Bangladesh have a five-match T20 series against New Zealand at home early next month. After that, the T20 World Cup will be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Faced with these challenges, while the members of the Bangladesh team are busy preparing for the latest version of cricket, Test team captain Mominul Haque is working in secret with his own skills. Coach Mohammad Salahuddin is instructing him at the Masco Shakib Cricket Academy on the outskirts of Dhaka. The left-arm batsman, who adheres to the grammar of cricket, spoke to media in the midst of his intensive practice. The talks focused on his expectations of Test cricket, the improvement of Bangladesh's pace bowling unit and the diversification of the country's wicket style.
You are not going to Mirpur Stadium but coming so far and practicing. What is the reason for this? To work in solitude with skill?
Mominul: Actually nothing like that. Honestly, a guide is needed during practice. Although everything was ready in Mirpur, I came here in my spare time and worked on my game under Salahuddin Sir. There is a long break before the next Test series. About three months. Besides, there is no other reason.
A few days ago, Bangladesh won the T20 series against Australia for the first time. How did you feel then as a Test captain?
Mominul: It was a wonderful feeling. The manner in which Bangladesh won the series is remarkable. It never occurred to me that we could win the series 4-1. We have defeated Australia once in ODIs and Tests before, but this time I am very proud of what the team has achieved. This is a new beginning for us. We were consistently failing to do well in the T20 format. I think we needed something like that before the World Cup.
There is a lot of talk about home pitches. The pacers don't get much help here. As a result, they fail to put an impact on away grounds. What is the solution?
Mominul: I think we need to change the character of the wickets. I've said it before. When the pitch bounces, the pacers are eager to bowl. When I was captaining in first-class cricket, I played two or three pacers in the XI, but later I saw that the wicket was not helping. This is very disappointing from the bowlers' point of view. There may be some flat pitches, where pacers can learn reverse swing. But most wickets should be pace-friendly. Then you will see that the enthusiasm among the pacers will increase.
