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Defeated, yet Bangladesh lives to its ICC rating

M. Serajul Islam | Published: June 03, 2017 20:57:23 | Updated: October 18, 2017 15:51:39

Defeated, yet Bangladesh lives to its ICC rating

Bangladesh lost the opening match of the ICC Champion's Trophy to England but it was a defeat that has not humiliated the team in anyway. For 40 overs of its innings, the first of the match having been put in to bat, the Bangladesh batsmen, Tamim Iqbal and Musfiqur Rahim, played like champions. A total in excess of 330 looked very likely when they had taken the total beyond 250 with 2 down and 10 overs remaining. That could have won it the game. 
At that stage, the English players looked clearly frustrated, particularly as the record third wicket partnership between Tamim and Mushfiq that eventually fetched 166 runs. It was the biggest partnership for Bangladesh in limited overs game outside Asia that was flowering in a dominating fashion. The frustration was evident as Ben Stokes got involved in a by-play after Tamim had hit a four of him that was an improvised stroke that fooled the bowler. 
From what was evident to viewers who watched this shameful act on the TV live, it was Stokes who tried to engage Tamim into a verbal confrontation after putting his hand in a condescending fashion on the latter's shoulder. Tamim, who has not just matured into a world-class batsman but also as an individual, showed that maturity in the by-play. He gestured Stokes to get on with his bowling and let him bat and the game to proceed unfettered.
It was, however, disappointing to watch the umpires say nothing to the English player. In fact, it appeared like they were on the wrong side of the by-play and their focus was on Tamim rather than on Stokes. Tamim was again on the wrong side of the umpires' favour with the spectacular catch he had taken of Eoin Morgan in the 37th over when the Bangladesh team could have got back in the game with the score a little past 200. Tamim claimed the catch but on-field umpire Indian S Ravi ruled against it and referred it to the TV umpire with a soft not-out signal.
TV umpire Australia's BJN Oxenford in the next instant agreed with the on-field umpire and gave Morgan not out. Between them, they thus pointed a finger at Tamim as dishonest for claiming a catch that had hit the ground. Playback of the catch showed Tamim had caught the ball cleanly. A number of former cricketers tweeted forcefully against the umpires and in Tamim's favour. They blamed S Ravi for his soft signal and the TV umpire for not reviewing the catch properly. It is a case that Bangladesh should take up with the ICC for there seems a bias against the Bangladesh team in ICC competitions. 
It was good to see a different mindset in the Bangladesh openers in the Bangladesh-England match. Tamim and Soumyo started playing attacking strokes only when they knew that the pitch was placid and there would be enough time later to play their natural game and build a big total. In going for a big total, Imrul Kayes, however, came across as the first selection faux pas. The team needed at no 3, a batsman who could go on the attack to build upon the 50-plus opening stand. Shabbir Rahman was the natural player for that spot while Kayes was not.
The second mistake was one with which Bangladesh has always grappled unsuccessfully: a plan to play the innings while batting was on. And it was this lack of a plan to have a total in mind as the game progressed that was responsible for the team's failure to go beyond 320 or 330. The last 10 overs brought the team that had crossed 250 with 8 wickets and two batsmen dominating the balling adding just 53 runs because the team had not figured out what would be the winning total as the game progressed and play accordingly.
To complicate matters, Tamim, his brilliant century notwithstanding, gave up his wicket to an atrocious shot that betrayed the standard of his stroke play before that, with the score at 263 and 5 and a half overs left. And the very next ball, Mushfiq batting brilliantly at 77 was out indiscreetly reminding the way he had played in the 20/20 match not too long ago in Dhaka to give a winning game to India. The two alone could have pushed the total to 320-330 with a little more sense in their batting. Their way of getting out was the major turning point in the game for Bangladesh. 
The English batsmen, relieved of the psychological pressure of a 320-plus total, chased down the impressive 305 with just one hiccup when Jason Roy was removed early. Thereafter, they never seemed bothered and never in any worries about the 305 total because the pitch was too friendly. And added to that was the other major problem that has now crept into the Bangladesh team and that has become plainly obvious with this game and recent games it has played; the innocuousness of its bowling.
The few times that the Bangladesh bowlers had put the opposition in some pressure in limited overs games in recent matches had been only when the pitches were bowler-friendly. The little potency there was in its bowling attack in recent past seems had vanished with the team's management oblivious about it. That potency had come primarily from Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan with Rubel Hussein and Thaskin Ahmed adding to it. Mustafiz is not the same bowler he was before he was sidelined with an injury. And before the injury, he was a one-weapon bowler namely his deadly off cutter that opposing batsmen now know how to handle better.
Shakib, unfortunately, is losing his magic bowling arm and not picking up wickets any more while leaking runs in plenty. Thaskin who came to the limited-overs game in a big and dramatic way appears to be fading out, if not so already. And the captain Mashrafe, while his heart is as big as his physique, perhaps bigger, has lost his effectiveness mainly to injury and cannot be expected to be a threat to any opposing team any longer. 
Mashrafe's role as captain over the years seldom underlined much imagination. It is now showing sure signs of shortcomings. It was again obvious in the team's selection for the England game where part of the responsibility must also be borne by others that had a hand in the selection. The team was woefully short of a bowler that became palpably obvious when Soumyo and Shabbir were called to bowl. Mehedi Hasan Miraz should have been in the team in place of Kayes who, after all is said, is simply not a player for the limited over games.
Notwithstanding it good batting performance in the game against England, the Bangladesh team management had also missed a point about batting in preparing the team. Pre-tournament previews of pitches had revealed that the ICC had by design prepared the matches for the Championship Trophy to be high scoring ones where in preparatory matches, Sri Lanka was unable to defend a total of 358! The Bangladesh side did not push hard enough to go beyond 300 because they were not mentally prepared for it. Thus when they had scored 305, the Bangladesh fans were excited although it was in the end just a good score, the brilliance of the batting of Tamim and Mushfiq notwithstanding.
Therefore, for the remaining two matches, the Bangladesh team must focus on bowling that Steven Fleming called 'a very light bowling attack' without losing sight of the fact that their batsmen must push themselves harder. If Bangladesh had been able to score the extra 30 more runs that seemed quite possible at the 40 overs stage, it could have been the winning team. Therefore, there is no reason to think that Bangladesh is out of the tournament. It is very much in it but for that, the team's management and the players must be on the same page on planning.
The writer is a former Ambassador.
serajul7@gmail.com
 

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