Bangladesh's inactivity preys on batsmen's nerves

With two days left in the first Test, England can claim to be ahead of Bangladesh on a pitch deemed difficult for the batsmen. But the ebb and flow of the contest guarantees that there is still a lot of life left in this game. Bangladesh cannot yet be counted out, though they have never defeated England in eight previous attempts and aren't generally a side that wins Tests.

But given their upturn in the last 18 months, going down meekly will go against their newly-developed character. This is where their lack of participation in Tests becomes a hindrance in their progress as an international team. They would love to play their second innings with the confidence that flows naturally in ODIs but the rhythm is quite different when there is unlimited time to reach a target.

Bangladesh had a rough initiation as a Test playing nation, and never really developed into a respectable force over the last 15 years. So when they endure a long break like this latest one, which spanned more than 14 months, it isn't unusual that they feel like an outsider.

The third day's play was Bangladesh's welcome back to the grind of Test cricket. They collapsed with the bat but stood back up by triggering a collapse themselves before a partnership all but took the game away from them. But still, late wickets kept them in the game.

Their bowling discipline throughout the game has been impressive but the same cannot be said about their batting, going by how they were bowled out for 248 in the first innings. They will have to find an approach that is suited to their skills and conditions to overcome England's target, which is likely to be around 300 runs.

As a window into what should and shouldn't be expected from their fourth innings chase, it is worth looking at how they fared in the first innings, from which two things stood out.

They took painstaking effort to curb their natural instinct, and invited their own peril. Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim were not just trying to bat out the last over before lunch, tea or stumps, they were building up to it with a lot of dot balls. Changing gears in a longer-version match is tricky, and it becomes more confusing for a team that doesn't play Test cricket for long periods, and individually hardly plays in the domestic first-class tournaments.

A smoother change in pace is what could work for them. They already know that going into a shell will never get them forward on this pitch and within their skill-set, so it would be better to front up to match scenarios that might require them to chase the target slowly, where they don't take the foot off the pedal but at the same time press gently. There will also be periods when they have to play out a testing spell or the last few overs of a session, so that the dressing room remains calmer in an already dramatic game.

Secondly, they are vulnerable to a batting collapse. It is a habit that they have picked up in ODIs since 2014, and when they lost six wickets for 27 runs at the start of the third day, it was just the continuation of a panic mode that sets in as soon as a big partnership breaks.

Technically the collapse began on the second evening after Mushfiqur fell with 2.3 overs remaining in the day. But Shakib Al Hasan's mindless punt in an attempt to rattle England's best bowler fell well short and Bangladesh, rather than taking a lead, were behind the eight-ball.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's successful ODI and T20 captain, said at the end of the first ODI (when Bangladesh collapsed from 4 for 271 to 288 all out) that these collapses are product of a panicked dressing room. So with a win on the line against one of the best Test teams in the world, Bangladesh remain vulnerable to such a slide again.

But it is also hard to imagine that there aren't people in that dressing room who will try to stop outside influences bothering the waiting batsmen, and generally encourage a calmer atmosphere when the chase gets stiff.

Bangladesh have conceded a number of chases in the past, mainly because of their lack of belief in winning Tests back then. But in an extraordinary Test in Dhaka two years ago, Bangladesh overcame Zimbabwe in a botched up 101-run chase. It required Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur to remain calm and the tail to show determination to ultimately win by two wickets.

Winning a Test match doesn't come naturally to a Bangladesh side, especially one that has returned to the format after a long gap. But this time they have eight batsmen to complete a tough but possible job.