Opportunity is there for Jubair to prove

In the fifth ball of his very first over, Jubair Hossain tossed up a delivery around middle and off that turned a bit and forced opener Dean Elgar to play down the wrong line. To the naked eye, that seemed like a goner and it wasn't a surprise to see the excited 19-year-old scream his guts out.

The umpire though, went the other way and that was a good thing too, for replays suggested the slightest of inside edges. Disappointed with the outcome, Jubair completed a maiden and ritualistically took his cap from the umpire and walked along.

It was the sort of start that one expected from the leg-spinner. His piercing, tossed-up turners were a welcome change from the barrage of slow bowlers who mostly focused on line and length rather than turn.

Throughout the first innings of the first Test in Chittagong against South Africa, Jubair, apart from the deliveries that got him his three scalps, managed to beat the bat at least on four occasions.

There was a beautifully delivered googly that beat Faf du Plessis's inside edge and rammed on to his pads in the 31st over. Replays suggested that the 'umpire's call' would have saved the batsman even if Bangladesh had taken the review. In his next over, he bowled another loopy delivery that turned, bounced and flew past the bat of du Plessis.

While Bangladesh's fans no doubt enjoyed those scenes, they did however seem equally disappointed with the other side of his bowling.

The leg-spinner's lack of consistency was evident in the first Test. He bowled eight full-tosses in 16.1 overs, along with a series of half-trackers -- two of which fortunately gave him wickets.

Now a leg-spinner who isn't afraid to toss the ball up is bound to give away a few freebies every now and then. Jubair however, seemed to let the pressure off on a number of occasions by bowling deliveries that weren't up to the mark.

He may have picked up one wicket more than the Test against India, but it clearly lacked the spunk that he displayed against Virat Kohli and company, during his first spell on Day Two. Then again he had displayed a sense of inconsistency against India as well. While he did bowl an eye-catching spell, his start was wayward to say the least.

Jubair has been referred to as a rare attacking option for Bangladesh in Tests a number of times. After the India Test, Shakib Al Hasan reckoned that the bowler could scalp 400 Test wickets while coach Chandika Hathurusingha, prior to the first Test against South Africa, described him as a bowler who could do great things for Bangladesh cricket.

He is Bangladesh's first-ever leg-spinner to play international cricket and there's plenty of expectations from the teenager. That is perhaps the reason why those full-tosses and half-trackers tend to sting so much.

A reason behind the lack of consistency could be the fact that Jubair doesn't get too many domestic games to play. After making his debut in November 2014 against Zimbabwe, Jubair just played five first-class matches in February before facing India in June.

He didn't get to take part in the four-day Bangladesh Cricket League contest that took place in April; a move that perhaps led to his axe from the team for the Pakistan Tests.

He was also ignored during the Dhaka Premier League and went into the South Africa ODIs, with just one 50-over game under his belt this year.

Whether the mindset of the domestic teams will change remains uncertain, however, with three more Tests to go this year, one would hope that the youngster could make the most of them and gather as much experience as possible.

For if the threatening short spells are anything to go by, he is bound to do something special the moment he gets accustomed to the tricks and trades of Test cricket.