1st Test: Mehidy Hasan Miraz takes center stage as Bangladesh look to register a historic win in Australia

In the run-up to the Test series against Australia, Mehidi Hasan Miraz lost the ODI captaincy to Liton Kumar Das, as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials felt that Mehidi was under too much pressure due to his captaincy spell and wanted him to focus on performance instead.

It could certainly come as a psychological blow to the versatile player, given that he has been given the mandate to lead the team through to the next World Cup. However, judging by his performance in the only warm-up match, where he scored a hundred, and in this Test so far, it doesn’t seem to have affected him much.

When asked if he came to Australia with a point to prove after being sacked as ODI captain, Mehidi decided to choose his words carefully.

“I think it could happen (losing the ODI captaincy) and my mind is clear at this moment,” Mehidi said.

He added: “I know how to hit the ball in the right area and how to hit.”

When Australia picked up three wickets in quick succession on day two, including the prized scalps of centurion Tenzid Hassan, Liton Kumar Das and Mushfiqur Rahim, it looked as if the tourists were not far from giving up. But Mehdi had other ideas.

Mehidi did not get enough time to partner Mushfiqur, but what he came up with alongside the seamers not only put the tourists in the driving seat but also helped them pull off a historic Test win against Australia in their own backyard.

Skipper Najm Hussain Shanto’s brilliant 84, combined with Tenzid, paved the way for a massive total, but it all seemed to fade away quickly after the hosts got going with the second new ball. But Mehdi came up with a rescue on the second day alongside Hassan Mahmoud and continued to do so in the first session of the third day.

Bangladesh resumed the day with a score of 351-6 but lost Hassan early. Taijul Islam later added 17 quickies off 23 balls, including a four and a six, before he edged Hazlewood to Cameron Green in the gully. However, Mehidi continued to frustrate Australia as he made his 10th Test fifty off 117 balls.

Mehidi, who scored 65 runs off 154 balls, dug deep against the Australian attack as on day two, batting for over an hour and a half while facing 73 balls. On the third day, while on the third day, he batted for exactly 124 minutes, during which he faced 83 balls to exhaust the opponent.

He put together two valuable 46-run partnerships, with Hasan and Taskin respectively, and bowled the lower-order batsmen with precision. He scored 32 points during his partnership with Hassan and contributed 30 points during his ninth partnership with Taskin.

What seems to have worked for Al Mahidi is that he did not take all the pressure on himself while batting. Rather, he gave his partners the confidence and importance to believe in their ability to deal with the Australian attack, and they rewarded his faith, if nothing else.

“Everyone is playing very good cricket and everyone takes responsibility for each other. It feels very good. They (the lower-order batsmen) batted very well and actually it was a bit difficult for me to bat. Because when I got out, Mushfiqur bhai was out. So, in the runs that I scored, I needed to score with the bowlers and I think it was a bit difficult for me to score runs at that moment,” he said.

Later in the day, Mehidi also dismissed Steven Smith, who looked set to make another big contribution after making 71 in the first innings. Smith flicked a pass from Mehidi towards the fielder, who completed a sharp catch, dismissing him for 44.

The off-spinner played with Smith’s mind by changing his pace. He feels his plan to make sure the speculators don’t get the best of him has proven successful.

“We just focused on bowling in the right areas and I knew I couldn’t give him (Smith) too many scoring options. I know he is a very good bowler and is doing very well but if we don’t bowl many runs then we can take his wicket and think that way (in terms of bowling to Smith),” Mehidi said.

“I keep my plan simple. I don’t give many scoring options and I just try to hit the good area all the time and keep changing the line and length,” he added.

After Smith’s departure, rumors began of Bangladesh getting a big win over the Australians, and even winning the innings if possible, although Mehidi insisted they were not looking too far ahead.

“Look, the wicket is still in good shape. And we’re not really thinking that way (beat them by an innings). We are trying to bowl in good places. Because to take every wicket, you have to bowl hard. Because we see that the wicket is not that easy, the wickets we took were taken with great difficulty. So we are trying to prevent as many runs as possible,” he said.

“Look, we want fewer runs, the better for us. So, there are still two days left in the match. It is very important for us to get three wickets out of here. Because they are all batting well. And the wickets are getting better as the day goes on. So, I think we are trying to take baby steps without thinking too much about the goals,” he added.