Miraz blossoming into big-role player

The focus had already been shifting to Mehedi Hasan Miraz, and with Shakib Al Hasan unable to play the first Test against the Proteas in Mirpur -- what would have been his final bow from Tests -- the discussion largely centred on how Bangladesh could replace their best all-rounder. Miraz, already with a role in the side, is continuing to show the broad shoulders needed for bigger tasks.

When Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Liton Das fell in quick succession on the third day yesterday, with the Tigers' second-innings total reading 112 for six, it looked like an innings defeat was imminent. From there, Miraz took Jaker Ali along to forge a 138-run stand.

Miraz, unlike Shakib, was not known for his batting exploits. Of late, however, his reputation as a batter has gained prominence following a few crucial white-ball knocks. On the bowling front, Miraz's role is invaluable. His performances with the ball in Pakistan showed he had the gift of winning games with big contributions. Thus, he had been touted as one to take on the decisive roles. With Shakib absent, that future was already here in the ongoing Test.

"So those who bat at number seven will hold an important role, and at this moment there is no one exactly to replace Shakib bhai. But I feel Miraz can be a very good option," skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto had said ahead of the series opener.

"He's doing really well in Test cricket with both ball and bat, but there is room for improvement, and Miraz is ready to take that responsibility. I feel that in a few years, Miraz will be able to take that position," he added.  

Miraz has been involved in all three latest fightbacks with the bat in Tests after a top-order collapse. In the first Test in Rawalpindi this August, he had a 200-run-plus partnership with Mushfiqur. In the second Test, he paved the way by guiding Liton during an epic counterattack, leading to a historic 2-0 series win in Pakistan.

That his position is vital was laid bare again yesterday, as Miraz also showed Jaker how to nullify the spinners without going out of his way to try something extra. Asked how encouraging the Miraz and Jaker partnership was, Bangladesh spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed said: "Always good [witnessing such a fightback]. The reason behind this is the way you actually have to believe. If you see in the Pakistan series, we were 26 for six and then we came back from there; so those are the good, positive things."

After the early loss of wickets yesterday, Miraz bided his time to attack, playing well within himself. He blocked when there was opportunity and made bowlers such as Kagiso Rabada bowl to his strong zones. The pull shot in front of square is testament to this. He mocked the spinners with drives and sweeps but played with an authority that saw him take the least risks.

Shedding further light on Miraz and Jaker's approach, Mushtaq said: "Taijul Islam bowled brilliantly [on day one], but because they kept sweeping him, kept reverse-sweeping him, it put a little bit more pressure on the spinners. I think we are very happy with the way our guys actually have that attacking option against spinners."

Miraz was leading the way. He may not be quite Shakib, but pound for pound, he is everything Bangladesh needed in recent Tests.