There were plenty of raised eyebrows when Jaker Ali was included in the starting XI for the first Test against South Africa.
A player who mainly has a simple ‘see ball, hit ball’ technique which is mainly suited to white ball cricket was being included in a format that requires solid technique and an abundance of attrition and patience.
It didn’t seem a good fit at first glance and that only was exacerbated when he was out for just two runs in the first innings.
But with Bangladesh at 112-6, Kagiso Rabada bowling with fire and Keshav Maharaj spinning a web around the batters, the hosts were in need of a hero.
They luckily found two, as Jaker and Mehidy Hasan Miraz saw off the early threat and looked to expose a South African attack lacking a fifth bowling option.
Overcast skies meant conditions were conducive to pace bowling and there was that hint of extra swing in the air.
Add to that, this was a typical Mirpur surface and had plenty of turn and grip for the spinners and it mostly explains why three quick wickets fell and just how tough Bang.
“I wanted to focus on my processes when I came on to bat. In the first innings, I didn’t manage to put on a score and I wanted to do better here. Thankfully, watching the ball, playing it late and trying to stay on the back foot more, helped,” Jaker told The Business Standard after the day’s play.
It was however playing to a ball he should have played on the front foot that resulted in Jaker’s eventual dismissal against Maharaj.
Hasan Mahmud has previously said that a lead of around 200 would be enough for the bowlers to defend.
Jaker felt that they could go up to a lead of 150 with the batting left: “With Miraz there, we can still hope for a lead of around 150 and let’s see what happens.”
“But if I didn’t get out, we would have managed to get around that 200-run lead for sure,” he added.
The 138-run partnership between Jaker and Miraz was the highest for any wicket in this Test so far and Bangladesh’s highest 7th wicket partnership.
It’s still early days for Jaker in Test cricket and he has a long way to go in this format, but playing him as the extra batter has certainly paid dividends in this instance.
