‘I’m sure the players, too, are very frustrated’

Once again batting failure has led Bangladesh to the verge of another Test match defeat following some poor decision making by the Tigers batsman against Pakistan on the fourth day of the first Test in Chattogram yesterday.

From Mushfiqur Rahim's error in judging a Hasan Ali delivery to which he shouldered arms only to lose his stumps in the first over of the day to the brain fade of Nurul Hasan, who came in as a concussion substitute for debutant Yasir Ali, Bangladesh continued to repeat mistakes of the past.

After bundling out Bangladesh for just 157 runs in their second innings with a small target of 202 runs to chase, Pakistan ended the day on 109 without loss riding on fifties from openers Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique.

According to Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo, the hosts would require something special on the final day to make a turnaround in the Test.

"It looks all the wickets have fallen in the first session. I am really proud of how the guys have fought in this Test. They showed really good character. Pakistan are well ahead of the game. They need another 93 runs, so it will need something really special. Anything is possible in Test cricket. We have to come tomorrow morning believing we still have a chance. If we can pick up one or two wickets in the first half-an-hour, anything is possible," the South African said during a virtual press conference yesterday. Mushfiqur started the day with a boundary against Hasan before leaving an angling delivery coming on to the stumps and was bowled out for just 16.

There was, however, a ray of hope when Liton Das and Yasir gave some stability to the innings, adding 47 runs for the fifth wicket with the latter scoring 36 runs before suffering a blow to the back of his helmet, forcing him to retire hurt.

Liton, following a century in the first innings, continued his fine run with the bat and scored a well-deserved half-century but he didn't get much support from the other end. Sohan wasted his opportunity and played an unnecessary shot to get caught at long-on off the bowling of Sajid Khan when Bangladesh needed to build a partnership and extend the lead further. Bangladesh lost the last three wickets adding just four runs and eventually handed control of the Test to the visitors.

Domingo usually backs his players even in toughest of times, but here he expressed his frustration and said that the players are not able to absorb pressure when it's required.

"We got ourselves in a great position but we were just not able to seal the deal. I am sure the players, too, are very frustrated. We seem to be making improvements in the format but they have been just making silly mistakes at crucial stages: a catch going down, or playing a loose shot, or bowling a bad spell. We just can't seem to sustain for a longer period of time. It is very frustrating," Domingo said.