Afghanistan proved they are determined to dominate and win. The way they handled the pressure on Sunday against Bangladesh, both with bat and ball, it certainly suggests they are well prepared. Doing well against Bangladesh at their own backyard is certainly difficult for any team as the host nation had been pretty successful with their four-man spin attack in their tailor-made wicket.
Though Shakib al Hasan took a swipe at the grounds man for not preparing the wicket according to their expectation, it certainly not took away anything from the tourists as they were consistent with the bat on both occasions and had a variety of spin that gave them an edge over their opponent.
During the build-up to the one-match Test series the patience of Afghans looked to be the talking points considering they only had the experience of two Test under their belt. The patience issue was validated even more considering their exploits in the shorter formats but they proved everyone wrong through their clinical display that put them firmly placed to earn a well-deserved win during their maiden Test match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
The way they resurrected their innings against the host spinners without getting impatient is a clear indication that they are very specific regarding their do’s and don’ts in the longer formats while the batting of Ibrahim Zadran, who made a class half-century on his debut, also suggest they are quick learner as well.
Test cricket is all about mind-set. It is more important when it comes to batting because a mistake is enough as it there is hardly any chance to repair the wounds. Bangladesh batsmen cannot be spared for carrying a wrong mind-set coupled by poor techniques against quality spin attack.
In a Test match the first innings is always vital because that set the tone of the game but somehow the host failed to get into any kind of momentum against a spin attack that had variety but more importantly had the discipline. The Afghans looked better prepared largely due to the fact they had substantial amount of first-class cricket under their belt, courtesy the Inter-Continental Cup while for Ibrahim his tour to Bangladesh with the team ‘Afghanistan A’ looked to have played a big impact.
All the players played looked quite accustomed in the longer formats and it due to the fact they played quite a number of first class matches. Afghanistan won their opening game against Bangladesh is the ODI’s and Twenty20 format and looked certainly poised to do the same in Test cricket as well.
While it is expected to be a show big margin when it comes to the ODI’s considering the host managed to earn considerable amount of strength in the 50-over format, it won’t be an overstatement that the Afghans will breathe in Bangladesh less they will come out with a proper plan of action. The way they have set the road map of their future cricket-wise surely suggest they are quite aware of their future planning and it want to move towards it without trying to do all things with same bunch of cricketers.