Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam is really rooting for his teammate, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, to make history by becoming the highest individual scorer ever for their country in Test cricket. This praise came after Joy killed it on Day 2 of the Sylhet Test against Ireland, ending with a crazy good, career-best 169 not out, putting Bangladesh way ahead.
Joy, back in the Test team, is now just 50 runs away from beating Mushfiqur Rahim’s record of 219, which he made against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Praise God, Joy batted so well. He’s still out there, Shadman told reporters, smiling. I hope and pray that Joy can get us an even bigger score. I really hope he can do it [become Bangladesh’s highest Test scorer]. The way Joy is batting, we totally think he can make it even bigger.
Setting the Stage for a Record
Shadman’s sure of Joy because he and Joy kicked things off great for Bangladesh, putting up a 168-run opening partnership. They scored at a quick pace, about 4.08 runs per over, setting the tone for a day where they totally dominated.
Shadman himself was in great shape, scoring a smooth 80 off just 104 balls. But he said that the fast scoring wasn’t really planned.
Joy and I were just talking about playing the ball and the pitch, Shadman explained. When we started this morning, the bowlers didn’t have much to work with. So, we took advantage of any chances to score, and that’s how the score got so high.
Shadman’s Regret
For Shadman, the innings was a mix of good and evil. Getting out for 80 was the sixth time in the last 15 months that he’s been out for a score between 50 and 99, just missing his first Test hundred again.
Yeah, of course. Not getting a century always stinks, he said. But praise God, I’m happy with what I’m getting. I’ll try to turn it into a bigger one if I’m in that position next time.
This positive way of thinking might be from his recent training trip to Australia. Shadman said he went for one-on-one sessions with former Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, a rare and pricey move for a Bangladeshi player, costing around $250 per hour.
He made it clear that the trip wasn’t so much about fixing his technique, but more about changing his mindset.
Basically, the main reason for going there was to experience their conditions, like the pitch in Sydney, Shadman said. But I didn’t work on my technique. We just talked about how to bat, how to get big scores, and how to change the game a bit. He also said that rainy weather meant they mostly practised inside.
Ireland’s Tough Day
For the visiting team, it was a hard day. Ireland’s head coach, Heinrich Malan, said his side had a pretty tough day as Bangladesh took control.
There were times, especially in the middle of the day, where we controlled things okay, but we didn’t start as well as we wanted, Malan said. Once they got comfortable, it was pretty hard to bowl to them. It shows how well they know their conditions.
Malan was bummed about a dropped catch, which he said was probably the only chance we got today, but said that his inexperienced team would learn from the harsh lessons of Test cricket.
When play starts again, everyone will be watching Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who’s so close to a historic double-century and maybe, a new national record.