood and Saim Ayub, who went on to score fifties, and when he came back to bowl his next two spells, he carried on from where he had left off.

At one time, Saud Shakeel, the middle-order batter who scored a hundred in the opening Test, hit him for back-to-back boundaries. But Taskin had the last laugh, as he knocked over Shakeel's stumps in the same over to send him back to the pavilion.

Bangladesh kept taking wickets at regular intervals from the second session onwards. With Pakistan quickly running out of wickets, Salman Agha, the No.7 batter, decided to try and hit some boundaries against the second new ball and smashed Taskin for two sixes in consecutive overs.

Taskin, however, kept baiting Salman, who made 54, into going for big shots and eventually his plan worked as the batter mishit a pull shot and got caught at fine leg by Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz soon wrapped up the innings by completing his 10th five-for in Tests.

"Overall, our bowling unit has done really well. We could have done better. I'm working on everything, as I have been playing for a long time, to adapt to the format quickly. It's my responsibility as an experienced and senior bowler.

"We have to bat really well. We have to comeback well in the second innings. Nothing is over yet but it was a good day for us which could have been even better."

Pakistan spin wizard Mushtaq Ahmed has been in charge of the Bangladesh spinners for the past two international assignments -- the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies followed by the two-match Test tour of Pakistan. His troops have delivered remarkable performances in both tours but the 54-year-old is yet to be offered a long-term contract. In an interview with The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan yesterday, Mushtaq shared his take on Bangladesh's historic series win in Pakistan and his future with the Tigers. 

The Daily Star (DS): Your overall assessment of the Pakistan tour?

Mushtaq Ahmed (MA): The credit goes to the whole team. [Najmul Hossain] Shanto has been very good as captain. I think it was a mixture of everything. It was a great achievement. They were very dedicated, worked really hard, and were together. I believe they had no doubt amongst themselves. If you don't have the belief, you can't challenge any team. Skill comes last. Belief comes first.

DS: How do you evaluate Bangladesh spinners on a Rawalpindi wicket that is not known to provide assistance for them?

MA: It was outstanding. [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz was really good. The reason for that is he worked really hard, and Shakib [Al Hasan] got vital wickets in the first Test, especially in the second innings. One thing you should always remember is that if players put themselves under pressure in practice, Allah always gives them results. We also talked about angles, field positions, overspin, reading the pitch, and which area you need to bowl on; we communicated a lot during those Tests and even in training. The guys played with full passion and heart and the result speaks for itself.

DS: Do you see Miraz as a regular match-winner now?

MA: He is a match-winner because he can bat, he is a good fielder and a good bowler. He is a package, three in one. It's a great combination to have for any team. The good thing about him is that he is very coachable. He is a very good listener and is hungry to learn. He understands whatever we discuss at the nets. He uses angles, the crease, pace variations, and reads the batter. He can play all formats and will become a key player for Bangladesh cricket.

DS: What went wrong for Pakistan in this series?

MA: Before saying what went wrong with the Pakistan team, I must say that Bangladesh, our team, played good cricket. Lots of people think that they didn't play good cricket. Whenever we needed a partnership, Liton [Das] and Miraz stood up. That was a great partnership. When you needed somebody to bowl a very good spell, [Nahid] Rana got three to four quick wickets. So, those are the vital moments in which we played better than them.

All I can say is that Pakistan perhaps lacked confidence. They weren't sure of what they were doing. Planning wise, I could see they were playing aggressive cricket without understanding the condition and situation unlike our guys. Overall, it was about Bangladesh players who played better than Pakistan cricketers.

DS: You have been working with BCB on a short-term basis for the past few months. What's next? Do you want to sign a long-term contract?

MA: I am very hopeful. My manager and agent are talking to the cricket board. Hopefully, if things become better, it will be a great honour for me to be part of this team because this team can do wonders.
As things stand, I won't be there for the India series [later this month]. I have a few commitments in the next three-four months. There are a few family commitments as well. Maybe after December or January, I will try my best to serve Bangladesh cricket.

DS: Your take on the competition in the spin department?

MA: Taijul [Islam] is a match-winner. Nayeem [Hasan] is also a very talented off-spinner who can bat. Good kind of competition to have. They aren't ordinary spinners. They are all very coachable, and good learners.

We have to focus more on grassroots cricket. That's very important. We have to look to the grassroots level for leg-spinners and mystery spinners. If you go to Australia, South Africa or England for white-ball cricket, you will need mystery spinners. My idea which I will share with the cricket board and other stakeholders is that they should go and find mystery spinners and make them ready for the first-class cricket and the national team. I think it will take some time but it is a great opportunity.

DS: You have worked with Rishad Hossain during the T20 World Cup. Do you see him as a prospect for red-ball cricket or do you want him to focus on white-ball only?

MA: He can improve his legspin in red-ball cricket. For that, he has to play first-class cricket and four-day cricket. We don't have to rush him into Tests. If he plays a lot of four-day cricket, he will improve his white-ball cricket also because it will make him skilled by consolidating his basics.

Communication is a key aspect of my coaching philosophy and I've been in constant communication with Rishad. I have been watching his videos, and we are talking about his alignment and planning for the future as well. We just have to make sure he plays red-ball cricket as much as he can so he can become better in ODIs and T20s. If we need a leg-spinner to play Tests, he can be ready then. It might take some time but he is one of the cricketers who can play red-ball cricket.

Former captain Mohammad Yousuf quit as a Pakistan selector "for personal reasons" on Sunday, just a week before the team begin a home Test series against England.

The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed his resignation, adding that Yousuf had stepped aside to concentrate on other responsibilities within the board.

"Serving this incredible team has been a profound privilege, and I am proud to have contributed to the growth and success of Pakistan Cricket," he wrote on social media platform X.

"I have immense faith in the talent and spirit of our players, and wish our team all the best as they continue to strive for greatness," said Yousuf, who played 90 Tests for Pakistan and has also served the team as batting coach.

Pakistan face England in a three Tests starting on October 7 in Multan after being stunned by Bangladesh 2-0 at home this month.

The country's cricket has been in turmoil off the field, with coaches sacked and selectors resigning after a string of recent losses.

Yousuf was a part of a six-man selection committee former revamped in July after Pakistan's humiliating first-round exit from the Twenty20 World Cup where they lost to the USA.