Ebadot's fury
The challenge to overcome the whitewash in the ODIs and stage a turnaround in the three-match Test series against New Zealand in difficult conditions will not be an easy task for the Tigers.
And to make it happen, it's not just the batsmen who will have to battle it out against the Kiwi pacers in seaming conditions but the Bangladeshi fast bowlers also need to step up and utilise the platform and, more importantly, take 20 wickets if the visitors want to win a Test.
Bangladesh resumed their training ahead of the first Test starting from February 28 in Hamilton as the Tigers spent time at the nets at the Lincoln University ground in Christchurch, where they will take part in a two-day practice game today against a New Zealand XI.
The New Zealand Cricket website is expected to host a live stream of the match, scheduled to start from 11 :00 am local time.
Apart from the injured Mushfiqur Rahim, all members of the squad were present in the training session. Another injured batsman, Mohammad Mithun, batted at the nets yesterday without much discomfort while the other members of the side also had a good outing in strong, windy conditions.
Talking about high-intensity training, it was arguably the Tigers' stand-in captain for the Test series Mahmudullah Riyad who faced the toughest chin music from pacer Ebadot Hossain during the net session.
It was an action-packed 20 minutes at the nets where Ebadot tested Mahmudullah to the limit, which the Tigers' coaching staff -- including bowling coach Courtney Walsh -- enjoyed a lot.
The tall fast bowler welcomed Mahmudullah with a nasty in-swinging length delivery which cut in sharply to the right-hander, who could only manage to get an inside edge on to his thighs.
Despite the pain, Mahmudullah quickly returned to his batting position and Ebadot, this time, bowled a fast bouncer that the elegant right-hander somehow managed to fend off at the last moment.
Even Bangladesh batting consultant Neil McKenzie was overheard saying to Walsh: “I really like the way he [Ebadot] is showing the aggression.”
The 25-year-old, who managed to impress the selectors with his sheer pace and movement during the Bangladesh Premier League despite playing just four games, was about to test Mahmudullah even further.
The right-arm seamer fired in a fuller length delivery with good pace as the ball this time shaped away from Mahmudullah who could only manage to get an outside edge as Ebadot celebrated by punching the air.
Just after finishing an eventful net session, the captain praised the pacer and urged him to continue bowling with the same aggression in the upcoming Test series.
It will be important for the likes of Ebadot, Abu Jayed, Khaled Ahmed and of course Mustafizur Rahman to remain aggressive with their body language and look to exploit the seaming conditions to great effect if the Tigers really want to test the Kiwi batsman.
