District Correspondent, Sylhet: Shakib Al Hasan is absent. Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad have retired from Test cricket. The national team has been introducing new faces for quite some time. While the team has made improvements in ODI and T20 formats, Bangladesh is still struggling to find solid ground in Test cricket. Success has come only on home soil, with the most significant achievements against Zimbabwe. The two teams have faced off in 18 Tests, with the Tigers winning 8 matches and drawing 3. Out of these, 6 victories were achieved at home.
However, the biggest challenge for the current Bangladesh team lies in the top order, particularly the opening partnership, which remains a source of frustration. Over the past two years, replacements for Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes have failed to deliver. Ebadot Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam Anik, and Liton Kumar Das have all been tested as openers in the Test team between 2022 and 2025, with little success.
Among them, Joy has scored 503 runs in 25 innings without a century. Zakir Hasan, with one fewer innings, has scored 584 runs, including a century and four fifties. During this period, Shadman managed 364 runs in 7 innings without a century. These three players will be relied upon for the opening partnership in the first Test against Zimbabwe, making their performance a critical challenge.
Former national selector Hannan Sarkar commented, “They need to work much harder. The opening partnership has always been a concern for our Test team.”
Adding to the concerns is the memory of a severe batting collapse against Zimbabwe in the sole Test match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The first Test against Zimbabwe begins on Sunday at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The Tigers have good memories of their last home Test in 2020, a remarkable win where they defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 106 runs. In that match, Zimbabwe were all out for 265 in their first innings. Despite the opening partnership failing, Mushfiqur Rahim’s double century and former captain Mominul Haque’s century helped Bangladesh post 560 runs, securing a lead of 295.
However, the visitors suffered a heavy defeat while chasing the target. The Tigers also secured a victory in a one-off Test series in Harare during a subsequent tour.
Yet, as time has passed, the Tigers have struggled, losing experienced players from the squad. Bangladesh’s last Test series was against the West Indies last year, where they returned victorious in a two-match series. However, before that, Bangladesh faced four consecutive Test defeats—two against South Africa at home and two against India during an away series.
In their last five matches, poor batting has been a major factor in the losses. At home, they lost one match by 7 wickets and another by an innings and 273 runs. Overall, batting remains a significant concern against Zimbabwe as well.
The Tigers started their Test camp in Sylhet on April 13. This preparation is expected to be the team’s mainstay before taking the field. However, rain has been disrupting the camp since yesterday. On Thursday afternoon, the Bangladesh team could not practice due to prolonged rain before hitting the field. Over the past two days, the team has mostly focused on batting and bowling practice. Such minimal preparation might impact the team’s performance against Zimbabwe.
In recent months, the Tigers have played in white-ball formats—T20 and ODIs. Their last tournament was the Champions Trophy in the ODI format. Before joining the squad, the players participated in the 50-over Dhaka Premier League. As a result, there remains a lack of preparation for the four-day format.
This will be the Tigers’ second Test match against Zimbabwe at Sylhet. In November 2018, the hosts faced a significant 151-run defeat on the same ground. The Tigers also suffered humiliating batting collapses in that match, being all out for 143 in the first innings and 169 in the second.
