Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal plays a full-blooded shot past West Indian fielder Darren Bravo during his priceless innings of 82 not out on the fourth day of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday. — Sanaul Haque If history is anything to go by few would give Bangladesh any chance to save the second Test match against West Indies with just seven wickets in hand, still needing 344 runs on a fifth day track.
But the Tigers are not ready to give up hopes, at least until the first session on the fifth day, which will effectively determine what approach Bangladesh should take in the game.
Set a massive target of 508 runs, the Tigers were caught in two minds whether to attack or defence in their second innings before being settled for 164-3 at close on the fourth day.
While their style of batting suggests Bangladesh can very much achieve their target if they can bat out 90 overs, they have many odds against them, especially the record book.
The Tigers will have to create a new world record by some distance if they are to win this game as no team could ever successfully chase down a target of more than 500 runs in the fourth innings.
In fact only four times the teams were successful to win a Test match when they had a 400-plus target.
It is more a difficult task for Bangladesh, who have their highest Test score is 488 runs and that too against a depleted Zimbabwean attack. If sustainability is more important than total runs scored, history is also against them in that case.
To save the Test match Bangladesh will have to bat at least 137 overs in their fourth innings, something which they have done only once before and that too against the same Zimbabwean attack in 2005.
But the West Indian attack is far superior to Zimbabwe’s, which the Tigers successfully negotiated for 142 overs at the Bangabandhu National Stadium for a draw.
Many were citing the example of Bangladesh’s highest fourth innings total of 413 runs scored against Sri Lanka at the very ground at Mirpur, but even that would hardly be any inspiration.
In that game against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh were on 254-5 after the end of fourth day with Mohammad Ashraful (70 not out) and Sakib al Hasan (34 not out) at the crease.
But they could add only 159 runs on the fifth day and eventually suffered a massive 107-run defeat chasing a world record target of 521 runs.
Compared to that game, the job is more difficult now as they need to score nearly four runs (3.82) per over.
In their brief history, Bangladesh made highest 355 runs in a day but that came on a flat first-day track against a jet-legged Australian attack at the Fatullah Stadium in 2006.
These are all suggesting it will be quite an achievement if Bangladesh managed to draw this game.
But at least one member of the Bangladesh team believes a draw is out of their equation.
‘If we can bat out a day, I don’t think the match will end in a draw. In that case we will win game,’ said batsman Naeem Islam, representing Bangladesh at the post-day press conference.
‘It all depends on how you do in the first session. If we lose few wickets, definitely we will not go for a win. Otherwise the way wicket is behaving and we are batting in this innings, a win for us is still possible,’ he said.
Not all players, however, agreed.
Speaking to reporters at the stadium, ex-captain Sakib said draw is the most likely gettable result for them.
‘The pitch is still good for batting. If you don’t want to get out it’s tough for the bowlers to dismiss you,’ said Sakib.
‘But I don’t think win is possible because if we don’t get out and raise the prospect the bowling will be different. Scoring runs then will be very difficult,’ he added.
