OUR hearts were broken and hopes crushed on the fifth and final morning of the epic Test match at Chittagong. Resuming on 253 for 8, requiring only 33 runs to score in almost a full day, even the most optimist of England supporters were about to cover their faces to hide disappointment. Bangladesh had visions of securing only their eighth Test victory in 94 attempts, and their first against England in nine. But Ben Stokes rose to the occasion for England and capped a supreme all round performance with two wickets in three balls.Â
Bangladesh began confidently with Sabbir pushing a delivery through the covers for two and Taijul flashing a Stokes short ball over the keeper's head for four. Five years ago, on this very ground, he had been Bangladesh's hero with a brilliant 24 not out in Bangladesh's two-wicket World Cup win over England. This time, however, he was trapped on the crease second-ball and was adjudged leg before.
The verdict was greeted with a huge roar from the England players watching the big screen, and there was an extra sense of expectation as Shafiul shuffled out to face the pumped-up Stokes. And this time, umpire Dharmasena's finger was raised, as victory was confirmed via a record 26th DRS decision of the match.Â
It was a heart-rending finish. But Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh skipper put a brave face on another near-miss for his team, and credited his players for a hugely spirited performance in their first Test match since August 2015.Â
Brave fight in first Test against England
THE Tigers lost their first Test against the visiting English side, but they put up a brave show till the last ball of the match. It was really nice to see Bangladesh fighting so hard in a Test match. The whole country was waiting for Bangladesh to snatch a victory, but Ben Stokes broke the hearts of Bangladeshi cricket lovers. Â On the fifth day, the Tigers needed 33 runs with two wickets in hand, but they could not clinch victory and lost the cliff-hanger by 22 runs. But the Tigers deserve our thanks and appreciation. We hope Bangladesh will do much better in the second and final Test to be held on October 28 in Mirpur Stadium. Sabbir remained not out at 64 as he ran out of partners in the end. Winning and losing are a part of a game. And we should learn from our mistakes so that we can avoid further regrets in future. I sincerely hope the Tigers will leave their regrets behind them and look forward to the second Test optimistically.
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Hong Kong Internataional Airport
Hong Kong
sohelhara@hotmail.com
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An epic Test match
FE Team | Published: October 25, 2016 22:11:16 | Updated: October 21, 2017 22:42:03
An epic Test match
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