Shakib Al Hasan rues lack of application

"Rashid has a bit of pace in his bowling, and the wicket is a bit low, so he became quite effective" - Shakib © AFP

To score runs and succeed in the longest format, not just raw talent but temperament and technique are also required. Test cricket demands patience from a set of batsmen to paddle through tough spells and sessions.

On Day 2 of the Chattogram Test between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the home side's batsmen couldn't strike the right balance between defence and attack, and struggled to handle the tricky conditions on view. Eventually, the home team slid to 194 for 8, still trailing by 148 at stumps. Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's new Test captain, who bowls quick through the air was the tormentor in chief and ended up with a four-for.

''I won't say it's unplayable because the way Mosaddek (Hossain) and Taijul (Islam) batted, it's possible to make runs and they have proved it. We could have made more runs if we had applied better,'' said Shakib to the reporters.

Liton Das, who played at number three in the innings, was one of those batsmen who got out playing a poor shot. After wading through the initial phase, Liton tried to pull a delivery from Rashid that stayed relatively low and was castled. Mominul Haque also paid the price for playing a risky shot.

"Liton plays spin well, plus they had an offspinner bowling a long spell with the new ball. We have three or four left-handers in our top order, so I thought that it was better to have a mix. I think we were partly successful, as he handled Nabi bhai quite well. He is more effective against left-handers than right-handers.

"Mominul was scoring runs quickly, so I wouldn't say that he could have avoided that shot. He should have executed it better, so that even if it is not a six, he got a four."

Shakib also observed that Rashid's bowling was suited to the conditions, with most of the deliveries staying low. "Rashid has a bit of pace in his bowling, and the wicket is a bit low, so he became quite effective. Those who tried to play him off the back foot, like Riyad bhai and Liton, missed the ball. It kept low, which makes playing cross-batted shots difficult," he said.

Despite Afghanistan finding themselves in control, the Bangladesh captain was hopeful of staging a fightback. The ace all rounder hoped that the batting duo of Taijul Islam and Mossadek Hossain would add useful runs on Day 3.