The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of
rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood and the sound of outer ocean on a
beach” – Henry Beston.
When someone asks a Bangladeshi cricket fan their favourite
sound, he would most likely choose the sound from the jam-packed cricket
stadiums in Mirpur, Chittagong, Khulna and Fatullah.
The roar of the crowd is better than the sound of the
monsoon rain, of waves beating the shores at Patenga and Cox’s Bazar or the
sweet song of the cuckoo during the time of spring.
Cricket has the power to beat the music of nature and one
can sense this if they pay a visit to Bangladesh and witness a cricket match in
the stadiums.
Would this sound of the passionate crowd have been possible,
if Bangladesh was not awarded the coveted Test status seventeen years ago? Yes,
the cricket followers have always existed in this region, but there was no
medium to express their passion. Thanks to Saber Hossain Chowdhury’s
determination, Syed Ashraful Haque’s keenness and the hard work of his team,
earned Bangladesh nine votes in the annual conference of ICC on June 26, 2000
to confirm Test status.
A dream became a reality.
The Bangladesh cricket fans have much to rejoice and they
have found a medium to express their passion; the Bangla Tigers fans are
regarded as one of the most passionate fans in the world.
The road to Bangladesh’s Test status was not rosy.
Bangladesh’s victory in the ICC Trophy in 1997, and two years later, the
memorable win against Pakistan at Northampton during the ICC World Cup,
provided Saber and Ashraful the ideal reasons to press for Test status.
Bangladesh cricket owes a lot to Gordon Greenidge for the
success in the ICC Trophy and the World Cup, but his relationship with the
Bangladesh Cricket Board soured and Eddie Barlow entered into the scene.
Barlow was a South African cricket legend. As a boy, he
looked far from that of a sportsman. His spectacles and stout build earned him
the nickname "Bunter". He was so short-sighted that he could hardly
see over the front wheel of his bicycle when he rode to school. As time
progressed, podginess transformed into muscles and the boy turned into a man.
As a cricketer, he was highly competitive and played with a
certain brand of aggression and determination. Had apartheid not existed,
Barlow’s career would have been even more glorified. After retiring from
cricket, he remained in the sport as a coach.
After the departure of Greenidge in 1999, Saber and the
Bangladesh board chose Barlow to groom the Tigers and help them prepare a plan
to impress the ICC officials for Test status.
The South African was not just an ordinary coach; he was
more of a father figure and friend for the Tigers. He was the first person to
give emphasis on the improvement of the domestic structure, as former
Bangladesh cricketer and administrator Faruqe Ahmed confirmed later, “To be
honest he was the architect behind the change of domestic structure.”
Barlow worked hard day and night with the Bangladeshi
cricketers to change their mentality and approach towards the game. He wanted
to change the face of Bangladesh cricket and inject the aggressive intent and
professionalism so that the Tigers don’t find the going tough after entering
into the topsy-turvy world of Test cricket.
“Whatever I have achieved was because of that man. He gave
me the mental support when my place in the national team was not even
confirmed. I will always remember his words to the selectors that I have learnt
afterwards ‘Is Sumi (Eddie use to call Habibul Bashar by that name) in the list
for the inaugural Test,” said Habibul Bashar.
Md. Shafiqul Haque in his column for Daily Star wrote in
November 10, 2000, “Three more years we have to spend in ignominy before Akram
Khan led us to the most memorable victory in the history of our cricket. Since
then the Board officials took the challenge to seal the honour permanently that
our boys ensured for the countrymen.
Their intense and enterprising lobbying in the world body,
the ever-growing passion among the fans, Eddie Barlow’s successful presentation
to ICC that cricket is thriving there and will continue in the years to come.”
Barlow’s impact on Bangladesh cricket was immense.
A fatal hemorrhagic stroke cut short his stay as the coach
and development director of Bangladesh cricket and it was a big loss for the
Tigers. Still, many believe, had Barlow stayed longer with Bangladesh cricket,
the improvement might not have been painfully slow and the domestic structure
would have never remained poor.
Even though Barlow was physically not able to carry on his
job, he didn’t miss the historic day of Bangladesh cricket and attended
Bangladesh’s first ever Test match by sitting on a wheelchair.
One of Bangladesh’s great batsmen Aminul Islam said of the
historic day and Barlow’s presence, “I was determined to do well. I gave plenty
of time to adapt myself with the conditions. The Indian attack was boosted by
Srinath, Agarkar, Sunil Joshi and co. It was a strong attack. I waited for the
loose balls and planned to play session by session. I got nervous when I was in
my 90s. I became slow. Two names kept wandering in my mind – Javed Miandad and
Pravin Amre.
Both of them had scored Test hundreds for their country on
debut. I kept on motivating myself by remembering their unique feat. Finally, I
reached my hundred and thanked the Almighty Allah. Soon after thanking Allah, I
looked towards the dressing room where a paralysed Eddie Barlow was trying hard
to stand up from his wheelchair to give a standing ovation. Later his wife
helped him to stand up. These are just precious moments.”
Barlow passed away on December 30, 2005 in Jersey.
Bangladesh will play their 100th Test match at P Sara Oval
on March 15, 2017, and their former South African mentor, coach and hero will
be smiling down on them with great pride and joy.
Note: This article has been published at Sportskeeda on 15/03/2017 Remembering Bangladesh cricket's mentor and father figure - Eddie Barlow
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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