“I don’t know what was going through his mind, brother. It would be better if I didn’t comment on that.”

Nayeem Hasan, Bangladesh’s best performer on Monday with a four-wicket haul and a handy knock, was asked about Tawhid Hridoy at the press conference. His refusal to elaborate said plenty about how the dressing room felt.

Hridoy walked in with Bangladesh two down on day three, defended his first ball, then swung for a six off Roston Chase and picked out Jayden Seales at mid-on. A duck, and Bangladesh were 28 for three with the pitch misbehaving.

Twelve wickets fell on the day, six apiece, on a pitch breaking up with variable bounce, where spinners turned the ball sharply and the odd ball skidded low.

Shanto was trapped LBW to Chase at 34 for four and rain forced an early Tea. Warrican then removed Litton Das LBW for four and bowled Mehidy Hasan Miraz for nine, leaving Bangladesh six down, with Hridoy’s cheap exit having set the tone.

Jaker Ali, Mominul Haque’s concussion substitute, and Nayeem then added an unbroken 26 from 44 balls, taking the lead past 100 before bad light stopped play for the third day running. Bangladesh stood on 79 for six after 29 overs, 106 ahead.

The first innings had promised more. Hridoy added 88 with Shadman Islam on the opening day, defending with calm and reaching 42 before cramp in his left calf sent him off on a stretcher. A fifty looked a formality, more seemed on the cards.

On the morning of the second day, debutant Joshua Bishop trapped Shadman LBW, and eight balls later Hridoy tried to hit a quicker, fuller delivery without moving his feet and was bowled. He had faced two balls and added nothing. Bangladesh lost seven for 59 that morning.

Shadman, who had converted his overnight 99 into a century, defended his teammate afterwards: “The ball Hridoy got out to was more or less a half-volley. It was there to be hit. Hridoy plays these shots, and he scores runs with these shots.”

Loyalty is lovely, but a half-volley looks different when the man before you has just been trapped, Litton is settling in at the other end and the partnership is starting from zero. Patience, not fireworks, was the order of the hour.

The warning signs were there on the eve of the Test. Mushfiqur Rahim had injured his right index finger against a bouncer in the nets, so Hridoy, drafted in, was working with interim batting coach Mohammad Salahuddin when left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam tested him.

Three flighted, fuller deliveries followed. Hridoy missed a cover drive, edged the second and pushed the third to mid-off, with Salahuddin rushing over to show him the method. The common thread was limited footwork, and two days later it cost him his wicket.

That is two innings and two exits to needless attacking shots. On a turning pitch where the West Indies spin threat was obvious from Day 1, shot selection was the whole game, and now one question follows him around: is Hridoy ready for Test cricket?

The doubts are not new. Hridoy made his Test debut in June, in a one-off match against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club, and managed three and nine. Bangladesh lost by an innings and 85 runs.

Ngarava had him first, a good-length ball outside off moving away, Hridoy’s feet still catching up when the edge flew to slip. In the second, Muzarabani pitched one in the channel, Hridoy pushed with hard hands, and third slip pouched a thick edge.

Amite Hasan debuted in the same game and was shuffled down to number seven, odd for a man who has scored heavily near the top in domestic cricket for years. He made four and a 25-ball 25 with five boundaries.

Then came Bangladesh’s first tour of Australia in more than 20 years, and Hridoy was left out. Chief selector Habibul Bashar said Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s return left little room, while insisting the selectors still saw Hridoy in their long-term Test plans.

Amite travelled, but his only outing was the warm-up against CA XI, scoring 15 and four in a batting horror show that ended in an innings and 34-run defeat, with Bangladesh bowled out for 54 second time round. Hardly a platform to build a case on.

Hridoy’s road back ran through South Africa. Missing the first unofficial Test in Pretoria, which Bangladesh A lost by an innings and 413 runs, he returned for the second in Potchefstroom, where the pitch offered the bowlers nothing and he took full advantage.

He finished unbeaten on 350 off 481 balls, with 27 fours and 10 sixes, the highest first-class score by a Bangladeshi, passing Tamim Iqbal’s 334. The match fizzled into an inevitable draw, but the innings earned him a recall.

That innings earned him a place in the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in the UAE, though he sat out the XI while Afghanistan’s tailenders rescued a heroic draw. Amite was not even in the squad.

Bashar, though, had plans for Amite. Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque all bat left-handed, and Mahmudul Hasan Joy never established himself after several chances, so the management wants a right-hander at the top.

“We are looking for a right-handed opener in the top order. All four of our first batters are left-handed, which is not ideal. We asked Amite, ‘Would you take this opportunity? Prove yourself by batting there.’”

Amite usually bats at number four or five, and Bashar has no doubts about his ability. Selectors believe his technique could suit the new ball, though the player’s agreement is vital before any change, and the opener option remains under consideration.

Yet nothing has changed in the ongoing National Cricket League. Amite has mostly batted at four, twice at three for a 16 and 94, and made an unbeaten 204 for Sylhet against Khulna from number four. So much for the opener experiment.

On paper, Amite has the stronger case: over 4,000 first-class runs in 54 matches at an average above 50, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties. Hridoy’s average may look healthier, but that 350 is doing heavy lifting across only 18 first-class matches.

Temperament is the other issue. Hridoy is the ODI vice-captain, recently led the side in the tri-nation series and has been fairly consistent in white-ball cricket, yet Test batting demands patience his shot selection lacked in both innings here.

Right-hander Shahadat Hossain Dipu, a member of Hridoy’s Under-19 World Cup-winning side, is the cautionary tale. He debuted in December 2023, played six Tests, and made only 190 runs in 12 innings, averaging just above 15 despite long stays at the crease.

Dipu got his chances in the middle order, and his last Test came against West Indies in December 2024. Amite, with his pedigree, deserves at least that much, and arguably a driven, proper run, given who he could one day replace.

Then there is Mushfiqur Rahim, past 39 and still the best performer in his batting slot. He hurt his finger in the nets, handed Hridoy this chance by accident, and no one from the next generation has yet emerged as a suitable replacement.

That left-handed top four is a gift to opposition captains. Without a specialist right-hander at number five, they can simply stack their attack with right-arm bowlers and feast, so Bangladesh need a specialist right-hander, Hridoy or Amite or someone else if deemed worthy, to restore balance.

Hridoy’s 350 sold Bangladesh hope, but two reckless exits in Mirpur have shown how far he still has to go. Readiness is earned with patience, and until Hridoy shows it, the number five slot should stay a live contest.