Failure to convert: A tedious routine in Ireland Tests

Bangladesh are in pole position to whitewash Ireland in the ongoing two-match Test series, which is hardly surprising when playing at home against a new Test side.

Having won the first match in Sylhet by an innings and 47 runs, Bangladesh have dominated the visitors in the second game in Mirpur as well, with Ireland needing 333 more runs to win and only four wickets in hand on the final day.

While the result seemed almost predetermined even before the series began, what would trouble the Tigers most is the number of missed opportunities by the batters.

Bangladesh held off declaring in the second innings of the ongoing Test because Mominul Haque was close to his 14th Test hundred -- which would have made him the holder of most hundreds in the format for Bangladesh.

But his innings ended on 87 with a soft dismissal, prompting skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto to declare immediately after setting a 509-run target.

This was not the only instance of Mominul getting close to such milestones. He missed out on a hundred in the National Cricket League just before the Ireland series, was dismissed for 82 in the only innings in the first Test in Sylhet, and fell for a well-made 63 in the first innings of this Test -- making it three consecutive innings of falling just short of the three-figure mark.

It is not just Mominul. Several batters have failed to capitalise on good starts. Shadman Islam has missed out on two centuries in this series. Mahmudul Hasan Joy looked set for a double ton in Sylhet but fell for 171.

"He probably doesn't worry much about the runs. However, my personal opinion is that when I used to talk to [Sachin] Tendulkar, he would also take a lot of time to score those last 10 runs," Bangladesh's specialised batting coach Mohammad Ashraful said about Mominul.

Ashraful also appeared displeased with the manner of Mominul's dismissal -- a simple catch at silly mid-off -- in the second innings.

"What's important is whether his process is correct or not. Is his process right? For example, he got out in the first innings; you can't say anything about that. It was totally unlucky," Ashraful added.

According to the former Bangladesh skipper, the mentality required to convert starts into bigger knocks must be developed in domestic cricket.

Ashraful believes that reminding players about the importance of building an innings will be a key part of his coaching role. Skipper Shanto has five fifties and eight hundreds in Tests -- a conversion rate of 61 percent after reaching fifty -- and Ashraful feels others need similar reminders.

"Like Shanto's rate -- his conversion rate is 61 percent after a fifty. If you can just remind each player that your rate of scoring a hundred after 50 is 61 percent, meaning the hard work you do to score 30 to 50 makes it easier afterwards… it will be possible to perform," he said.

Joy, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Shanto all got centuries in this series, but there could have been more. In terms of conversion, the Ireland Tests serve as a harsh lesson to improve the mental side of batting.