Mirpur pitch and its ‘tackiness’ return to frame

Bangladesh wrote a new chapter in Sylhet with their first-ever home Test victory over New Zealand. However, a much broader achievement awaits the hosts as the second and final Test of the series commences in Dhaka on Wednesday.

A home or away Test series win against one of the big Test nations is something Bangladesh are yet to taste. There have been Test wins over England and Australia at home but those series were drawn.

Tail-up Tigers have their eye on another maiden prize, no doubt, but the focus for now has turned towards the wicket at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS), likely pivotal to the fate of the series.

Close to evening yesterday, the pitch to be played on had worn the look of a flat deck with very little grass on it. Some of the dead grass was cut and the wicket would see a little bit more rolling as the match nears.

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, having observed the wicket ahead of the practice session yesterday, was seen in discussion with SBNCS's head curator Gamini de Silva for quite some time after returning from Bangladesh's nets session.

Earlier in the morning, New Zealand skipper Tim Southee and batter Kane Williamson appeared eager to extract some information from Mustafizur Rahman, who came in for white-ball practice at SBNCS. When Southee indicated something about seam while pointing to the wicket, Mustafizur motioned back that he did not have a clue, prompting laughter from the two New Zealand veterans.

Kiwi leg-spinner Ish Sodhi determined that the wicket felt on the wetter side.

"Just getting here now, I think there's certainly a lot more moisture in the air. Whether it's been raining or not, I'm not too sure, but it certainly feels a little bit wetter underground," Sodhi said, via a video provided by New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

"Potentially it could be a little bit more grass on the wicket or a little bit of tackiness, so it's something I guess we'll have a yarn about and figure out as the next couple of training days go."

The tackiness is certainly expected at SBNCS, which has often produced slow wickets in the past. Mirpur Tests often do not go into the fifth day. Given the lack of grass, it would be interesting to see what Mirpur offers this time.

In the latest Test here involving Afghanistan, pacer had dominated proceedings, getting the ball to move around and extracting bounce. However, the Kiwis pace attack may likely discourage Bangladesh from playing on such a lively wicket.

Meanwhile, the Tigers' practice session was not anything out of the ordinary. Selectors Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar showed up to watch the proceedings at the nets. Mahmudul Hasan Joy suffered a blow to the hand, having the head coach concerned, but he returned to bat again following some spraying. Hathurusingha was showing Joy the merits of a high elbow and less extravagant front-foot movement, in order to keep deliveries down instead of pushing at them.

It appears that playing long innings would be the deciding factor in Dhaka, and the hosts' team management would be keenly focusing on that to attain at least a draw for a special series triumph.