Off the field, the picture of Bangladesh
cricket is very lugubrious while on the field there is hardly any cricket. Sports
journalists in Bangladesh
are irked because of continuous reporting about the off-field sagas. They wish
to write reports about the on-field actions.
There was an opportunity for the Tigers to brush away this
dull situation of Bangladesh
cricket with a spirit-lifting performance. The Bangladesh Under-19, Under-23
and A teams were touring England
and Singapore
respectively and it was expected that each would dole out a fair show, but
sadly it was not to be. The pens of our sports journalists couldn't break the
monotony of essaying dull reports.
The summer in England
and Singapore
had turned out to be an absolute disaster as the Bangladeshis hardly could
relish any triumphs. Much was expected from the A team of whom 13 from the 15-man
squad had international experience. Rather than demonstrating any sort of
fight, let alone victories, they lost seven of the eight matches they played. The
county teams mesmerised them at will and the Tigers were as helpless as timid
kittens. In the last one-dayer against the England Lions, they dished out a
consolation win but it wasn't enough to hide the miseries of such a pathetic
summer.
Like the A team, the U-19 and U-23 teams too were
impecunious. In the U-19 tri-nation tournament in England, our young guns found
it tough against England and Pakistan while in the U-23 Asian Cricket Council
Emerging Teams tournament in Singapore, a less professional like UAE side
thrashed the team.
But is such a shoddy performance surprising? Before such
tours, our players did undergo some conditioning camp but how effective such
conditioning camps can be if you don't play active cricket? Our cricketers have
hardly played any form of active cricket since the last Zimbabwe
tour. You remain focused and in a rhythm by playing domestic cricket at home
and it always keeps you well prepared. Now, if there is no first-class cricket
at home then how can you expect the boys to fare well in England
after undergoing some conditioning camp? No matter how many national cricketers
you include in the A team they will never bring the best of results if these
players are not in the perfect rhythm.
From many sections of the press and cricket experts there is
a hue and cry regarding this dismal summer. But in my opinion, the world has
not ended for Bangladesh
but it has brought some crude facts into light - rather than the poor show of
our boys, it's the less professional approach of our cricket officials which
has led to such a bemused outcome. Our officials should've never left our
domestic cricket jet-logged.
It’s better to think about the bright side of the scenario. There
have been some good performances by some of the U-19 boys. Musaddek Hossain and
Sadman Islam are two youngsters who have been highly impressive during the tri-nation
U-19 tournament in England .
They coped well under adverse situations and certainly are bright prospects for
the future if nurtured carefully. At the other end, from the U-23 team, Soumaya
Sarker looked very impressive while from the A team Anamul Haque junior and
Elias Sunny were consistent amid an absolute rut.
Moreover, these tours, especially the England
tour, should be a big learning curve for our boys. Such away tours are always
helpful in discovering self-deficiencies and developing a rock solid
temperament. Even if this summer was a disaster for the Tigers but it had been
a good education for the young boys and it might prove productive if the young
boys learn from these tours.
Note: This article has been published on Cricketnext.com on 30/0/2013 Bangladesh cricket's poor summer a big learning curve
Thank you
Faisal Caesar
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