Despite pacers making an impact in Test cricket in recent years, especially in away Tests, Bangladesh opted to play with one pacer in the Mirpur Test against South Africa. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

There was no way for Bangladesh to make up for a very poor batting performance, bowled out for 106 against South Africa in the first Test in Mirpur, but spinner Taijul Islam's fifer sort of came pretty close to making up for the batting debacle on Monday. But in terms of strategical standpoints or how Test cricket should be approached, Bangladesh once again appear to be going backwards.

For when an assessment is done on Test mentality, Bangladesh were already on the backfoot by having picked eight batters in the playing eleven. That meant they went in with just a lone pacer in Hasan Mahmud. Following the Test win in Mount Maunganui, and in the latter period, discussions have gone on about providing more opportunities to pacers.

When the pace unit appears to be thriving, and its merits have been proven in away Tests -- the latest feat in Pakistan where pace trio picked up all 10 wickets in Rawalpindi -- Bangladesh went backwards.

The paradox being that a shaky batting unit meant more batters were preferred. Since Mirpur always has something for spinners, it was a pacer that was replaced as Jaker Ali Anik made his debut.

But no Test team takes that counterintuitive approach. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's absence saw team management revert to kind.

But Kagiso Rabada and Wiaan Mulder showed early on that the wicket had zip and seam movement to offer to pacers. Rabada's delivery first-up should have warned Bangladesh -- a short of length delivery that exploded off the surface, opener Mahmudul Hasan just about getting out of the way of a scorcher.

Mulder did the early damage with three quick wickets and Rabada bagged three too as six wickets fell to pace. Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto had suggested a day before that it was a traditional Mirpur track, but the bounce did not verify such a claim.

"Yeah, we were really surprised at how the wicket played out. We thought it was going to turn, and not really nip, but with the new ball, there was a bit of movement. Not really much swing, but off the wicket, there was quite a bit of seam movement. To be fair, that's actually how it played in the nets," Rabada said at the press conference after Day 1 where 16 wickets had fallen.

Out of 16, 7 went to pacers as Hasan too got the ball to zip around in the third session. If South Africa had been surprised, they still had enough to get two pacers in the line-up. Bangladesh only made room for one.

"Test cricket should offer a fair contest between bat and ball," Rabada also argued.

But what transpired was more in line with how Taijul himself put it during his presser. "When a team plays badly, there is no chance for fairness [between bat and ball], whether you produce a good wicket or a bad one."

Top-order batting collapses are a regularity for Bangladesh in Tests. Asked about the poor batting display, Taijul said: "We fell short by some runs. Had we gotten 200-250, we would have been in a terrific position."

Thus one batter more did not make a difference on Day 1. It is not clear whether newly-appointed head coach Phil Simmons had any input regarding the matter but there would be big question marks on whether Bangladesh are moving backwards regarding focusing on strength, especially pace, rather than focusing on making up for batters' shortcomings.