Tigers shouldn’t overthink about facing Abrar, experts suggest

Bangladesh should keep their focus on getting a positive result from the series-deciding second Test against Pakistan and play according to their strength rather than concentrating on the opposition squad, cricket experts opined on Wednesday.

The Tigers humiliated Pakistan in the opening Test with a 10-wicket win, forcing the hosts to make several changes for the second Test squad.

Pakistan, who went into the first match in Rawalpindi with four seamers and no frontline spinner in the playing XI, brought in in-form leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed alongside uncapped all-rounder Kamran Ghulam and pacer Aamir Jamal for the second Test.

Abrar's inclusion looked obvious since the two Bangladesh spinners – Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz – picked up seven wickets to guide the tourists to a historic victory.

The 25-year-old Abrar, who made a brilliant start to his Test career by taking 38 wickets in six Tests, had a successful outing against Bangladesh 'A' during a recent four-day contest, finishing with figures of 4-103. Pakistan will surely want a similar performance from him in the crucial second Test.

"Whoever is included or not, we have to think about getting a positive result from the match. Previously, we won the first Tests against teams like Australia and New Zealand but in the second Tests, we were unable to earn even a draw," local coach Wahidul Gani told the Daily Star yesterday.

"We have played well against Pakistan but our improvement will be noticed if we can earn at least a draw in the second match. They will definitely pick a spinner and probably Abrar is the best spinner for them at the moment.

Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Photo: AFP File

"They will also definitely back their pacers but we have to play according to our strength. I think Bangladesh need to go into this match with the aim of winning," the veteran coach added.

In recent past, Bangladeshi batters weren't challenged by leggies in red-ball cricket and the likely presence of a leg-spinner could be a cause for concern for the visitors.

The last time Bangladesh faced a proper leggie was 22 Tests ago in 2021 when they toured Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series and they had to face Wanindu Hasaranga in the opening Test in Pallekele.

Bangladeshi batters handled Hasaranga exceptionally well in that contest as he remained wicketless despite bowling 45 overs in two innings and was eventually dropped for the second Test.

In recent times, Bangladesh only faced Chinaman spinners like Afghanistan's Zahir Khan (in 2023) and India's Kuldeep Yadav (in 2022) in red-ball cricket, with both finishing with good amount of success against Bangladeshi batters.

"Playing with a leg-spinner in Tests is very common for Pakistan. Leggies like Yasir Shah, Danish Kaneria played for them over the years," said coach Sohel Islam, who monitored some of the Test cricketers in Bangladesh Tigers camp before their departure for Pakistan.

"They made a wrong call by playing without a spinner in the first Test. Abrar was initially in the squad and was later dropped. Abrar bowls really well in red-ball cricket. We played leg-spinners in red-ball cricket before and also took preparation against them. Let's see how the batters deal with him this time," he concluded.