Russell Domingo: ‘When we have a bad session, we have a really bad session’

“When we have a bad session, we have a really bad session,” Domingo said. “If we lose one or two wickets, we can’t lose five. It is something we are trying to address all the time. We are trying to stay calm in the dressing room, so that the batsmen stop the rot.

“I definitely think we have the ability to beat any side if we play really well for the full five days. Not for four days.”

“Two years ago, we wouldn’t have played under those conditions with the light being that dark. But with Test cricket wanting to play as much as you can, we have to be willing to face that,” Domingo said. “I think sometimes you are thinking that you will come off the next over. You have to expect to play the entire day because of lights coming on and umpires keeping you on the field for as long as possible. That’s a big change in mindset.

“We are confident that we can take 20 wickets in the Test. But we need to have five bowling options. We have been short in that particular department when Shakib doesn’t play. Someone who can bowl those 12-13 overs a day, which is so important”

Russell Domingo on missing Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

“You can’t just be playing to get to the end of the over. You have to play as if you are playing till the close of play. We need to make that mental shift. You have to keep looking to score, you can’t keep blocking out those last overs. You are thinking it is three overs, but it might be 16 overs. You find yourself under pressure.

“Maybe we did a bit of that in the Durban Test when Shanto was batting with Joy and Mominul. They stopped playing, and we lost a few wickets. We have to play in dark conditions because stadiums have lights, and laws of the game are changing.”

As for Mominul, he wanted the team to learn the lessons from the South Africa series, but didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about the results.

“Batters tend to overcome what they did in the previous series. We are also thinking along similar lines but we don’t want to spend too much time thinking about the previous series,” he said. “Conditions are also different, so it is important how we can adjust here. I think it’s important how we use lessons from the previous series.”

As for more micro elements, Domingo wanted the batters to rotate the strike more often and not wait for boundary balls. “I think the important thing is to try to get singles to get off strike,” he said. “Whether that means we are using the paddle, using your feet or going deep in the crease. Maybe we are just blocking and looking for the four ball a bit much.”

“I told the bowlers this morning that we got 36 wickets in two Tests in South Africa. I don’t think Bangladesh has got that many wickets [in an overseas series in the past],” he said. “We are confident that we can take 20 wickets in the Test. But we need to have five bowling options. We have been short in that particular department when Shakib doesn’t play. Someone who can bowl those 12-13 overs a day, which is so important.”

Shoriful Islam was likely to slot in, while one of Nayeem Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain should play too. “They had a big contribution in our win in New Zealand. We will miss them here definitely,” Mominul said about the missing players. “One of them [Mehidy] has developed into an allrounder too. They were quite settled in the side. But it is an opportunity for those who replace them, so that they too can say that they deserve the spot.”