In Bangladesh’s two-Test squad against Sri Lanka, there are only two specialist openers. Naturally, the question arises: who will be the backup opener?
Among the squad members, Nazmul Hossain has experience opening the innings. The left-hander, who is currently the Test captain, has opened in 2 Tests, 1 ODI, and 9 T20Is. So, could we see Nazmul opening in the first Test against Sri Lanka starting tomorrow in Galle?
When asked, the Bangladesh captain kept things mysterious. Speaking at a press conference in Galle today, he said, “I want to wait until tomorrow to say where I will bat. Because I don’t want the opponents to get that idea beforehand. What combination we go with tomorrow will depend on that, and the team of 11 will be decided accordingly.”
Keeping the opponents guessing isn’t the only reason the combination is not finalized yet. After arriving in Sri Lanka, Mehidy Hasan Miraz fell ill with a fever and couldn’t join the team’s first-day practice on Sunday. Miraz is a key all-rounder, trusted for both bowling and batting. Whether he plays or not will heavily influence how many bowlers and batsmen Bangladesh will include. Nazmul explained this clearly: “Miraz’s health is still not great, but he is improving. A lot depends on whether he can play or not. If that spot is confirmed, we can come up with a strong combination.”
In the last cycle of the Test Championship, Nazmul’s team won four matches. However, memories against Sri Lanka aren’t very positive as they begin this new cycle. At home, Bangladesh lost one match in a two-Test series against Zimbabwe. But Nazmul chose to focus on the positive from that series, saying, “I don’t think it’s right to dwell too much on our past series against Zimbabwe. If we talk about the last match, that’s a very good memory. We lost the previous match, but the way the team came back in the next one, I think that will motivate us.”
Bangladesh’s Test record against Sri Lanka has generally not been good. They have played 26 matches so far and managed only one win — which came in their 100th Test. But if the players can use their individual experience wisely, Nazmul believes there could be a good outcome: “A new opponent, new conditions. I think some of our players have experience playing in these conditions. If they can use that experience well, I believe this series will be positive. But playing good cricket is very important, especially for those of us responsible for batting.”
