Like Abul In A Bowler's Shop

Abul Hasan 100x on debut

Test debutante Abul Hasan had one of the truly most remarkable first days of Test cricket ever experienced in the long history of the game at the start of the second Test against the West Indies in Khulna.

Batting at No 10 and with the Bangladesh innings in tatters after Fidel Edwards had torn it to shreds, the twenty year old carved his way to a century by stumps, made off only 108 deliveries. In partnership with Mahmudullah, he has added 172 for the 9th wicket, only 23 runs short of the highest 9th wicket partnership of any country.

Bangaldesh, 5-98 on a slow, low pitch just after lunch, were aided by a partnership of 87 between Nasir Hossain (52) and the skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (38) but the rest of the top order offered token resistance to Darren Sammy and Fidel Edwards. As expected Tino Best and Edwards unleashed a barrage of short fast bowling, which caused caused discomfort and embarrassment to the top order, especially on an unresponsive pitch. There was some respite when Best failed to return after lunch, treated instead for a hamstring injury. With the batting partners dismissed soon after tea and Sohag Gazi following them in quick succession, the reinstated Edwards had taken his fifth wicket. Bangladesh looked unlikely to exceed 200.

Fidel Edwards 5-81

Mahmudullah was attacked ferociously but stood up to his tormentors and Abul played and missed at the first four deliveries he faced, all from Edwards. Perhaps it was the memory that he had been in the Bangladesh U/15 team as a top order bat, perhaps it was Best's absence, perhaps it was adrenalin ... who knows, but the resultant mayhem left Darren Sammy with no answers. His spinners were dispatched high and wide but the the quicks received no less treatment. Sunil Narine was slaughtered and has been a major under performer in this short series, on tracks which should have suited him. Abul's attack was so ferocious that the new ball made no difference. In the extended last session, he made 61 after drinks off 19 overs and reached his hundred three balls from the end. It also gave him a hundred in a session and Bangladesh 179 runs.

Although the effort was amazing and the recovery timely, it was a process of wallpapering over deep cracks. The top order were brittle against pace. They face so few genuinely fast bowlers in their home competition and hardly any of them play cricket in major competitions away from Bangladesh, that even on lifeless tracks, they are at an extreme disadvantage.

Still, it's a reminder that fat ladies have a habit of shirking their responsibilities and are often carousing in the bar when the time comes for singing.