Bangladesh v New Zealand - A Positive temperament and consistency will be the key

The New Zealand cricket team has arrived in Dhaka to play a five-match One-day series against the Tigers. All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. It’s the third time that the Kiwis will be visiting Bangladesh. Earlier they visited in 2004 and in 2008.

It was supposed to be a three-match ODI series and two-match Test series, but the New Zealand Cricket Board have declined to play the Test matches and for which five One-day matches will be played instead of those two Test matches. The New Zealand Cricket Board wanted to focus more on the limited-over matches keeping in mind the next year’s World Cup.

But, surprisingly, the Kiwis will fly to India to play a two-match Test series followed by five ODIs. Why will they play two Tests against India and not Bangladesh? The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) should have asked this question to the New Zealand Cricket Board. But, it’s hard to expect such from the BCB as they lack the cozones and they are more habituated to bow down rather than showing some guts.

New Zealand’s such sort of attitude deserve an answer and for which the Tigers must give their best shot in the upcoming five-match ODI series.   

In 2004 the Tigers were defeated badly by the Kiwis in both the Test and ODI series. But during the 2008 series, the Tigers did put up a very inspiring performance in both the Test and ODI series. They trounced the Kiwis by seven wickets in the first ODI at Mirpur but they failed to hold a firm grip on this advantage and went on to lose the final two ODIs. Again, in the first Test at Chittagong, the Tigers almost packed the match in their bag, but some poor tactical moves, Bangladesh failed to win that Test match. The final Test was washed away by rain.

Since then Bangladesh as a team have been improving. The Tigers might not have won that many matches but have earned praises and respect from the critics and avid cricket followers. Over the years, some fantastic talents have emerged who can run any opposition for their money.  

For the New Zealand ODI series the Tigers will not get the service of Tamim Iqbal who has had a brilliant season with the bat this year. This certainly is a big blow for the Tigers.   His absence will be felt. But that makes the way for the once mighty Shariar Nafees to get back in rhythm.

Bangladesh have a top and a middle-order which in terms of average and on strike rate is much better than the Kiwis. The Kiwi bowling is heavily dependent on only one man and he is none but Daniel Vettori. Whereas, Bangladesh have men like Mashrafee Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Abdur Razzak and co. – Bangladesh do hold the edge here.

The ODI also offers a great contest between the two best left-arm allrounders in the world, Shakib Al Hasan and Daniel Vettori. Shakib had a great County season with Worcestershire. It’s expected that he will continue his good run during the ODI series too.

But the Tigers lack temperament and consistency. Perhaps, for this reason the good performances are not turned into winning ones. It’s the temperament that separates the good ones from the best.

For the last one year, the Tigers performance had been too good to be reckoned. But they are not winning matches as many according to their efforts and talents. The tendency to finish on a winning note lacks among the Tigers.

Again, we are not consistent. Apart from Tamim and Shakib none of the Tigers score runs or take wickets on a regular basis. This is a negative side which should have been overcome a lot earlier. Such inconsistency had cost us matches in the past. Perhaps, when a batsmen or a bowler do well in a match then they start to bask in glory and they become over confident. And that affects their performance in the next match.

In cricket or any other sports every match is a new match. If you don’t perform well on a regular basis and sparkle after many matches then your place in the team bears no importance and for which Mohamamd Ashraful had to be omitted from the team. 

During the Kiwis last tour to Bangladesh in 2008, in the ODI series, even being one down the Kiwis fought back to beat us. The only reason which made the Tigers to lose the series was nothing but complacency and poor temperament. Otherwise we could have win the ODI series.

A positive temperament and consistency will be the key to the Tigers against the Kiwis in the upcoming series. If not, then perhaps the Tigers might again be humiliated by the Kiwis even though potentially the Tigers are far better than the Kiwis.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Bangladesh cricket - Worcestershire's Shakib Al Hasan

 

County Cricket provides an amazing opportunity for any cricketer to polish their skills. Testing conditions and variable wickets test a cricketer’s skill and character in each and every game. County Cricket makes a good cricketer better and a better cricketer into the world’s best.

The legendary cricketers in the history of cricket have played in County Cricket with a great distinction. Sir Gary Sobers, Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Ian Botham, Allan Donald, Wasim Akram,  Sourav Ganguly, etc are such names that have played County Cricket and mind you, they excelled tremendously which helped them to shine for their respective teams as well.

Since its entry in Test cricket, Bangladesh, over the years, have been a side who are improving slowly and steadily. Bangladesh have been gifting some exciting talents since the year 2003 and over the years, they have earned applauds from the cricket pundits all over the world.

Men like Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Rafique were the past masters to make a strong foundation for talents like Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, and co. These guys are now seasonal cricketers and are now ranked among the top performers in world cricket.

County cricket has been hiring cricketers from all over the globe but they never approached any Bangladeshi cricketers. But finally, in 2009 a County team named Worcestershire have hired one of the Tigers. He was the Wisden cricketer of the year 2009 and is one day cricket’s number one all-rounder and ranks among the top ten Test bowlers of world cricket. He is Shakib Al Hasan.

Worcestershire have won five County Championships from 1964 to 1989. But the year 2009 had been the darkest year for them. They did not manage to win a single match and were thus dropped to Division 2. They needed someone charismatic to change their fortune. Men like Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Kapil Dev had played for Worcestershire with distinction and maintained Worcestershire hay days.

Worcestershire knocked at Shakib’s door. Shakib opened the door for Worcestershire and hugged their offer with his traditional cute smile. And thus, Shakib’s County journey started for the season 2010. Shakib and his fellow teammates did change the fortunes of Worcestershire.

Shakib started his County journey with a master class 90-run against Derbyshire in the first match. In the limited-overs format of 40 overs Shakib blazed in the first match with a dashing 72 against the Unicorns. But his bat didn’t smile since then. In total eight first-class matches Shakib had scored 398 runs and in the limited-overs format, Shakib had scored 187 runs in just five matches.

But with the ball Shakib was terrific. His teasing, left-arm orthodox magical spin outfoxed the opponent batsmen. He started with 3 for 94 against Derbyshire in the first match. Against Glostershire Shakib took eight wickets for the match including a five-wicket haul (5 for 23). His match figure of 8 for102 is the best bowling for Worcestershire for the season. In the match against Middlesex Shakib was at his menacing best. He finished with figures of 7 for 23 which is the best individual bowling figure for Worcestershire in the season. Again, in the limited over format, his bowling figures of 4 for 32 against Glamourgoan is the best limited over bowling figure for Worcestershire for the season.

In eight first-class matches, Shakib has taken 35 wickets and in the limited-overs format, he has taken nine wickets from five matches. Among the top five bowling figures for Worcestershire in this season, Shakib’s bowling figures rank respectively as first, fourth, and fifth. In the limited-overs format, his nine wickets at an average of 17.77 are the second-best for Worcestershire. The bowler who topped for Worcestershire, Jack sentry, has played twelve matches whereas Shakib just played five matches.

In the last match against Surrey, Worcestershire won by six wickets though Shakib was not impressive. But the drawn match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire ensured Worcestershire the Division one for which they were longing for.

County Cricket certainly has made Shakib a better cricketer. Playing on different conditions and facing the toughest challenges have helped Shakib to polish his skills further. Now it’s time for him to deliver the goods to Bangladesh cricket that he has earned in County Cricket. Shakib Al Hasan will make us smile.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Bangladesh cricket - Best of luck Ian Pont

 The Bangladeshi pace bowlers wished to polish themselves under the watchful eyes of Lankce Klusener. The Bangladeshi cricket fans were highly delighted when they heard that Lance Klusener would be the next bowling coach. But sadly, Lance Klusener declined and thus, the expectations of the fans were dented.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had requested India’s Venaktesh Prasad and England’s Andrew Caddick but their response was negative and for which for more than six months the Tigers were left without a bowling coach.

But at last the BCB did manage a bowling coach for the Tigers. The gentleman is from England named Ian Pont. He is an unknown figure to the Bangladeshis. He is not a star but the guy has enough experience under his belt.  

  

Pont’s full name is Ian Leslie Pont. He was born in 28 August 1961 in Brentwood, Essex, England. Pont made his senior cricket debut in September 1981, playing for Nottinghamshire against Gloucestershire and Glamorgan. He made his first-class debut the following year against Middlesex at Lord's. He played three Benson & Hedges Cup matches for the Minor Counties in 1983, whilst playing for Buckinghamshire, returning to first-class cricket in July 1985, this time for his native Essex.

He continued playing for Essex over the following three years, also fitting in a spell playing for Natal in South Africa in 1985/1986. Whilst in South Africa, he recorded the second longest throw of a cricket ball of all time, throwing 138 yards in Cape Town. He played a few first-class matches for Essex in 1986 but 1987 started out very differently indeed.

In 1987, Pont had trials with six Major League Baseball clubs as a pitcher. Recording speeds of around 100 mph, he gained a one-month extended trial with the Philadelphia Phillies. At spring training, he was a starting pitcher for the Phillies in one exhibition game, becoming the first, modern-day professional cricketer to play in a professional baseball game.

He spent two more seasons playing first-class and List A cricket for Essex, after which he returned to minor counties cricket, playing for Northumberland in 1989 and Lincolnshire in 1990 and 1991. He played List A cricket for both teams.

After retiring from active cricket, he concentrated on his business interests. He was an early pioneer in coloured clothing, supplying the kit for all teams in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, and in the AXA Equity Law League in England in 1993, the first time cricket was played in coloured clothing in the UK.

Ian Pont is now an international coach, working with players in the United Kingdom and overseas on pace and accuracy. The specialized coaching used is known as ABSAT (Advanced Biomechanics Speed & Accuracy Technique). His book, ‘The Fast Bowler's Bible’ was published in 2006. Pont has recently been ECB National and Regional Skills Set Coach and the fast bowling coach of his former club Essex and was the national bowling coach of the Netherlands for two years up until the 2007 World Cup, when he was lost in the reshuffle of staff when the head coach was changed after that tournament. Pont is currently working as a technical fast bowling consultant to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club and is Head Coach of the International Pro Camp based in Potchefstroom, South Africa that runs every December.

Pont's latest discovery is The World's Best Slower Ball known as The SLOB (Slower Obsolete Delivery), which is hailed as a breakthrough as it drops like a stone into the batting crease when appearing to be a beamer. His much-awaited second book Coaching Youth Cricket is published by Human Kinetics and came out in June 2010. The book is recommended reading for all Level 1 qualified coaches.

Ian Pont seems quite an efficient man. Pont has the experience on coaching and is a great thinker of the game. He knows how to manage the young and promising pace bowlers and develop their skills. One thing Lance Klusener would have lacked and which is experience. But in case of Pont this won’t be.

Again, there is no guarantee that a star player would be a good coach. More often we have seen that less recognized cricketers had been better coaches. Dav Whatmore , Bob Woolmer are classic examples of such coaches who weren’t stars during their cricketing career as players but as a coach they had been highly successful.

I have always backed for experienced coaches and it was I who backed for coaches from Australia and England. In that sense the appointment of Ian Pont as the bowling coach is a good one.

Best of luck Ian Pont.

Note: Information about Ian Pont has been taken from Wikipedia

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Champions League Twenty20 2010 - Where are the champions of other countries?

Man, I am dying for some international cricket matches. I am tired of watching these Twenty20 cricket matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) and Champions League.  

Why no classic cricket matches of the past are being telecast? Once, ESPN and Star Sports did telecast the old cricket matches of the past. But where are they now? Perhaps, this is due to the second edition of upcoming Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) and as ESPN and Star Sports are the official broadcasters of this CLT20, they are giving more emphasis on Twety20 matches.

Dam! Such Twenty20 matches don’t attract me. They are so boring!

The second edition of the CLT20 will be held in South Africa this year. Now, this is called the ‘Champions League’ and it means that domestic Twenty20 champions from all the major cricket playing nations will participate in this tournament. It sounds more like soccer’s UEFA Champions League where the best clubs of Europe participate for the ultimate glory.

But things are not like soccer in case of CLT20. Here only selective teams will participate and from India three IPL teams will be featuring. But, should this be the way? Where are teams from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zimbabwe? These countries too have their own Twenty20 domestic formats. Right? Then why they are ignored?

As the powerhouse of world cricket, India is controlling everything and we all expect them to act like the elder brother of world cricket. But have they acted such yet? I don’t think so. I don’t get any idea of including three IPL teams in this tournament whereas it should be the tournament of the champions – the champions from all the major cricket playing nations. Just imagine how attractive a tournament had it been if teams from Pakistan and Bangladesh had featured as well!

But in such tournaments only financial gains are the utmost priorities and not cricket. The more the IPL teams, the more the cash – I guess this is what the officials think more. The enrichment of cricket has little value in such cash-rich mega shows.

Who am I to say about this? I am just a mere cricket fan. Does a cricket fan have any value in this commercial age of cricket? A cricket fan like me, who dislikes commercialization of cricket, has no value. 

Twenty20 cricket is a very dynamic idea. It is a very effective tool to globalize cricket, but it’s being used to earn cash in the most disgraceful manner.

I fear of horrifying outcomes!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Who should be the bowling coach of the Tigers?

The Bangladeshi cricket fans were ecstatic when they came to know that Lance Klusener would be the next bowling coach of the Tigers. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). At the same time Julien Fountain of England was also appointed as the fielding coach.

The fielding coach did come to Bangladesh and got engaged with his works but sadly, Lance Klusener has declined BCB’s offer and thus, still our boys are without a bowling coach.

Bangladesh need a bowling coach and especially our pace bowlers need a very experienced and competent coach to fix their shortcomings. The BCB should not run after big names but search for the competent persons. I would suggest for a bowling coach from either Australia or England. Most of their coaching stuffs are highly competent and possesses in depth knowledge about the game.

The early the BCB appoint a bowling coach for the Tigers, the better it will be for our cricket.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar