Mehidy the bowler has catching up to do with Mehidy the batter

Bangladesh's future depends on their vice-captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Both the immediate future - like the ongoing Test against Zimbabwe, where Bangladesh are trailing by 25 runs with nine wickets in hand - and also the long-term future.

At 27, Mehidy has time on his side. He - along with Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana - must constantly evolve to try and stay ahead of plans his opponents have for him.

Zimbabwe have been on top in the opening exchanges of the Sylhet Test, so it was important for someone from Bangladesh to step up on day two. Mehidy was the leader of the fightback with his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He finished with 5 for 52, accounting for Zimbabwe's entire lower order, but their last-four wickets added 80 and they finished with a first-innings lead of 82.

Mehidy is just five wickets short of becoming the third Bangladesh bowler to take 200 Test wickets, along with Shakib al Hasan and Taijul Islam.

Yet, in the last two years, Mehidy the bowler, has taken a backseat to Mehidy the batter. His improvement with the bat, in addition to his primary role as an offpsinner, has led to him being hailed as Shakib's successor. He aced both roles and was Player of the Series in Bangladesh's maiden Test series win in Pakistan last year. Even Shakib, in the last 12 months of his Test career, had to play second fiddle to Mehidy.

His improvement as a batter, however, has come at some cost to his bowling. But with the growth of their pace attack, Bangladesh are no longer overly dependent on Mehidy for wickets.

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With the bat, Mehidy averaged 12.33 in eight Tests in 2022. He averaged 39.20 in four Tests in 2023, before finishing 2024 as Bangladesh's highest run-getter - 614 at an average of 38.37. He also became only the second Bangladesh cricketer to score 600-plus runs and take 25-plus wickets in a year.

Mehidy's bowling average was steady for most of this period; last year he took 31 wickets at an average of 36.09. In four home Tests in 2024, he averaged 70.28 and had a strike rate of 121.4 with the ball, easily his worst year in home Tests. He has gradually developed as a bowler in overseas Tests and understands the need to constantly work on himself.

"There's very little idea about those [players] who are starting out their international careers," Mehidy said after the second day's play in Sylhet. "Then, as time goes on, there's more awareness of the player. Footage is available. We can find out where a player has to develop. It is very important to improve at the international level. Otherwise, one won't be able to survive.

"I didn't have high expectations of myself. I just wanted to support the team by bowling in good areas. Five wickets come when you bowl well, and your luck favours [you]. I have both batting and bowling as options. I have to work on both areas. I have improved my batting in the last three years. I work hard on my batting. I have to do well in both batting and bowling."

One of the observations about Mehidy's bowling in the last few years has been how little he tried to turn the ball. He often depended on conditions, like in the first Test in Rawalpindi, where the fifth-day pitch worked in the Bangladesh's favour. Mehidy said against Zimbabwe he relied on coaches telling him what pace to bowl at. Sylhet has more pace and bounce than the typical Bangladesh pitch, so he felt the guidance helped him.

"The coaches guided us very well. We looked at the video footage after my first spell," Mehidy said. "I consulted the coaches about my bowling speed - whether it is enough for this pitch. You can't take wickets quickly on this pitch. But if you cut down the runs, the batter's mistake might be coming. That was my mentality, which probably brought me the wickets."

Mehidy, however, is more proud to have improved his batting after spending the first five years of his career in the lower order.

"I started my career as a bowler. I didn't get a lot of batting opportunities," he said. "I used to bat at No 8 or 9. I didn't have big scores but put together some partnerships. When I started to make some contributions with the bat, the team management had confidence in me. I started to believe that I can score runs in international cricket. I can win games with the bat at this level, [but] I must work harder at it."

Mehidy also said he can work on playing the short ball better, having got out to it in the first innings in Sylhet. "I have scored a lot of runs against the short ball [in the West Indies]," he said. "Many players are weak against the short balls. It usually gives you the chance to score runs, and you can even get out. It depends on a batter's mentality. Sometimes you don't expect a bouncer so early in the innings. I could have left it easily. I think I can improve in this area."

If Mehidy can improve his bowling to the degree that he has improved his batting, Bangladesh will have one rock-solid allrounder to depend on for the foreseeable future.