Tigers face ‘difficult’ mental state as Mirpur Test arrives

Bangladesh go into the first Test at Mirpur against South Africa today with some difficulty carried over from the dramatic events over the past few days, especially in relation to all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's inability to play the game due to security concerns.

Shakib had been slated to travel to the country but had to cancel his trip owing to security concerns. Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha too was replaced by former West Indies star Phil Simmons just days before the series.

The absence of the all-rounder has left the team in a slightly tricky position since their earlier plans had involved Shakib.

Mirpur is known for producing spinning wickets while the bounce itself keeps low. Shakib is a skilled exponent on these sorts of wickets and holds a key position in the batting line-up. With him not available, the team combination for the first Test is still being pondered.

Even without being here, Shakib has dominated the discussions leading up to the first of the two Tests. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked first up in the pre-match press conference whether the mental state of the team is as it should be a day before the game with everything that has been happening off the field.

"Difficult [mental state], to be very honest. But it's not in our control. So thinking too much about it is wasting time. So as much as possible we have to focus on the match since these are two important Test matches," Shanto said.

The skipper also said that it was unfortunate that Shakib could not fulfil his wish of retiring from the format after playing this Test and accepted that they are scratching their heads to figure out what the playing XI should be without Shakib.

"Yes, still facing problems in getting the combination right, not going to deny that. It will take us some time to fix this. The players who are here are all capable, everyone will play their roles," Shanto said.

Meanwhile, selector Abdur Razzak was seen taking a good look at the wicket during yesterday's practice session and discussing with spinners Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Nayeem Islam. These two along with Taijul Islam, who is expected to spearhead the attack in Shakib's absence, will most likely hold the key in the match for the hosts.

Shanto said he expected a traditional Mirpur track and hoped his spinners would stick to the process.

"Not expecting anything extra. They will bowl how they have done in the past. I would want that the process to be right,"

Home advantage has not always been easy to procure for the Tigers in Mirpur, where they have played 27 Tests, won eight, lost 16 and drawn the remaining three.

In the last Test here against New Zealand, Bangladesh's spin plans backfired as the hosts lost by four wickets.

Still, South Africa coming here with a relatively fresh squad with little experience of playing in Bangladesh presents a golden opportunity for the Tigers, said Shanto.

"We have never won against South Africa but this is a big opportunity for us," Shanto reminded.

By afternoon, as some fans gathered outside the Mirpur Stadium to protest Shakib's absence and another group arrived harbouring anti-Shakib sentiments, chaos ensued. There was a huge presence of security forces amidst concerns, all of which is hinting that this may end up being a Test like no other in Mirpur.