Bangladesh cricket - Akram Khan, Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin are the new selectors

The burly Akram Khan will lead a three-man selection committee that includes Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin, both of whom are also former national captains.

Being a selector in the subcontinent is a thankless job. No matter what the combination, criticism is there for the asking.

But still a selector has to moves on, still they has to perform their job. The last selection committee of Rafiqul Alam did a fair job despite having to deal with the interference of the BCB bosses which hampered their work.

The new selection committee is high profile. Akram Khan led Bangladesh to victory in the historical win in the ICC Trophy in 1997, while Habibul Bashar led Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, where they pulled off surprise wins against South Africa and India. Minhajul Abedin, who was a part of the playing XI in Bangladesh's first official ODI in the '80s, retired after the 1999 World Cup where he averaged 70.00 with two half-centuries - including one against Australia - in four innings.

The new selectors have weight. They have the experience, the taste of success and know the pros and cons of Bangladesh cricket. There is a risk of ego fights if the board tries to interfere in their work. The three members of the new selection are ex-cricketers of proven class in the history of Bangladesh cricket.

For the greater part of the 80's and 90's, Akram Khan and Abedin were an integral part of Bangladesh cricket and they have seen Bangladesh cricket grow. Both of them know the domestic structure and have the knowledge and the eye to pick up talent from the grass-root level. It will be easier for them to pick the right talent and then utilize them in the right way.

If Akram and Abedin saw the growth of Bangladesh cricket, then Habibul Bashar has seen the success of Bangladesh cricket. In a sense, Bashar was instrumental in starting the winning habit in Bangladesh. Under him the team gelled as a unit and started believing in themselves. Dav Whatmore and Bashar were a lethal combination, who engineered some astonishing success between 2004 and 2007. Bashar has that charismatic touch to give the selection committee a new dimension.

The new selection committee is a good, but my fear is that the BCB will interfere with the job of the selectors. Jamie Siddons was right in accusing Bangladesh of being infected by petty politics.

Cricket is the pride of Bangladesh and the tendency to mix politics will be disastrous. The nation’s politicians, both the ruling and opposition party, have destroyed many assets with their bloody mindedness and now their craziness is after our greatest asset, cricket. The board chiefs aren’t selected on merit but according to which party they support.

I would like to see this selection committee working closely with the captain and coach before selecting a team. Being ex-cricketers, all members of the selection committee know that it’s the coach and the captain who will have to deal with the players on the field.

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country as a fan post on 30/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-fan/posts/Akram-Khan-Habibul-Bashar-and-Minhajul-Abedin-are-the-new-selectors-/post-1184/comments/page/1

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Faisal Caesar

Junaid Khan – an exciting new arrival from the land of fast bowlers

 The soil of Pakistan is fertile for producing fast bowlers. From Lahore to Karachi, from Rawalpindi to Peshawar and Khyber Pass, one bowler crops up and another waits his turn in the wings to fascinate cricket. The legacy of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and others is still continuing. The cricketing world was dazzled by the arrival of the hugely-talented Mohamamd Amir. The Mohammad Asif-Mohammad Amir duo enthralled the cricketing world, albeit fleetingly.

The Pakistani soil found quick and quality replacements. Junaid Khan is the latest, exciting Pakistani who has the talent to fill up the gap left by the talented Mohammad Aamer. Though not as talented as Aamer, Junaid has the merits and abilities to make the world sit up and take notice of his worth.

The first impressions I had of Junaid: he is a southpaw version of Umar Gul. Like Gul, Junaid has a smooth run-up. However, Junaid doesn’t have that momentum in his run-up which Gul has. That could be the reason why Junaid fails to generate the desired hostility.

But Junaid has control over his bowling. He hits a perfect length and, like Amir, uses the seam to a great extent. He looks hungry to give that extra bit while bowling. His stamina and zest to reach towards the best is impressive. In that respect, he seems different from many Pakistani cricketers over the years. He is focused and determined and has the fire in his belly to become the best fast bowler in world cricket.

He has the attitude to get there. While he may not be an Akram or an Amir as yet, he nevertheless is an exciting, raw talent waiting to be refined and nurtured in the pace bowling factory of Pakistan.

Keep an eye on this young man.

This article has been published in Cricket Country on 25/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/junaid-khan-an-exciting-new-arrival-from-the-land-of-fast-bowlers-2159

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Faisal Caesar

Javed Miandad's last-ball six changed India-Pakistan balance in cricket

It’s 25 years to this month, but that winning six by Javed Miandad off the last ball of the Austral-Asia Cup final remains fresh in memory to all those who saw the game – either at the ground or live on television.

The ambience was absolutely electrifying as the batsman readied to take strike. The crowd at Sharjah was sharply divided – pro-Pakistan and pro-India – right through the day but was now numbed into silence by what lay in store. Pakistan needed three runs to win the game; India needed to concede less than three or take the final wicket to win the game. The moment was not for weak hearts.

Before facing the last ball, Miandad had a close at the field placing set by captain Kapil Dev. He watched Kapil plug all the gaps to prevent a boundary that would give Pakistan victory and then attend to his young fast bowler, Chetan Sharma. Kapil encouraged and steadied the youngster’s nerves before bowling what was the ball of his life.

The buccaneering Miandad walked up to his partner Tauseef Ahmed, jabbered with characteristic passion, walked back, did a headcount of the fielders to ensure that the Indians had not smuggled an extra fielder, took one final hard look at the field placing and then waited for the final ball. The two-eyed opened stance remained steady for something big. Miandad never followed the coaching manual; he followed his own book!

The raw and excitable Chetan bowled a full toss and Miandad, pulled savagely over midwicket and into the stratosphere. The crescent and green flags were being furiously waved around the ground, even as one section of the crowd were dumbstruck. In fact, it took a while even for some of the Pakistanis to react.

The palpable tension on Imran Khan’s face had erased; Abdul Qadir was delirious and the rest of the Pakistan team followed his joyous mood. Meanwhile, Miandad was ecstatic and raced to the dressing room, shouting and screaming amidst pandemonium as Pakistani supporters invaded the field. The Austral-Asia Cup had been in India’s bag for all but the final delivery.

The scoreboard would say it was a Pakistan-India game, but in reality, it was Miandad vs India. He brought all his experience and guile to frustrate the Indians – be it running cheeky singles, flying between the wickets to convert singles into twos, placing the ball in the gaps… The innings redefined one-day batsmanship for the thrust was not so much on big strokes, but on planning and winning with stealth, patience and cunning – a Miandad trademark. When he came to the crease, the score was 39 for two and by the time had got his eye in, the score was 61 for three. At 110 for four with already half of the overs gone, Miandad was fighting a losing battle. 

Still, 136 needed.

The asking run-rate had escalated from the original 4.92 to 6.28 per over. With one of his riskier decisions, Imran sent in Abdul Qadir at No six to tackle the guile of the left-arm spin duo of Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh. Qadir played a swashbuckling 34 before Kapil dismissed him. Imran and Elahi followed quickly and the run-rate had climbed to eight an over. Thirty-one runs were needed of the last three overs – a tough ask even by today’s standards and unthinkable in those days of overs-limit cricket.

How Miandad achieved the target is a part of cricket’s folklore. The 48th over yielded 13 runs and there was a mighty six off Madan Lal that brought up his hundred. The 49th over yielded 10, but Pakistan had lost Wasim Akram who was run out trying to give the strike to Miandad. Eight runs were needed from the last over and Miandad pulled savagely which left the packed onside field static. A brilliant save by Roger Binny at the short fine leg reduced what looked a certain boundary to a single. Zulqarnain tried needless heroism and was bowled by Sharma.

Last man Tauseef Ahmed got detailed instructions from Miandad before facing delivery and failed to get the much-needed single. The next was a fullish delivery to which Tauseef barely got a touch. Mohammad Azharuddin swooped on it, ran towards the bowlers' end and threw the ball underarm towards the target from a couple of yards. Tauseeef, who had reacted late to Miandad’s early charge, would have run out by a mile had Azhar not missed the target by a whisker.

It gave Miandad the strike and present Pakistan a big moment. What had happened then is history.

Full tosses are a good ball to hit and a terrible ball to miss. And the credit goes to Miandad for his alertness, his quick positioning and his decisiveness in stroke-making. When it came to the crunch, Miandad won while the 11 other Indian players strained under pressure. With one stroke that climaxed an innings of innate genius and put Pakistan on such a psychological high that India couldn’t overcome for more than a decade.

Miandad’s six still echoes around the Indian subcontinent. That one stroke gave him immortality, while Chetan Sharma is still pilloried for that one ball.

Note: This article was published in Cricket Country on 21/04/2011 Javed Miandad's last-ball six changed India-Pakistan balance in cricket

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Faisal Caesar

What Bangladesh cricket needs is a professional coach with plenty of experience

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in search of a new coach for their national team. The names doing the rounds include Sourav Ganguly, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Let us look at the above-mentioned names. If the BCB really has made a plan to knock at their doors, then I must say they are making a big mistake. Sourav Ganguly, though a cricketing legend, has no coaching experience. We don’t want our boys to be guinea pigs.

Waqar Younis’s name is surprising. Has the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to snap their ties with Waqar? Even if the mysterious world of Pakistan cricket ends Waqar’s tenure as the team coach, I still feel he should be utilized in some form or the other by Pakistan cricket.

Even if Waqar was available, I think the BCB should not go for him as his approach is much suited for a team like Pakistan than Bangladesh. Both teams are very different from each other. Bangladesh should also not forget that it didn’t have a great experience with Mohsin Kamal and Ali Zia.

While Inzamam was a great player, his name for the role of a coach is a bit of a joke. Late in his career he awkwardly mixed religion and cricket which led to the down fall of Pakistan cricket. Bangladesh does not want to see their national team leaving cricket aside and hear religious lectures in the way the Tableeg and Jaamat are preaching in Bangladesh. Our boys have trust in the Almighty and they don’t need reminders on the field when they should be concentrating on their game.

The Bangladesh cricket team needs someone with plenty of coaching experience. Our boys are more accustomed to professional coaches and not the inexperienced customers. Gone are the days when a Mohinder Amarnath would come to Dhaka to train us and then suddenly leave without telling anyone anything after gifting a disastrous result. Now we are a Test nation and we demand professional coaches.

There is a high demand for more coaches in every sport from grassroots through to the elite. Cricket coaches play a vital role in providing athletes with the skills and knowledge needed to develop, improve and succeed.

It is essential that coaches provide people of all ages the best possible sporting experience, which will maximize their enjoyment and ensure their continued participation and development.

A true professional coach has the perfect training in increasing the confidence levels of his men. He has the perfect guess works and he mixes it with modern technologies to bring the best out of his players. He has the skills to assist in the mental, physical and social development of his men. He has the practical understanding of safe and correct techniques with improved communication skills. Men like Dav Whatmore or a Bob Woolmer had this, and they were not legends of the game.

We can’t deny the fact that Whatmore provided us plenty and Jamie Siddons contributed further to Whatmore’s good work. To further build on that combined good, what Bangladesh cricket needs is a professional coach from Australia or England.

Rather than knocking at the doors of Ganguly, it would be better to knock at the doors of Duncan Fletcher or Tom Moody who are true professionals and has plenty of experience on this ground.

Appointing an ex-star cricketer without any professional coaching experience as the coach of ours boys would only be helpful to hit the headlines in the newspapers, but the results will not be good. When Mohinder Amarnath was appointed as our coach in 1994 he hit the headlines, but his participation with the boys was poor and his work hardly made any visible difference in the boys. In the end we miserably lost the ICC Trophy miserably and Amarnath vanished without telling anyone anything! A young team needed proper guidance which Amarnath failed to provide. Had there been a professional coach, the results might have been much better.

Look at Ian Pont, the bowling coach appointed last year by Bangladesh. How well he had improved Shafiul and Co! Had Lance Klusener been there, then I don’t think he could have improved our bowlers that much. But Pont, a true professional, brought the best out of the Bangladesh bowlers. Sadly, he had to leave. The BCB should have prolonged the contract not only with Pont but also with the fielding coach.

Hope the BCB bosses get it right.

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 19/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/what-bangladesh-cricket-needs-is-a-professional-coach-with-plenty-of-experience-2001

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Faisal Caesar

Pakistan versus West Indies clash does not have the excitement that it once had

They were once superpowers in world cricket and their battles were a treat. Their nail-biting clashes dominated world cricket for more than a decade. The players from both countries were the heavyweights of the game. A Pakistan versus West Indies series – be it a Test match or an ODI – was electric.

Pakistan came to the West Indies for their inaugural series in 1958. It was a contest lot closer than the 3-1 scoreline in favour of the West Indies seem to suggest as it was dominated by two phenomenal batting performances that remains indelible in the record books.

In the first Test at Kingston Oval, Pakistan were routed for 106 in their first innings and followed on 473 behind, a seemingly hopeless cause. But the legendary Hanif Mohammad dug in defiantly, holding through for the most of the last three days of the six-day Test match and shared in four successive century partnerships. When he was finally out for 337 on the last day, he had batted for 16 hours and ten minutes! No batsman before or since has batted longer in any first-class match. With the advent of T20s, such epic marathons look unlikely to be repeated.

A few weeks later Hanif’s score of 337 was surpassed by Gary Sobers at Sabina Park in the third Test. Taking on the full advantage of a Pakistani attack reduced by injuries and a batting paradise, Sobers smashed the then highest Test record score to post a new high of 365 not out.

In spite of the batting domination, the West Indian crowd was thrilled by the pace and guile of the Jamaican Roy Gilchrist and the crafty Fazal Mahmood. Tackling Gilchrist’s hostile pace with guts and grit earned Hanif respect in the hearts of the West Indians, while Fazal’s beautiful cutters drew lavish praise as well.

Inexplicably, it was another 19 years before Pakistan returned to the Caribbean, their meeting in the interim confined to two short series in Pakistan. None of the players from the inaugural rubber survived till 1977 but their successors were on equal star billing.

“Big Cat” Clive Lloyd led his West Indies team on way to emerging into the most consistently successful of all time. Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Alvin Kallicharran, Derryck Murray, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft and Michael Holding were his main men. Mushtaq Mohammad captained an exceptionally-talented Pakistan side comprising of Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Sadiq Mohammad, Asif Iqbal, Wasim Raja, Wasim Bari, Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Iqbal Qasim and Sikander Bakht.

From the word go, both the teams were aggressive and bold, typified by the stylish hard-hitting left-handed genius Wasim Raja who topped Pakistan’s averages and amassed 517 runs against the dreaded pace attack.

The West Indies’ last pair clung on for a draw in the first Test at Jamaica when a Pakistan victory looked inevitable. They won the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval by virtue of a volatile display of fast bowling from Colin Croft, who bagged eight for 29 and had the better of a high-scoring draw at Bourda.

Inspired by Mushtaq Mohammad’s brilliant all-round performance, Pakistan squared the series at Queen’s Park second time around to set up the Sabina Park Showdown. On a fast bouncy track, the West Indian venomous fast bowling, leg-spin of David Holford and Greenidge’s butchery murdered Pakistan. West Indies won the Test series by 2-1.

The next meeting between the two teams was in 1980 in Pakistan. Though Pakistan created flat tracks to negate the West Indies pace battery, it couldn’t avoid a series defeat. Joel Garner and Sylvester Clarke were astonishing while Imran Khan’s bat blossomed to script his first Test hundred.

In 1986 and 1990, in Pakistan the West Indies demonstrated their resilience by shaking off heavy defeats in the first match to immediately win the second and be denied only by the lack of time.

In the first Test at Faisalabad in 1986, Pakistan were skittled out for 159 in their first innings by the pace of Antony Gray. The West Indies made 248 in their first innings with Wasim Akram taking six for 91. In their second innings, Pakistan scored 328 – courtesy some gutsy batting by Salim Yousuf and Wasim Akram – to set the West Indies a target of 240. But Abdul Qadir’s leg-spin routed the West Indies for 53. The West Indies blasted Pakistan at Lahore, but failed to win the Karachi Test due to the courageous batting performance by Imran Khan and Tauseef Ahmed. Chasing a target of 213 runs Pakistan were reduced to 95 for seven. But Imran and Tauseef hung at the crease to ensure a 1-1 draw.

It was in this Test series of 1986 at Faisalabad, Imran Khan introduced neutral umpires to cricket by inviting umpires from India.

The West Indies succumbed to a eight-wicket defeat against Pakistan at Lahore in 1990, destroyed by the pace of young Waqar Younis and the batting of Salim Malik. But the West Indies blasted Pakistan in the second Test and had the home team back to the wall with six wickets down. Again the third Test ended in a tense draw.

Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies in 1988 saw one of the greatest battles in the history of Test cricket. A clean sweep in the ODI series had given the West Indies a false sense of security. In the first Test the West Indies were without Malcolm Marshall and Viv Richards. Pakistan seized the opportunity. Imran Khan’s high class fast bowling earned him 11 wickets in the match and Javed Miandad’s 114 secured Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the series. Richards and Marshall were back for the final two Tests and the fight for supremacy was fierce.

Imran grabbed nine more wickets while Marshall grabbed seven and Richards and Dujon hit centuries in the second Test. Pakistan were set a target of 371 to win the second Test and they were reduced to 169 for five by the West Indian pace battery. But the gritty Miandad hit another hundred and, with the help of lower order courage, saved the Test match for Pakistan.

It set up a grand finale for the Kensington Oval, the West Indian fortress where they had not been defeated since 1935. It was hard to say the better of the two sides. Pakistan set the West Indies a target of 266 runs to win and had eight of the Caribbean wickets for 207. A Pakistan victory was inevitable.

The tension was acute, heightened by the frequent Pakistani appeals and angry reactions. Pakistan let the match slip, as Dujon and Benjamin hung on.

Imran Khan was crestfallen. In the five rubbers in which he had been involved against the West Indies, three as captain covering 18 Test matches, Pakistan had been repeatedly frustrated. He wrote later he was convinced by the fact that he and his men were denied by the umpiring errors.

In 1993, Pakistan toured to West Indies again. Pakistan led by Wasim Akram came back strongly in the ODI series from a 0-2 down. They could have won the last ODI had the crowd not interfered. But before the Test series, Pakistan cricket was hit by drug scandals. And it simply killed the charm of the Test series. Pakistanis were down mentally.

Ambrose and Bishop devastated Pakistan with the ball, while Desmond Haynes and Brian Lara fired with the bat. The West Indies easily took a 2-0 lead but Inzamam’s magnificent 125 in the third Test denied the Caribbean a 3-0 clean sweep.

But the West Indian kingdom had fallen when it toured Pakistan in 1997and lost 0-3.  Pakistan toured to West In 2000 and the first two Tests were undecided. Inzamam with the bat and Wasim Akram with the ball were simply breathtaking. The decider at Antigua was almost won by Pakistan but for the local umpire who denied a catch at short-leg catch. Adams hung on till the end to give the West Indies a one-wicket win.

Pakstan toured again in 2005 and managed a 3-0 win the ODIs, but couldn’t win the Test series again as they hung on to a 1-1 draw by winning the last Test. In 2006, Pakistan won both the Test and the ODI series against the West Indies at home. Mohamamd Yousuf in this series became the player to score most Test runs in a calendar year to break Viv Richards’ 30 year old record while Lara charmed the Multan crowd with a 216.

Pakistan’s tours to the West Indies have so far been frustrating and mostly marred by controversies. They are yet to win a Test series in the Caribbean. Pakistan are touring the West Indies this year after six long years. This time the Pakistan team is much stronger than the West Indies. Perhaps this is the time Pakistan could give their nation and their millions of fans a sweet victory in the Test series.

The clash between these two teams is no longer eagerly waited, no longer charm crowds. Yet, both teams are unpredictable and are capable of creating enough drama and excitement.

This article has been published in Cricket Country on 17/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/pakistan-versus-west-indies-clash-does-not-have-the-excitement-that-it-once-had-1966

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Jamie Siddons bids adieu to Bangladesh cricket with bitter-sweet memories

So, the Jamie Siddons era ends in Bangladesh cricket. It wasn’t easy when he took over the job from Dav Whatmore in 2007; indeed, it’s been the toughest for a new coach with a multitude of tough challenges.

The first challenge for Siddons was the ICL saga. In 2008 many of the Bangladesh’s talented cricketers and seasoned players fled to play the ICL league, which wasn’t granted official status by the BCCI. This led to the axing of superstars like Shahriar Nafees, Alok Kapali, Aftab Ahmed and Habibul Bashar. Bangladesh cricket team was almost empty then.

Siddons had to rebuild a side without many of the key players. He went on to create a team which went on to win a Test and ODI series during his four-year reign as coach. He improvised with his approach, rotated the players, backed the talent and established work ethics which the players adhered to.

The next challenge for him was Mohamad Ashraful. As a true professional he was always there to back the player. But, sadly, Ashraful did not heed what the coach told him. Ashraful’s job was to bat and utilize his talents to its greatest extent. That was what Siddons wanted. But Ashraful wanted to become an all-rounder! His focus suffered, and so did his batting.

As a captain, Ashraful was never comfortable and he was naïve in dealing with the pressures of captaincy. Ashraful got full support of Siddons, but he wasn’t in the mood to listen to Siddons. After the disastrous 2009 T20 World Cup the Ashraful and Siddons fell apart.

The post-Ashraful era had been a golden run for Bangladesh cricket. Siddons was able to get the players to adhere to his work ethics. With the dynamic Shakib Al Hasan as the captain, Siddons was able to manage things well.  The team did well with an increasing number of quality performers.

His greatest achievement was surely the clean sweep over the Kiwis. Before the start of the series, Siddons arranged a training camp and made all the player work hard and made them believe that they can beat any team in the world. His motivation paid off.

People accused him for not being supportive towards few players. He was quiet, reluctant towards those who fled for the ICL. His association with Ashraful suffered during the later half of his coaching stint and it was obvious. No teacher would like to pay attention to those students who are reluctant to hear the teacher’s advice. A teacher sometimes ignores his student to light the fire inside him. But it’s up to the student to understand the motive of the teacher. Siddons wanted some of the players to bring out their best by overlooking or ignoring them.

He did not allow Nafees and Ashraful to have a net session with the regular players before the World Cup. But Nafees had been positive with everything and he didn’t allow his head to drop. The result: Nafees is back in the side and reaping the goods with the bat. Ashraful, on the other hand, failed to utilize the opportunity.

There had been accusations that Siddons was not supportive towards Mashrafe Mortaza. I think that perception is wrong as he always wanted a fit Mortaza. Maybe his approach was not that good enough to deal with the Mortaza. The selectors axed Mortaza, not Siddons. To blame Siddons for that is unfair.

At present his coaching is being judged by the results of the World Cup 2011. To me it would be unfair as I just can’t blame Siddons for Bangladesh skittled out for 58 and 78. Siddons gave his best for Bangladesh, but in crunch games, Bangladesh imploded. The fault lay in Bangladesh’s approach and not the coach.

I am the one who prefers to look at the silver lining behind the dark clouds. Siddon’s journey with Bangladesh had been a story of mixed emotions. It had tested Bangladesh’s patience, but it had also given them the moments to cherish. In the end, Siddons has given Bangladesh seeds that can be harvested for a good morrow, if handled with maturity.

“If these boys are allowed to grow together for another four years to the next World Cup, you’re going to have a lot of good fun and a lot of joy,” Siddons said. “We’ve had a lot of joy with the New Zealand victories and World Cup victories against England and Ireland. We’ve smashed Zimbabwe the last four series, had a lot of success, and it’s all these guys. They’re the best 15.

“There might be one or two coming in and out because of form or injury, but you’ve got to stick with them, and you’ve got to trust them and stop being negative when they fail – they’re 23, 22 years old. There are no 33, 34, 36-year-old Ricky Pontings or Kumar Sangakkaras to hold them together yet. You’ve got to give them a chance to develop. You can’t bring back Habibul Bashar and ask him to be Ricky Ponting, because he’s not. You’ve got to let them develop.”

Yes, we understood you Siddons. But, above all, the BCB bosses must understand your words.

Goodbye, Siddons.

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 15/04/ 2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/jamie-siddons-bids-adieu-to-bangladesh-cricket-with-bitter-sweet-memories-1924

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Faisal Caesar

Raqibul Hasan - The immovable object

The Tigers were two wickets down and the crowd expected Shuvagata Hom to come out to bat against Australia yesterday. Hom is a very promising cricketer. But instead of Hom, the dull figure of Raqibul Hasan showed up. Obviously, the crowds, present at the stadium and TV spectators were not pleased at all.

Raqibul’s decent display against Australia in the practice matches helped him to get included in the one-day side but after his pathetic 7 runs off 22 balls in the first ODI, the selectors needed not to included him in the side for the second ODI and inject someone like Hom to add dynamism in the side. But sadly, Hom has to wait for another match while Raqibul displayed some boring cricket as usual.

Raqibul Hasan is a cricketer with plenty of limitations. He not only lacks the technique but solid temperament as well – a very one dimensional batsman who simply does not fit in this fast and furious modern day cricket.    

‘You fail in one match; you get axed for the next match’ – if such has been the policy of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over the years then frankly speaking, Raqibul Hasan should not have been featuring in the second ODI. But still, he gets selected. Why? Nepotism?

Players like Alok Kapali don’t get a chance in the side but proven failures like Raqibul Hasan gets included again and again. What does this indicate? The BCB is more interested in nurturing nepotism rather than talent.

Sensibility has never been BCB’s policy and for which immovable objetcs like Raqibul Hasan gets featured and we continue to lose deserving cricketers. Such sort of mindsets will do no good for Bangladesh cricket.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Muttiah Muralitharan: The wizard who mesmerized batsmen all over the world

In one section of the Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium there was joy and emotions, and on the other hand there were gloomy faces. And one especially felt bad to see the sad face of Muttiah Muralitharan – one of the greatest spinners cricket has ever seen, leaving international cricket in this manner.

Deep down, as his ardent fan and follower, my heart was crying for the Sri Lankans. I just wanted whole heartedly Murali to lift the World Cup. But the Indians were too good and certainly among the two well-matched side. The best side won and scripted history. Sadly, Murali had to end up as the runner-ups.

Perhaps no cricketer since Douglas Jardine has polarised opinion quite like Murali. For the believers, he’s among the greatest to ever spin a ball. For the doubters, he’s a charlatan, undeserving of the game’s greatest records, responsible for changes in the laws that they think have legitimized throwing.

What was undeniable was his ability to turn the ball sharply on just about any surface, and bowl the sort of marathon spells that would have seen a lesser man retire after five seasons rather than 18. Whether Sri Lanka played at home, on pitches where he was often unplayable, or overseas, Murali was the go-to man for half a dozen captains. He seldom disappointed.

Coming from a family that had confectionery interests in Kandy, he arrived on the cricketing scene during a tour game against Australia in 1992-93, when no less a batsman than Allan Border failed to pick his bowling. From the outset, his action was an object of wonder. A deformed elbow was only part of the story. Murali had exceptionally supple wrists and a shoulder that rotated as rapidly as a fast bowler’s at the time of delivery. A combination of all these factors combined to enable him to turn the ball far more than most orthodox finger-spinners, but it was only with his mastering the doosra, the one that went the other way or held its line, that he became Shane Warne‘s rival in the wicket-taking and greatness stakes.

The controversies always kept him company, yet Murali seldom lost his wide-eyed smile, or the ability to run through batting sides. Darrell Hair called him for throwing on Boxing Day in 1995, and Ross Emerson followed suit three years later. In 2004, he was asked to refrain from bowling his doosra, after it was found to exceed the 15-degree tolerance limit that had been agreed on after extensive analysis of his and other actions. While the skeptics continued to denigrate his achievements, Murali even bowled on television in a special cast, going through his entire repertoire to try and convince the doubters.

Part of the World Cup-winning side in 1996, he was instrumental in the run to the final 11 years later, and he played his part in some of the country’s greatest sporting moments. It was his 16 wickets that helped rout England at The Oval in 1998, back in the days when Sri Lanka were deemed worthy of only one Test. He averaged less than 30 with the ball in every country except India and Australia, and he finished a remarkable Test career with more than 100 wickets against India, England and South Africa.

Being backed by Arjuna Ranatunga, he blossomed in the late 1990s, and there was a period when the opposition routinely budgeted for 20 Murali wickets or more in a three-Test series. As the years passed, his shyness gave way to a quiet confidence and wry sense of humour, and he won admirers around the world for the energy, time and money that he invested in reconstruction after a tsunami had devastated the Sri Lankan coast in 2004. Often the only Tamil in the side in a time of ethnic conflict, he became as powerful a unifying force as any in the country. That he was such a hero with ball in hand was only part of the story.

Not winning the World Cup this year at Mumbai will remain as a disappointment in his long illustrious career. He certainly wanted to end his career on the winning note, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co upset his plans. In the final, he defied pain and bowled his heart out, but certainly there wasn’t that bite, the guile and the killer punch in his deliveries.

His records will inspire generation to come. He will remain as an icon to off-spinners of future generation. His modesty is praise worthy, his wisdom is a lesson worthy of imitation and his ability to handle the heaviest of troubles with a big smile will remain as an example of how to handle pressures. Bishan Singh Bedi will not stop calling him a chucker, umpire Hair will deny him to be the legend of off-spinners, but in the era of high quality technology, it has been proven again and again his bowling is legal.

Sri Lankan cricket, indeed international cricket, will be poorer without this wondrous off-spinner. Adieu, Murali!

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 10/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/muttiah-muralitharan-the-wizard-who-mesmerized-batsmen-all-over-the-world-1781

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC World Cup 2011 - Sachin Tendulkar finally finds his ‘lady love’!

The symbol of the ICC World Cup supremacy is just like a beautiful lady. A lot of men will covet her, but few have any realistic chance of winning her. The man wanting her in his hands has to be a worthy in terms of intelligence, masculine courage and glamour.

That Team India successfully wooed cricket’s beauteous maiden is not surprising, given that this team had the cricketing intelligence, raw courage and a huge glamour quotient. And which maiden will not get attracted to Sachin Tendulkar!

Saturday was the pinnacle of Tendulkar’s cricketing career – a dream fulfilled. How can the paragon of cricket not win the statuesque and coveted beauty! If Tendulkar’s unparalleled cricketing career had ended without having the statuesque beauty by his side, it would have been a travesty of justice.

The moment the trophy came in Tendulkar’s hands seemed magical. It was an epic moment. Right on cue, the flash blubs went into a frenzy that lit up the night. It was the moment of moments the cricketing world was waiting. Tendulkar and the World Cup was a match made in Heaven – made of each other!

The World Cup nestling cozily in Tendulkar’s arm was a sight India cricket has been waiting patiently to see for years. This is what his team-mates wanted most for him. They said they would do everything to win it for him. This was the moment of truth. The moment of joy. This was the moment for a nation to celebrate. This was it!

A romantic cricketing career got its much-awaited fairytale ending. You can be sure that cricket’s favourite son will now live happily here after!

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 5/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/sachin-tendulkar-finally-finds-his-lady-love-1696

Thank You

Faisal Caesar