Well fought Bangladesh

The final day of the second Test match between Bangladesh and New Zealand was expected to be a gripping contest. New Zealand's handy lead in the first innings was given a fighting reply by the hosts, which made the contest an even one. But rain on the final day spoiled the party and the two-match Test series ended in a draw. Many fans cursed the rain, many fans' weekend had been spoiled. For once, for Bangladesh fans, rain was not a blessing but a curse. Had there been no rain, the Tigers could have pushed the Kiwis. Clearly, the mentality of Bangladesh fans is changing.

As a matter of fact, Bangladesh cricket is changing. In the limited-overs format, Bangladesh have become increasingly competitive since 2012, but in Test cricket they always remained underachievers. There were flashes of hope, but in the blink of an eye those ebbed with horrifying exhibitions, with Bangladesh's ability to play Test cricket remaining questionable. But steadily, though somewhat late, Bangladesh are getting into the groove and starting to play Test cricket the way it should be played.

Bangladesh's biggest downside in Test cricket had been their lack of discipline in batting. Time and again, Bangladesh batsmen failed to stand up to big totals and surrendered meekly. Thankfully, this year, the world noticed how audaciously Bangladeshi batsmen stood up to face the challenge. They showed this in Galle, Chittagong and Dhaka - assuring everyone that Bangladesh cricket is finding its feet in the Test arena.

In the first Test in Chittagong, the Kiwi tail wagged and posted a mammoth total. Bangladesh started shoddily as both the openers walked back to the pavilion cheaply; however, that didn't shake the batting order as the middle order scripted a fightback to take first innings lead and eventually draw the match. In Mirpur too, the batsmen replied doggedly. There was that natural instinct to go after the bowling but not without discipline. In the past, Bangladesh suffered due to the lack of discipline in batting but it wasn't the case in this two-Test series.

Bangladesh have plenty of positives to take from this 0-0 draw. Their never-say-die attitude has been awe-inspiring throughout, with the emergence of Mominul Haque being one of biggest gains. His boldness and ice-cool temperament worked like a spell of calmness for the middle-order. He has made the number four position his own through sheer skill, talent and right attitude. His gutsy display throughout the two Tests instilled confidence in his team-mates that they can face up to the New Zealand challenge. Mominul built a strong foundation on which the others capitalised to turn the Test series into a step in the right direction for Bangladesh cricket. Very seldom have Bangladesh been seen to stay consistent throughout a Test series, and though it will be too early to pronounce that the ghost of inconsistency has been buried, Bangladesh can take a lot of heart from their collective performance.

Despite the lack of opportunity to play enough Test cricket and despite various unwanted situations on and off the field, Bangladesh's performance against New Zealand needs to be appreciated. Like the previous Test series against the Kiwis, this one had not been a jolly-bash but an evenly fought contest between two teams and it was all possible due to Bangladesh's newfound fighting spirit.

Well fought Bangladesh!

Note: This article has been published on Cricketnext.com on 26/10/2013 Well fought Bangladesh 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Sohag Gazi - way to go

Corey Anderson, the New Zealand left-arm medium pacer leaped up in a big appeal for leg-before against Mominul Haque on which the umpire raised his finger to end one of the finest innings in the Bangladesh Test history, and with that, an inspirational 121-run stand between Mominul and Mushfiqur Rehman also came to an end. In the following over, Doug Bracewell dished out a snorter to remove Mushfiqur and as usual it hinted of another Bangladeshi collapse. There was Nasir Hossain at one end, famous for his cold-blooded destruction, but to script his thrilling knock he needed bold support

On most occasions, whenever the Bangladeshi tail wagged, Mahmudullah had been instrumental to its success. H used to come out to bat at either number seven or eight - maneuvered the strike with occasional aggression and carried on the hopes. Bangladesh always preferred to go with a specialist batsman at number eight to add depth to their batting, but in the Chittagong Test, Bangladesh decided not to follow this tradition to which they have stuck for 17 Tests since 2009. Mahmudullah was excluded and the faith was kept in Sohag Gazi's all-round abilities.

Gazi's batting prowess is well known in the domestic circuit, but in international cricket it has been his bowling that has caught more attention. At that critical juncture of Chittagong Test's third day's play, what Gazi needed was to provide solid support to Hossain's controlled aggression, but what we all witnessed was charisma from the Patuakhali man.

A mis-timed pull shot brought the end of Hossain and Bangladesh ended the third day 89 runs behind the Kiwis. On the fourth morning, Razzak departed early as well and a useful lead for the Kiwis was on the cards. But as time progressed, the Kiwis found it tough to overcome the Gazi's resolve. He took the Kiwi bowlers to the cleaners.

Pugnacious cover-drives, eye-catching upper and late-cuts, thumping slogs through mid-wicket and down the ground had the Kiwi bowlers baffled. Gazi and Robiul Islam brought up a critical partnership of 105 runs for the ninth wicket as Bangladesh took a lead in the first innings but most importantly Gazi brought up his hundred, bringing his batting into the spotlight.

The Gazi-show was not over yet! After his dogged hundred, he created history by grabbing a hat-trick in New Zealand's second innings. The Kiwis were looking to close out their innings soon after lunch as their batsmen started to score at a brisk pace. But Gazi's sudden spell of superb spin blowing delayed their declaration.

On a track which offered nothing for the spinners, Gazi started to make the ball talk. He first outclassed Brendon McCullum - castling him just as the Kiwis were building momentum after the lead had passed 200. In the following over, Gazi created havoc. Corey Anderson was first trapped lbw and then he followed it up with two absolute gems. BJ Watling, fresh from a first innings century, was up against a ripper that bounced sharply and an evasive Watling edged it to the wicketkeeper. Doug Bracewell came out to bat and deny Gazi a hat-trick, but a vicious arm-ball kissed the edge of Bracewell's bat, popping off the wicketkeeper's pad to slip, where Shakib Al Hasan held onto a one-handed effort, triggering rapturous celebration. A hundred, a five-wicket haul and a hat-trick - Sohag Gazi had created history. He became the first cricketer in the history of Test cricket to achieve such a feat even though, last year, in the domestic circuit, he did the same eye-popping act.

Gazi is indeed a special cricketer. He may not be as talented as Nasir Hossain or Mominul Haque, but his special characteristic is his appetite to work hard and the hunger to improve every day. Since his debut against the West Indies last year, Gazi has been the most improved cricketer amongst his team-mates. Still, though, he has a long way to go to cement himself into the team. But the way he has begun, the future looks bright and rosy.

Note: This article has been published on Cricketnext.com on 15/10/2013 Sohag Gazi - way to go

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Brilliant Bangladesh in Chittagong!

 

Whenever the Tigers start a Test series, ‘Who cares about Bangladesh?’ is the response which we, the fans, mostly receive from the non-Bangladeshi cricket followers across the world. Such a harsh response has been nothing surprising though as since their entry in Test cricket; the Tigers have hardly been impressive in this five-day format. Time and again, they have been mauled in the most shameful manner. Hardly had they exhibited the right attitude while playing Test cricket and thus, their credibility in Test cricket has always been questioned – critics never showed any sort of sympathy towards them.

But nothing is static in this world. With the change of time, the world changes as well. With the change of time, a novice turns into a good professional and in the course of time, Bangladesh are learning pretty well about how to cope with the intricacies of Test cricket. You will sit back and ask about why it’s taking that long, as it’s been thirteen years now and still Bangladesh haven’t achieved anything significant. Well, some don’t take that long to establish themselves while the others take the slow-and-steady-wins-race way to establish themselves. Bangladesh have taken the slow-and-steady way to establish themselves as a force in Test cricket.

As usual, the interest regarding the first Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand at Chittagong amongst the non-Bangladeshi cricket followers was at its lowest ebb. And as usual, the Bangladeshi cricketers were trolled in some of the cricket groups in Facebook. Towards the minnows, these fans are always too harsh but any response should always be welcomed and harsh criticisms should always be gifted with spirited displays. In Chittagong, Bangladesh did the same. 

The defiant last-wicket stand between BJ Watling and Trent Boult on the second day simply flattened the Bangladeshi bowlers. The Kiwis had posted a large total in their first innings and more often, Bangladesh are known to get unsettled whenever such huge totals are posted by the oppositions. Their start of the first innings was horrifying. In the twinkle of an eye, both the openers departed leaving the Bangladesh innings in tatters at 8-2. Entered Mominul Haque, the little boy from Cox’s Bazar who was picked ahead of the inform Naeem Islam and immediately Mominul shifted into fifth gear and started punishing the New Zealand attack with rare disdain.

Some of his offside stroke-play were eye-catching and reminded us of the great Kumar Sangakkara. As we all were left spellbound with Mominul’s scorching batting display, at the same time, the fear of Mominul’s short stay loomed large in our minds as well. As we all know that our batters come at the crease and start playing their strokes which seldom lasts long. But this time around, this didn’t happen. While Mominul was going all guns blazing at one end, at the other end, composure was provided by the debutante Marshall Ayub. A brisk but brief partnership was put and further damage was avoided.

In the third morning, Marshall and Shakib departed soon. We all started to fear another collapse. But a polished 121-run stand for the fifth wicket came up between Mominul and Mushfiq. Suddenly, Corey Anderson and Doug Bracewell removed Mominul and Mushfiq respectively. Mominul missed his double ton while Mushfiq was undone by a snoter from Bracewell. Another collapse was on the cards. But the gritty Nasir Hossain and Sohag Gazi settled down, avoided further collapse by notching up a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket. Nasir threw his wicket away at the fag end of the day with Bangladesh still trailing by a big margin.

On the fourth morning, Razzak departed soon with Bangladesh still trailing. A lead for the Kiwis was there on the takings but the Tigers made the Kiwis taste their own medicine as the Bangladeshi tail wagged and left the New Zealand bowlers mesmerized. Sohag Gazi notched up a cantankerous hundred while Robiul Islam provided the perfect foil to Gazi’s aggression with a steady 33. Bangladesh took a lead of 32 runs. A draw was expected but it didn’t happen without drama. On the final day, Sohag Gazi made the day historic by grabbing a hat-trick and became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score a hundred, grab a five-wicket haul and hat-trick in the same Test match. What more do you need in Durga Puja and Eid! It’s the perfect Durga Puja and Eid gift! 

Something has changed in the Bangladesh team. It’s in the batsmen’s temperament. In the past, big totals always unsettled our batsmen; solid partnerships were followed by ugly collapses while the promising knocks hardly flourished. But in Chittagong, we didn’t notice such to happen. The big totals hardly unnerved the Bangladeshi batsmen, solid partnerships, even though got broken, never invited any ugly collapses but more application had been provided to deny any further damage and we noticed the realization amongst our batsmen about when to attack the bowlers and when to show enough resilience. This is indeed a very positive sign for Bangladesh cricket. This indicates Bangladesh are slowly and steadily building itself as a force to be reckoned in Test cricket. Plenty of positives to be taken from Chittagong but complacency must be avoided in Mirpur and discipline in batting must be maintained.

Again, such performances also send world cricket a message that how important it is to allow the lower-ranked side to play more Test cricket. A few months ago, the Zimbabweans outclassed Pakistan but sadly, for a brief period of time, they will hardly be able to play any Test match cricket. This is pretty unfair. If you wish to develop cricket then let the development be not limited in arranging cash-rich tournaments like IPL, BPL or BBL and meaningless ODI series, but give everyone the fair amount of opportunity to play against the stronger nations more and more to develop themselves as a force in world cricket.

Note: This article has been published on Crickesoccer on 13/10/2013 Brilliant Bangladesh in Chittagong!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Bangladesh need discipline in batting against New Zealand

Three years ago, a strong New Zealand team came to Bangladesh to play an ODI series. During that time, the New Zealand Cricket Board asked the two-match Test series to be scrapped, and consequently the three-match ODI series was changed to a best-of-five rubber. New Zealand wanted to focus more on 50-over cricket at the time with the 2011 World Cup approaching. But to Bangladesh's anger, the Kiwis were scheduled to fly to India before the World Cup to play a three match Test series, which they did. Feeling robbed, the Tigers replied in a disdainful manner, hammering the Black Caps 4-0, with one match washed out. The victory lap by the hosts - led by Shakib Al Hasan - after the final ODI at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla stadium is a scene close to every Bangladeshi's heart, and the Tigers eye an encore three years later.

The Kiwis are in Bangladesh again. This time they will play a full series, starting with two Tests, followed by three ODIs and a solitary T20I. New Zealand have had the upper hand against Bangladesh in Test cricket. Since their first meeting in Test cricket in 2001-02, the Tigers have yet to beat New Zealand. Bangladesh had a golden opportunity to do that in 2008 when the Kiwis limped home to win by 3 wickets at Chittagong. In that first Test of the series, Bangladesh set New Zealand 317 to chase in the fourth innings and the visitors almost kneeled in front of Bangladesh spinners led by the enigmatic Shakib. But in the end, a much resilient Daniel Vettori and Daniel Flynn snatched victory from between the hosts' teeth. The two-match Test series ended 1-0 in favour of New Zealand.

The Tigers have improved by leaps and bound since then, but have failed to take their reasonable limited-overs success into the Test arena. Time and again they have shown signs of essaying glorious moments but most often failed to deliver the knockout punch, losing in the battle of temperament.

New Zealand's recent form in Test cricket is not intimidating. Since the start of this year, they haven't savoured a Test win. They had a disastrous series against South Africa in South Africa while against England in England their performance was simply horrifying. On the other hand, Bangladesh have a Test win under their belt this year and some braveheart performances against Sri Lanka to boost their confidence.

One area where Bangladesh have always lacked since becoming a Test nation is consistency and discipline in batting. And this is where the Tigers need to careful against the New Zealanders. Their batting has been the thorn in their flesh over the years and time and again, Bangladesh batsmen have blown away the hard work done by the bowlers.

Panic often sets in among Bangladesh willow-wielder, triggering a collapse which has become all too familiar a sight for the fans. Partnerships get broken, well-set batsmen gift their wickets and it spreads like an epidemic in the rest of the line-up leading to fatal results. Moreover, the tendency to score runs by depending too much on boundary-based batting and not maneuvering the strike has been Bangladesh's Achilles heel.

Most of our batsmen start playing adventurous strokes from the word go, which thrills for a transient period but never results in a rich harvest in Test cricket. Clearly, Bangladesh batsmen are yet to understand the meaning of 'occupying the crease'.

If Bangladesh wish to achieve the desired results against New Zealand, they need to ensure enough resolve in their batting. Without a doubt, Bangladesh spinners have the guile and ability to test the New Zealand batting order - which has always been susceptible on turning tracks. But the spinners' hard work will never be rewarded if our batting doesn't click as a unit.

New Zealand bowling, though without Daniel Vettori and Tim Southee, can't be undermined by any means. Trent Boult, Neil Wagener and Doug Bracewell are gritty customers and have the ability to fetch wickets. If Bangladesh don't pull themselves up, they will find it tough even against a slightly thin-looking Kiwi bowling unit.

Note: This article was published on cricketnext.com on 05/10/2013  Bangladesh need discipline in batting against New Zealand

Thank You

Faisal Caesar