Bangladesh vs. Pakistan Test Well-Poised After Mominul Haque's Patient Approach

It’s hard to believe Mominul Haque is just 23 years old or that he made his Test debut little over two years ago. On Tuesday, during Bangladesh’s first Test against Pakistan, Haque showed patience and maturity far beyond his years. That is, perhaps, the least surprising of all from this young Bangladeshi player who is making a real impact for his team. 

In 13 Tests, he has already scored eight fifties and four hundreds, with three of those hundreds coming against impressive opposition (two against New Zealand and one against Sri Lanka). On a day when Pakistan lost the toss on a flat deck and were put in to bowl, Haque showed immense patience for most of the day, only to fall in the final over after contributing a stubborn 80 off 162 balls.

Although Haque’s dismissal so late in the day was highly unnecessary, he has shown over the last few months that he has tremendous potential.  He still has a long way to go in his Test career, but Haque currently has the second highest batting average in the history of the game, for those players who have batted in a minimum of 20 innings.

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Highest #Test Batting Averages (min. 20 inns): 99.94 Bradman 65.78 Mominul 60.97 Pollock 60.83 Headley 60.73 Sutcliffe #Cricket

— #Cricbuzz (@LiveCricbuzz) April 28, 2015"

Sure, the stats might be somewhat convoluted considering the man before and those after him have long since retired, and he has played just a fraction of matches compared to the rest, but the young Bangladeshi certainly has made an emphatic start to his Test career. He has shown tenacity and dedication, and while he still has a lot to learn, it will give Bangladesh great confidence to know they have a young player who is wise beyond his years.

There is a long way to go in this Test, but there are some very positive signs for Bangladesh thus far. After a sublime effort in the limited overs series against Pakistan, Bangladesh now have a real chance to prove a point and show that the results they have recently achieved aren’t simply a fluke. After reaching the quarterfinals in the World Cup, they have already showed that their limited overs side is on the right tracking after a clean sweep over Pakistan, and now they have to do the same in Tests.

Having beaten Zimbabwe 3-0 in a Test series last year and winning the ODI series 5-0, there was belief that things were starting to change for Bangladesh. They had just lost a series against a rather lacklustre West Indies, so the emphatic results against Zimbabwe were significant.

They have continued to progress steadily, but this series against Pakistan is by far one of the most important ones they will play this year. A win in this series, or even just a Test victory over Pakistan, will prove once and for all that Bangladesh have finally turned a significant cricket corner. They face a much tougher Test later in the year when South Africa come to visit, but for now, all energy will be focussed on the delicately poised Test against Pakistan. They are in a strong position at 236-4 at the close of play on day one and need to build form here by keeping calm and hoping that everyone can show the maturity of Haque.

All information obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.