Day 4 of the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh at Christchurch’s
Hagley Oval promised to be a gritty contest. On the second day, late strikes
from Shakib Al Hasan, put the visitors in a commendable position and on day 4 –
with the third day washed away by rain – Bangladesh were expected to gain the
all important lead and start their second innings in a confident manner with
the aim to shrug off the dismal batting display during the second innings at
Wellington.
But on a bright sunny day, the story of Bangladesh was
another pathetic end.
Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Tim Southee, and with eight down,
the hosts were still three runs away from Bangladesh’s first innings total.
Neil Wagner, the thorn in the throat in the flesh of the Tigers throughout the
Test series, hung on in the middle and supported Henry Nicholls to frustrate
the visitors. With one hour or so, the ninth wicket stand was 83 and Bangladesh
lost the edge over New Zealand.
New Zealand gained a lead of 85 runs and a solid batting
performance was needed from the visitors to make the contest an interesting
one.
Bangladesh came out to bat and scripted the same old story
of implosion . Trent Boult, Southee and Wagner applied their tactics of pitching
the ball short and Wagner’s ploy to target the rib cage, yet again, unnerved
the Bangladeshi batsmen. Soumya Sarkar was the only batsman who was able to
negotiate the bounce for the certain period, but the rest of the batting
line-up capitulated in a shambolic fashion.
The New Zealand bowlers were tough to handle on the fourth
day, but what Bangladesh needed was to exhibit calm and be composed. The shot
selection of the top order batsmen was kid-like. When attempting back foot
stroke-play too early or playing the ball away from the body, batsmen can’t
blame the conditions.
If anything had to be blamed for the implosion of
Bangladesh’s capitulation then, it would be the poor mindset and lack of
physical fitness to play five-day matches.
The New Zealand tour has ended in a disgraceful manner for
the Tigers, but they should not lose heart and take this tour as a lesson.
Bangladesh cricket needs to work on certain things for a better outcome in the
near future.
Improvement of the standard of
domestic cricket
It has become very important to improve the domestic
infrastructure of Bangladesh cricket. The standard of domestic cricket in
Bangladesh is still not up to the mark. The tracks are too flat and hardly
provide any assistance for the bowlers. The sports section of Bangladesh newspapers
is filled with the heroics of batsmen scoring runs heavily rather than
impressive bowling feats and thus, it gives a false impression that Bangladesh
are producing good willow-wielders.
But the New Zealand series has exposed the technical
fragilities of Bangladesh batsmen in a harsh manner.
While playing on flat decks, a batsman doesn’t need to
concentrate too much on defence and footwork and thus, he can score freely
without even caring much about the technical aspects of batsmanship . The
batsman thinks he doesn’t have any problem in his technique and basks in false
glory.
But in hostile tracks and bowling attacks, they melt down.
To overcome such problems, the wickets in the domestic
cricket must be variable and should test the technique and temperament of
batsmen.
If not in Dhaka, but in areas like Chittagong and Cox’s
Bazar, where the breeze blowing from the sea has an impact, the tracks must be
made in such a way to aid movement and bounce, and pacers should get enough
assistance to make the ball talk.
Batting under such a hostile atmosphere will help develop
the mental toughness and technical solidity among Bangladesh batsmen. It will
make them realise that batting is not all about relying on boundaries, but
occupying the crease, leaving the ball and playing it according to the merit.
Playing behind the line of the ball and closer to the body, and strike rotation
are vital elements of batsmanship in Test cricket.
More emphasis on the longer -version
format
Even though Bangladesh struggled hard and campaigned
tirelessly for the Test status, in fact, their interest in playing the best
format of the game is less. Many Bangladeshi cricketers, both national-level
and youngsters, focus more on improving in the shorter formats and registering
their names in the teams in Bangladesh Premier League .
Twenty20 is a part of cricket and a great medium to earn
cash without breaking enough sweat. Cricket has always welcomed change and
there is no harm in adapting to the change which offers a sound livelihood. But
too much of anything is never good and one would never like an over-cooked
Biryani.
Since the rain-washed series against South Africa in 2015 to
2016, Bangladesh played just two Test matches and they even cut short a full
Test series against Zimbabwe to accommodate the World Twenty20. If a team plays
fewer Test matches, how is it possible to improve in five-day matches?
If Bangladesh wish to improve in Test cricket, they need to
bear in mind that Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game, and
concentrate on improving themselves by spending more time in the four-day
domestic matches.
Improvement of physical and mental
fitness
Meanwhile, the batsmen failed to maintain their same
fighting spirit and focus in the second innings against the barrage of short
balls.
While countering the short balls, a batsman needs to do a
lot of ducking, pulling and hooking which puts pressure on the muscles of the
back and chest. Until and unless, a batsman’s muscles are strong and fit
enough, it’s very tough to weather the storm of short-pitch bowling.
Neither can a bowler bowl consistently well if his fitness
level is not up to the mark. The Bangladeshi batsmen and bowlers lacked the
physical fitness to fare well in New Zealand. Against Wagner, they were
apprehensive and clueless against short balls, and also looked unfit.
Cricket is a mental and technical game, but a lot of
emphasis must lie in the physical fitness aspect of the game; even more so in
the modern game.
Note: This article has been published at Sportskeeda on 24/01/2017 What Bangladesh need to do after such a nightmarish tour?
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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