Taijul is happy to be the Nightwatchman

After Sri Lanka piled on the runs, Bangladesh ended the day losing Mahmudul's wicket. Before that, the opening duo of Zakir and Joy put up 47 runs. This stands as Bangladesh's highest opening partnership in the last seven Tests. Zakir Hasan played freely, scoring an unbeaten 28 runs off 39 balls, accompanied by nightwatchman Taijul Islam. Considering the team's situation, Taijul willingly took to batting at the end of the day, making himself available and expressing happiness. Optimistic about victory, David Hemp also shared plans for tomorrow's play.

At the end of the day's play in the Chattogram Test, Bangladesh's first innings stood at 55 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in 15 overs, trailing by 476 runs. Taijul partnered with Zakir as the nightwatchman. Earlier, Sri Lanka's first innings concluded at a record total of 531 runs.

After Jayed's departure, Taijul was again assigned the role of nightwatchman. He played a similar role in the Sylhet Test, where he contributed significantly to the team's highest innings. Taijul's 47 runs in that innings marked his career-best performance. Hemp's decision to appoint Taijul as the nightwatchman in Chattogram was based on his past success.

"In the previous match, he played a fantastic innings (as the nightwatchman). So, when we discussed the matter with him this time, he agreed. Therefore, there is no problem here. He is willing and happy to do it. It's a great thing," Hemp stated.

Considering the significant deficit, what are the expectations from this match? Responding to such queries, the batting coach expressed hope regarding Bangladesh's chances of victory. However, he acknowledged that it would be a tough path to either win or save the match, with Bangladesh trailing by 476 runs. Hemp also shared plans for tomorrow's play.

"We still hope to win the match. Although it may sound bold when you are trailing by 480 runs. We need to play well tomorrow. If we can dominate tomorrow's play, it will be good. Regarding batting, no one knows what might happen in the future. But, everyone should focus on playing good batting in all three sessions tomorrow," Hemp concluded.