It could have been the perfect end to a swashbuckling knock had Mominul Haque reached his maiden double hundred but Thursday morning did not bring good news for the little man or the home fans as Sri Lanka's veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath struck early on the second morning in Chittagong yesterday.
Even though he had scored just one run on the day, when the left-hander attended the press conference after the day's play it did not seem odd because he was the most acclaimed player for his mammoth 176 that laid the foundation for Bangladesh's innings.
He might not have been as smart as he was on the opening day in his batting as he employed hard wrists to clip a fuller one on the pads and chipped the ball in the air in the third over of the day, but the courteous Mominul was smart in his words during the press conference. He talked about the consequences of his dismissal, his unfamiliar celebration after the hundred, changes in his technique and the scenario of the match after Sri Lanka made a strong reply to the home side's 513 in the first innings.
Mominul expressed satisfaction over what he achieved, but also blamed his dismissal to deprive his side an opportunity to cross 600-plus runs.
“I am quite happy with what I have done but I think I should have contributed a bit more for the team. It would be wrong to say I am not satisfied with the effort. But I should probably have played a bit longer, perhaps another session because ultimately I am playing for my team.
“I think my dismissal caused the problem. When you are 170-odd not out, everyone would expect you to bat a couple of sessions more. If I batted longer, we would have been 600-plus,” said Mominul.
Mominul was also not ready to blame his luck for his dismissal as the chipped ball lodged in the hands of short leg after initially hitting him on the shoulder. “I wouldn't call it bad luck. This can happen. Maybe I was a bit casual.”
While many sought to link his uncharacteristic celebration upon reaching his hundred on the first day with his bitter relationship with former Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, the player himself provided a different take. “There was no specific reason; it is not what you were assuming. It was my own challenge. I haven't scored a hundred for a long time, so I was happy to reach the milestone,” he explained, adding that his main concern was how to convert the 60s, 70s or 80s into hundreds.
He also said that he only worked on the mental side rather than anything technical and had a simple answer to criticism from certain quarters that he cannot play pace or off-spin: “It is God's grace.”
Mominul also provided encouraging news for the home fans as he said that there will be more turn from the third day. “I think there will be more turn tomorrow [Friday]. The last hour had a bit more turn. The lead is important and if we can bowl in the right spots than three-four early wickets are possible,” he hoped.
