Ban vs India 2022-23 - 2nd WTC Test

The expression of anguish. Head in hands. Sometimes the head is thrown back. A kick to the grass. Maybe a big word. In the second day of the Dhaka Test on Friday, Bangladesh missed four chances on the pitch during the 159-run fifth-wicket stand Between Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pantsso all of these reactions were on display.

Iyer and Pant offered two chances apiece before they were properly settled after coming together at 94 for 4. The hypothetical scenario here may be difficult to fathom, but needless to say it’s better to take takes and finish. strains, especially when playing against India.

Bangladesh bowlers are quite used to their defenders missing chances. Different explanations have been offered over the past 12 months, and while there has been a bit of improvement between 2021 and 2022, it disappeared in this ODI and Test series against India. They missed 15 chances in total, including eight in the ODIs.

In this year’s Tests, Bangladesh missed a total of 33 – out of 67 – chances, counting both catches and stumps. In terms of the ratio of chances taken to missed, their 2.03 is the second lowest among the Test teams, above Sri Lanka’s only 1.71. West Indies and England are at the other extreme, with more than four chances converted for each missed.

Mushfiqur Rahim looked pretty out of position for a long time when Rishabh Pant offered him a chance•Associated Press

Across all formats this year, Bangladesh have missed 85 times, 21 more than in 2021, when their catches were particularly poor at the 2021 T20 World Cup. They missed 22 chances in Tests then, compared to 33 This year.

Those numbers might not matter much when the team is winning, but they hurt a lot when the results don’t go their way.

Friday, Litton Das He missed a tough chance to slip when Pant, on 11, edged out Mahidy Hassan Miraz in the last meal before lunch. The ball went fast and Litton got his hands on it. If Litton had held on, it would have been just reward for the spinners who made a tight line to Pant.

Iyer then had two lives in the space of about 15 minutes when he was on 19 and 21. First, Mehidy jumped to the ravine to take an advantage. Taskin Ahmed, who had raised the tail after eliminating Virat Kohli earlier in the session. Mehidy reversed the odds, and it ended up slamming his nose into the ground.

The big miss came from Nourul Hasanwho missed a trap Shakib Al Hasanis bowling. It looked simple enough. The ball didn’t deflect much in the direction of the wicketkeeper, and Iyer was well out of his territory. But Nurul fumbled, allowing Iyer to get back to safety.

Pant got another life on 59 when, in the middle of his punching spell, Mushfiqur Rahim let him down long term. It was a new position for Mushfiqur, who kept wickets for most of his career. So the captain should have been a bit more careful with Pant on strike and on fire. Later in the day, Shakib himself would kick the turf in frustration when Mehidy couldn’t get the ball back properly when R Ashwin and Iyer got the wrong way.

Shakib Al Hasan shows his frustration after a miss by Mehidy Hasan Miraz•AFP/Getty Images

“When talking about the fear factor, we think about the potential repercussions of a hold when the ball is in the air,” McDermott had said. “We see a lot of high balls falling under the lights because the outfield players have time to think. Trying to form what we are thinking when the ball is in the air is a very difficult task. But it can be learned.

When we drop captures under the lights at critical moments, we create one of the greatest learning experiences. When the player leaves the ground, hoping to have won the game, we can easily tell him that “look”, [missed] captures do not lose matches. It is a fact. It happens quite regularly. It’s part of the game. Obviously, we want to drop as few captures as possible.

“As a team, if we lose a hold, our support staff and our team gel very well, we try to keep everyone’s spirits up. Who knows, it could be someone else tomorrow for drop one. We could lose the game, but as I said before, we are very happy with the way the boys are training and engaging on and off the pitch.”

This year, Tamim Iqbal and Russell Domingo have addressed the issue once each.

Tamim expressed his frustration After four lost catches and bad ground on the ground, Bangladesh cost in the first ODI against Zimbabwe. Domingo remained perplexed when Bangladesh lost nine catches in five matches against Afghanistan in March this year.

Bangladesh seems to suffer from a mental block on this point. Even defenders who come with a good reputation seem to suffer. And a good position, perhaps, is wasted. It may be time to take a closer look at the problem.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84