Keep the faith in Soumya and Sabbir

Sourav Ganguly’s boldness to showcase special talents

Sourav Ganguly decided to open Virender Sehwag in Test cricket. His such a decision was not welcomed from his own countrymen as according to them Sehwag lacked the technique to survive in Test cricket, but what they did not notice was Sehwag’s fearless factor which can at times beat technique to conquer the Test arena. Sourav noticed it and opened him with Wasim Jaffer in the first Test  at Lord’s where  Viru cracked 84 runs in the first innings at a strike rate of 87.5 with ten fours and one six, but he was outclassed by Simon Jones in the second innings and hinted, he lacked the defense to counter incoming deliveries.

But Ganguly stuck with his plan to open with Sehwag at Trent Bridge where the wicket was a green-seamer and conditions were chilling. Sourav was taken to the cleaners again, but he did not compromise with what his cricketing brain suggested him. Sehwag smashed a hundred and since then, there was no looking back for the Nawab of Najafghar.

He had the talent to become one of the best openers in the history of Test and One-day cricket but had Sourav not recognised and backed his abilities, Sehwag’s failures in the early part of his career might bring a premature end to his international career. Again, Sourav was instrumental in unleashing the genius of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh and helped to build the “New India”.

Fearless Imran Khan’s faith in special talents

Then, When Imran picked a 23-year old batsman named Inzamam-ul-Haq in the squad for World Cup 1992, some of the Pakistani selectors resigned terming Imran’s move as madness. Even the great Javed Miandad was against Inzi’s inclusion. Imran not only picked him in the squad, but kept on playing Inzamam in every match, where he was failing to flourish. Again, Imran, persisted with another young legspinner named Mushtaq Ahmed, who as usual was not proving as productive as Abdul Qadir, but still, Imran kept on playing him. The critics back home were furious and sliced Imran into pieces, but at the end of the tournament, the talent of Inzamam and Mushtaq was evident and the faith of Imran in them paid off.

People like Imran and Sourav always used to back their talents no matter who said what and persisted with them despite going through a bad patch as such talents help in injecting the fearless factor.      

Smart Chandika Hathurusingha and injecting of special talents

When the going got tough in 2014, Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed Chandika Hathurusingha as the coach of Tigers. He was not a high-profile name and very few knew about his capabilities. He took charge and thought of changing the face of Bangladesh cricket by injecting young talents. He wanted Bangladesh to play the fearless brand of cricket and he cannot proceed with the so-called experienced customers. Thus, Chandika unleashed the talents of Soumya Sarkar, Mustafizur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman and co, who added a new dimension to Bangladesh team and helped to script an absolute purple patch since the ICC World Cup 2015.      

Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman – The gift of Chandika Hathurusingha

Soumya Sarkar was picked in the World Cup squad as Chandika witnessed his ability to time the ball and strike it hard through the square of the wicket and had the experience of playing in Australia during the Under-19 World Cup in 2012. In the first match against Afghanistan, Soumya’s wristy batting led the famous cricket writer, Christian Ryan to write a special article about him. His batting was eye-catching and gradually, he became a part and parcel of Bangladesh team.

Meanwhile, a so-called Twenty20 player named Sabbir Rahman’s talent was all set to get wasted in the shorter-formats of the game. Sabbir is an absolute murderer of a cricket ball, but amid those towering sixes in Twenty20 games, none could notice his abilities to play, ground shots through cover and backward point. Chandika noticed it and included him in the Test squad and took a bold decision to send him at number three as, Bangladesh need someone at number three to maintain the momentum and Sabbir’s ability to fetch runs fluently would help them a lot.

The bad patch and technical insufficiencies   

In the ICC Champions Trophy, Bangladesh made it to the semi-finals, but during this amazing campaign, Soumya and Sabbir’s bat did not blaze at all. They were found wanting against the moving ball, especially those deliveries which came back at the batsmen. Again, Sabbir could be seen vulnerable against the deliveries bowled at the fourth and fifth stump from back of a length and his rush of blood scripted his downfall during the Triseries in Ireland.   

   

If we watch Soumya and Sabbir’s dismissals during the mega event, we could notice, how badly they were using their feet and which hampered their defence. Instead of going behind the line of the ball, they kept on committing to the stroke early, which automatically prompted them to pivot on the front foot and exposed the gap between bat and pad and outside edge. Such a ploy led to their downfall either via getting bowled or caught behind.

Even if the gap between bat and pad and outside edge got exposed by committing to the shot early, they could have fetched runs by adopting an initial backward and then forward movement. Batsmen like Virender Sehwag adopted such and thus, despite having some technical deficiencies, he was able to score plenty of runs on seaming and bouncy wickets. The habit of adopting an initial trigger movement of going back, in turn, helps a batsman to get behind the line of the ball.

Keep the faith in Soumya and Sabbir   

A section of cricket pundits in Bangladesh is bashing Soumya and Sabbir for their failures in England and blaming Chandika as, according to them, both of them are featured in the team despite their inconsistency only because of head-coach’s nepotism.The renowned cricket expert, coach and one of the same brains of Bangladesh cricket, Nazmul Abedeen trashed such claims and requested the critics to be positive about Soumya and Sabbir.

If Chandika is persisting with Soumya and Sabbir, then, one must remember how the likes of Imran and Sourav never compromised with special talents. They always persisted with them no matter how uglier their bad patches were.

As because, special talents can conquer the troubled times quickly and if they are not given enough opportunities to play matches at this stage of their career and given a logistic support, there always remains a possibility of fading away. Special talents should be taken care with a positive frame of mind rather than criticising only to settle personal scores.        

    

Soumya and Sabbir are special talents and they will come back roaring. 

Investing faith in players who have past their best won't make Bangladesh cricket great. 

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 22/06/2017 Keep the faith in Soumya and Sabbir

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - Roar of the wounded Tigers

Difficult times

The world was shocked after the terrorist attack in United States of America in 2001. The Taliban hit the headlines as they were the culprits behind that heinous attack and one country felt the heat immensely after that disaster and that country was Pakistan. The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, transformed U.S-Pakistan relationships and Pakistan became one of the key players in the war against terrorism. Pakistan decided to join the international coalition against terrorism, which did not please the Taliban across the Pakistan border.

Pakistan, as a nation, suffered and they are still suffering. 

Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar crushed New Zealand in the first Test at Lahore in 2002, but the tour could not proceed further as a bomb blast outside the hotel at Karachi, where Stephen Fleming and his men were staying, led the New Zealand officials to abort the tour.  The bomb exploded shortly before the New Zealand team were due to board their bus to travel to the National Stadium for the first day of the second Test, the last match of the tour.

Pakistan’s security came under scrutiny, but still, the Pakistan Cricket Board managed to host bilateral and multinational tournaments in Pakistan till 2009 when another shocking incident dashed the dreams of staging international cricket matches in Pakistan for almost eight years.

Sri Lanka were tourning Pakistan in 2009. The first Test at Karachi was all about Younis Khan’s triple ton, but tragedy struck before the start of second Test. Five police officers were killed and seven Sri Lankan players and officials were injured when gunmen attacked the Lankan bus which driving towards the Lahore Cricket Stadium. The attack was believed to have been carried out by Laskhar-I-Jhangvi, a jihadist organisation based in Pakistan with limited operations in Afghanistan. 

That terrorist attack ended Pakistan’s credibility to host international cricket further and were forced to play their home matches in New Zealand, England and finally, they found Abu Dhabi and Dubai as their permanent venues to play a bilateral series.

The following year, Pakistan cricket was jolted by the spot-fixing saga. They not only lost the services of Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, but also lost the respect of world cricket. It seemed, Pakistan cricket lost its way and there was no way to come back and stand up with their heads high. And when Zulqarnain Haider unleashed another fresh controversy during the series against South Africa in 2010, surely, Pakistan cricket was doomed.

The turnaround

But when cricket is a matter of passion, it always finds a way out of the dark tunnel. For the Pakistanis, cricket is like oxygen and from the trash of sport-fixing and international isolation, the Green Shirts rediscovered their lost spirit and continued to carry on with men who were nowhere near Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis or Inzamam-ul-Haq.

It was up to a gentleman named Misbah-ul-Haq, whose international career seemed to be over by then, to bring Pakistan cricket back on track. Frankly speaking, none invested faith in Misbah, but gradually, he took Pakistan cricket to the top in Test cricket. Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa’s brilliance were halted as Misbah’s men claimed the top spot in ICC Test ranking last year after that epic win at the Oval and when his men beat West Indies for the first time in the Test series in their own backyard, Misbah retired as a satisfied man. 

Brilliant in Tests, pathetic in 50-over format

Even though Misbah can be given a lot of credit for stabilising Pakistan cricket, but all his glories came more in white clothes. In the 50-over formats, Pakistan lost their past glory and hit the rock bottom. Misbah was not an attacking captain and in 50-over formats, a defensive mindset can never fetch any good results. Under Misbah, Pakistan forgot how to accelerate and when Azhar Ali took over, Pakistan’s miseries in ODIs knew no bound. Azhar, as a captain was the carbon copy of Misbah’s defensive mindset and under him Pakistan kept on sliding and in the end managed to grab the number eight position to register a place in ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

The fairytale in England

Sarfraz Ahmed was made the captain of Pakistan’s ODI team. He made a brilliant start by winning the ODI series in West Indies, but after the terrible display in the first match of ICC Champions Trophy against India, Sarfraz and his boys including the coaching staff digested heavy criticisms. Normally, none expected Pakistan to fare well against India as in any ICC events, India have always gunned down Pakistan and the encounter at Edgbaston was no different.

But Pakistan’s meek surrender and Sarfraz's inability to absorb the pressure let the critics open their mouth.

While the rest of the world was engaged with teams like India, South Africa, Australia and hot favourites England, Pakistan decided to fool everyone with their unpredictable nature and whenever Pakistan’s journey becomes tough, they behave like a wounded Tiger.

South Africa, Sri Lanka and England were stunned by some unknown names like Fakhar Zaman, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali while the skill of Junaid Khan and that bad boy Mohammad Amir memserised the very best. Meanwhile, Sarfraz shunned the defensive attitude of Edgbaston and transformed into a proactive captain. His field setting and rotation of bowlers did wonders for Pakistan and in the most important game of the tournament, the final match against India, he had to do little to gun down the men in blue as because, since that defeat at Edgbaston, Sarfraz was able to instill the attacking intent in his men and Pakistan played like the wounded Tigers.

The roar of wounded Tigers

They are disliked by many. They are controversial. They are punched in the face and kicked on the rib cage time and again. They are deprived of so many things. They are an unrest nation. But despite so many setbacks, Pakistan, as a nation, continues to amaze us each and every time. And when the matter is about cricket, the Green Shirts never stop stunning us and the world.

How many would have thought that a number eight side in ODIs, whose credibility as a limited-overs team was under a big question mark would end up as the ultimate winner of ICC Champions Trophy 2017? On June 1, I said, Pakistan are a dangerous side and can do anything, but deep down, I never thought, they would lift the trophy. But, look, what has Sarfraz Ahmed’s men done?

They just crushed the arch rivals, India, in the finals to break the jinx and surprised everyone. This is the beauty of Pakistan cricket. You cannot even guess what they are capable of. You cannot dare to analyse or predict them. They are the unpredictable species and an essential ingredient for spicing up the cricketing world.

The world has listened to the roar of wounded Tigers!

Note: This article is published at Cricketsoccer on 19/06/2017 ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - Roar of the wounded Tigers   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

একজন গ্রেট ক্রীড়া সংগঠক নিয়ে আমার কিছু কথা

একজন ক্রীড়া সংগঠক হিসেবে কে, জেড, ইসলামের হাতে কলমে কোন শিক্ষা ছিলো না। শুধু পরিস্থির মোকাবেলা করে তিনি যে শিক্ষা অর্জন করেছিলেন তা বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেটকে অনেক দূর নিয়ে যেতে যথেষ্ট অবদান রেখছে।

আমার বাবা পূর্ব পাকিস্তন আমলের জনপ্রিয় ফুটবল দল ইপিআইডিসিতে ফরিদপুর থেকে একজন সেন্টার ব্যাক হিসেবে খেলার সুযোগ পেয়েছিলেন সেই ১৯৬৮ সালের দিকে (সালটা সঠিক মনে করতে পারছি না)। কিন্তু তিনি খেলতে যেতে পরেন নাই কারন তখন কেউ তার গ্লাসে পানির সাথে সাল ফিউরিক এসিড মিশিয়ে দিয়েছিলো যেটা পান করে উনি হাসপাতলে ছিলেন এবং একটি মৌসুম খেলা থেকে বিরত ছিলেন।

বাবার দোষ ছিলো উনি রাজেন্দ্র কলেজের ছাত্রলীগের স্পোর্টস সেক্রেটারি ছিলেন। আর তাই হয়ত কেউ শত্রুতা করে এরকম ঘৃণ্য কাজটি করেছিলো। তখনকার ছাত্রলীগ এবং এখনকার চারিদিক কাঁপানো ছাত্রলীগের মধ্যে অনেক তফাৎ। সেই ছাত্রলীগ নিজের গায়ের কাপড় খুলে গরীবদের দিয়ে আসতো। এই কাজটি আমার সেজো মামা, যাকে নিয়ে দুদক এবং কিছু সুশীল প্রানি যথেষ্ট হ্যারাস করেছেন, অনেক করতেন।

আর এখন......    

যাক গে সেসব কথা। আসল কথায় আসি।

বাবার মুখে কে, জেড, ইসলামের কথা শুনেছি। ঐ ইপিআইডিসির অনেক কাজ এই ইসলাম সাহেবকে করতে হতো। ক্লাবের বাজেট, বিদেশী ফুটবলারদের পেমেন্ট  থেকে শুরু করে টেন্ট খরচার কাজও করতে হতো। উনার লেখা বই থেকে জানতে পেরেছি, স্বাধীনতা পরবর্তী বাংলাদেশে বিটিএমসি ছিলো সবচেয়ে বৃহত্তম ক্রীড়া দল। এই দলেরও সব দায়িত্ব ইসলাম সাহেবের ঘাড়ে ছিলো। এরপর বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট বোর্ডে উনার দায়িত্ব পড়ে।

দায়িত্ব নেবার পরই উনি ভাবতে থাকেন এই দেশের ক্রিকেটকে কিভাবে জনপ্রিয় করে তোলা যায় এবং যদি ফুটবল উন্মনাদনার মধ্যে ক্রিকেটকে জনপ্রিয় করতেই হয় এবং এটাকে একটি প্রেফেসনাল রুপদান করতে হয় তাহলে প্রথম টার্গেট হওয়া উচিৎ স্কুল ক্রিকেট।

সত্তর দশকের শেষ দিকে এবং আশির দশকের শুরুতে বাংলাদেশে খুব কম সংখ্যক স্কুলে ক্রিকেটের চর্চা হতো। ক্রিকেট সরঞ্জামদি এত ব্যয়বহুল ছিলো যে অভিজাত শ্রেণীর বাইরে কেউই ক্রিকেট খলেতে চাইত না। কিন্তু অভিজাত শ্রেণীর কাছে ক্রিকেট শুধুই ছিলো একটা হবি, পেশা হিসেবে কেউই নিতে চাইত না। ইসলাম সাহেব ভাবলেন এই ক্রিকেটকে বাংলাদেশের সাধারন মানুষের দাড়ে, দাড়ে পৌঁছে দিতে স্কুল ক্রিকেটে বিপ্লব ঘটানো ছাড়া সম্ভব না।  

১৯৮২ সালের আগস্ট মাস। ইসলাম সাহেব তখন বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট বোর্ড এবং তৎকালীন বিসিসিবিড় সাধারন সম্পাদক এবং লেঃ কঃ রেজাউল জলিল ছিলেন জাতীয় ক্রীড়া নিয়ন্ত্রন বোর্ডের (এনএসসিবি) চেয়ারম্যান । ইসলাম সাহেব অনূর্ধ্ব ১৮ ক্রিকেট প্রশিক্ষন ক্যাম্পের জন্য রেজাউল জলিলের কাছে অনুমতি এবং আর্থিক সহায়তা চেয়ে একটি চিঠি দেন।

ক্রিকেট কোচ এবং আম্পায়ার সৈয়দ আলতাফ হোসেনের নেতৃত্বে ২১ দিনের ঐ প্রশিক্ষন ক্যাম্পটি পরিচালনা করেছেন মরহুম বজলুর রশিদ এবং মরহুম চান খান। ঐ ক্যাম্পের জন্য আশ্চর্যজনক ভাবে প্রায় ৫০০ জন আবেদন করেছিলো। প্রতিদিন সকাল-বিকাল বঙ্গবন্ধু স্টেডিয়ামে প্রশিক্ষকদের দৈনিক হাত-খরচ বহন করার সামর্থ্য ছিলো না বিসিসিবির। এই কারনে জাতীয় ক্রীড়া উন্নয়ন বোর্ডের কাছে টাকা চাইতে হয়েছিলো এবং তারা ইসলাম সাহেবকে নিরাস করেননি। ক্যাম্পের উদ্বোধন কালে ইসলাম সাহেবের হাতে এনএসসিবি-এর চেয়ারম্যান ২৫,০০০ টাকার চেক তুলে দেন।

ক্যাম্পটি অনূর্ধ্ব ১৮ হলেও ট্রেনিং-এ অংশগ্রহনকারীদের মধ্যে বেশীরভাগ ছেলেদের বয়স ১৬-এর নিচে। ইসলাম সাহেবেরই প্রতিষ্ঠান নিরমান ইন্টারন্যাশনালকে স্পন্সর হিএসবে এগিয়ে আসতে হয় এবং একটি সফল ক্যাম্প শেষে ইসলাম সাহেব ১৯৮২-৮৩ মৌসুমে নির্মাণ ক্রিকেটের সূচনা করেন।

মোট ২২ টি স্কুল অংশ গ্রহন করেছিলো এবং তাদেরকে ৬ টি গ্রুপে ভাগ করে প্রথমে লীগ ভিত্তিতে এবং পরবর্তীতে নকআউট পদ্ধতিতে টুর্নামেন্টএর আয়োজন করা হয়। অংশগ্রহণকারী প্রতিটি স্কুল দলকে ১০০০ টাকা করে অংশগ্রহণ ফি ছাড়াও প্রতিটি ম্যাচে ব্যাট বল সহ ক্রিকেটের বাকি সরঞ্জামাদির নিশ্চয়তা দেওয়া হয়েছিলো এবং সাথে ছিলো লাঞ্চের ব্যবস্থা। সেই সাথে, প্রতিটি ম্যাচে একজন ম্যাচ ম্যানেজার নিযুক্ত করে তাঁর ওপর অর্পণ করা হয়েছিলো ম্যাচ তদারকির দায়িত্ব।

যেসব মাঠ গুলোকে খেলার মাঠ হিসেবে নিযুক্ত করা হয়েছিলো, ইসলাম সাহেব তাঁর দলবল নিয়ে সেসব মাঠকে ক্রিকেট খেলার উপযোগী করে তোলেন এবং তাদের এই প্রচেষ্টা স্কুলের ছেলেদের মধ্যে ক্রিকেটের উৎসাহের বীজ বুনটে অনেক সাহায্য করেছিলো। স্কুল ক্রিকেটের এই উৎসবের প্রথম ফাইনালটি অনুষ্ঠিত হয়েছিলো বঙ্গবন্ধু জাতীয় স্টেডিয়ামে যেখানে প্রধান অতিথি হিসেবে উপস্থিত ছিলেন তৎকালীন রাষ্ট্রপতি হুসেইন মোহাম্মদ এরশাদ।

ইসলাম সাহেব এক কথায় বাংলাদেশের জেলা গুলো  চোষে বেরিয়েছেন স্কুল ক্রিকেটের এই বিপ্লবকে ছড়িয়ে দিতে এবং এক দশক পর, স্কুল সংখ্যা বেড়ে গিয়ে দাড়িয়েছিলো ৪০০-এর ওপর। টেস্ট মর্যাদা পাবার পূর্বে এই নির্মাণ স্কুল ক্রিকেট ফুটবলের উন্মাদনার মধ্যে ক্রিকেট নামে যে একটি খেলা আছে সেটি বাংলাদেশীদের স্মরন করিয়ে দিত।

এই ইসলাম সাহেবকে বর্তমান প্রজন্মের কতজন চেনে। আমি প্রথম আলোর ওপর অনেক ক্ষ্যাপা কিন্তু তারা একটি ভালো কাজ করেছে গত বছর এবং সেটি হলো কে, জেড, ইসলামকে সম্মননা প্রদান করা। কেউ একজন তো এই লোকটিকে স্মরন করেছে।

আমাদের ক্রিকেটের ইতিহাসটা অনেক কষ্টের এবং গৌরবের।

এই বদ্বীপে ক্রিকেটের উত্থান একদিনে হয়নি।

আমি অনেক গল্পের মধ্যে একজন গ্রেট ক্রীড়া সংগঠকের সম্পর্কে কিছু কথা বললাম।

আশা করি যারা পড়েছেন তাদের ভালো লেগেছে।                  

ধন্যবাদ 
ফয়সাল সিজার 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Well played Bangladesh, the fans should be satisfied

The seventh edition of ICC Champions Trophy took place in England. Among the eight teams participated in that mega event, Bangladesh failed to qualify and had to enjoy the action as a spectator in front of television. At that time, the Tigers were an improved side and since the Asia Cup of 2012, they were regarded as a very competitive side in the 50-over format. Teams like India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand discovered the might of Bangla boys, but still, those memorable wins were not enough to improve Bangladesh’s ODI ranking in ICC. In fact, the absence of Bangladesh in England took the sheen off the tournament in 2013.

The rise to the top

Time moved on fast and demanded more improved displays from the Tigers. In one of the toughest phases of Bangladesh cricket in 2014, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Chandika Hathurusingha as the head coach, Heath Streak as the bowling coach and Mashrafe Mortaza s the captain of limited-overs format of Bangladesh. Chandika’s ability to recognise the right talents and man management skills, Streak’s ability to polish the pace bowlers and Mashrafe’s leadership qualities, changed the face of Bangladesh cricket.

The critics and cricket followers discovered a bunch of fearless boys, who are not the bashing boys of world cricket anymore but plays the attacking brand of cricket, which instills fear in the minds of opposition teams.

Bangladesh surprised the world by qualifying for the quarterfinals of ICC World Cup 2015 and then after returning home, they outclassed Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series, but the job was still half finished. At one point, the equation was such, Bangladesh needed to win two of their remaining six matches - against India and South Africa before September 30, 2015, to finish ahead of West Indies.

Before the start of ODI series against India, Mashrafe said,  “We are improving so we must handle this sort of pressure. It is going to be bigger in the future. We are hoping to see Bangladesh cricket take the next step which will be a lifetime achievement for us”.  Indeed, Bangladesh showed their class as a team against the number 2 ranked side back then by beating them 2-1 in ODI series and when the red-hot South Africans were outclassed 3-0, Mashrafe’s men’s qualification in the eight edition of ICC Champions Trophy was nothing but a lifetime achievement.

Well played Bangladesh

Finally, on June 1, 2017, Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar went out to open the innings in the first match of this year's ICC Champions Trophy against the hosts, England.

On a hot day in London, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim’s scintillating batting exhibition blunted the famed English attack, but their efforts were not enough as Joe Root and Eoin Morgan started off England’s campaign in flying colours. Tamim Iqbal was among the runs yet again, but except him, the rest of the batsmen failed to contribute and Australia were well set to register two valuable points on a gloomy day at Oval.

Thankfully, the Rain Gods were happy on Bangladesh and poured heavily to dash Australia’s dreams. The Tigers earned one point and found themselves in a must-win situation against New Zealand who were also denied by the rain after setting jitters in the Aussie batting lineup.

Both Bangladesh and New Zealand were stuck with one point and a win at Cardiff would give both of them the hope of a semi-final entry if Australia lose the match against England.

At Cardiff, the venue where once the Tigers toppled the mighty Australians, Bangladesh bowled and fielded their heart out to restrict a strong Kiwi batting line-up within 265 runs in 50 overs, but Trent Boult and Tim Southee left Bangladesh reeling at 33 for 4. It was a muggy situation and demanded enough self-belief and composure to get out of the rut.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad scripted hundreds and stitched one of the most inspiring partnerships in the history Bangladesh cricket to knock New Zealand out of the tournament and the next day, when Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan’s ruthless counterattack mauled Australia, for the first time, Bangladesh qualified for the semi-finals of a mega event.

A slice of luck and never say die attitude in the toughest moment aided the Tigers to advance this far.

India, the hot favourites of the tournament, proved too good for the Bangla boys in the semi-final. Bangladesh lacked the intent and hunger to deliver the best when the occasion is big. As soon as Kedar Jadhav struck, they lost their way and 264 runs were never going to be enough to beat the Men in Blue.

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli’s attacking batting display ended Bangladesh’s dream run in this tournament.

Bangladesh fans should be satisfied

The Bangladesh fans were expecting big from the boys. They were charged up for another Cardiff-epic and the level of expectations were taken to the stratosphere due to the hype created by Bangladesh media. But as soon as India made the chase a total mockery, the fans made a crash landing on earth. But they must not be dissatisfied with the Tigers at all and there is no shame in losing to the best of the tournament.

As a matter of fact, Bangladesh played superbly in this tournament. None expected them to exhibit such a fighting spirit and feature in the semi-final of an ICC event where teams like South Africa and Australia said goodbye to England from the group stage.

Bangladesh won’t fly home with a wooden spoon, but they will take with plenty of positives such as, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman’s smart bowling in the middle and death overs, Mosaddek Hossain’s brave bowling in the last ten overs, Tamim Iqbal’s sublime form against the best bowlers of the world, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah’s brave heart display and last but not the least, Mashrafe’s tactical brilliance which at times went missing even Bangladesh used to play well. Above all, Bangladesh have earned the respect of world cricket and they are not home track bullies anymore.

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 15/06/2017 ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Well played Bangladesh, the fans should be satisfied

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - 'Unpredictable' Pakistan crush the 'undefeated' England

Before the start of the match my opinion at Facebook

Sarfraz Ahmed has taken the right decision to bowl first. England are a dangerous side while chasing whereas, Pakistan have come this far by batting second.

It would be interesting to see how England bat against the varied pace of Pakistan. So far, teams bowled according to England's strength - straight at pace. The English batters are comfortable if you bowl at them with pace as they use the pace to clear the boundary. Against deliveries bowled by decreasing the pace, they struggle a bit.

Pakistan know this and if they wish to beat this strong England side, they need to vary their pace a lot.

After the end of England innings my opinion at Facebook

I said before the start of the match, England would be tested by the variety of Pakistan attack and I was right. The Pakistani pace bowlers kept the length good and short and then, varied their pace smartly to make run scoring a tough job for England. The amount of dot balls they bowled in the middle overs, hinted about their plan – create pressure by drying up the runs and wickets will come. The wickets fell and even Ben Stokes found it tough to get going.

Then, while the pacers of other teams failed to reverse the ball, the Pakistani pacers reversed it brilliantly and mind you, it is never easy to reverse the ball when two different balls are used from both ends. But Pakistan know how to use this skill.

Mohammad Amir was injured, but no problem for Pakistan who have someone like Rumman Raees under their belt. No tension about the occasion and no fear about playing against the best team of the tournament, Rumman, bowled excellently whenever Sarfraz wanted to use him and I loved the way he bowled the slower balls from the back of his wrist, which zipped off the pitch like a legspinner and baffled the English batsmen.

Pakistan’s fielding was athletic and such things indicate, this team is in a different zone and are playing like the cornered Tigers. Restricting England below 250 runs is never an easy task, but this young team has shown how doing it by playing intelligently and bravely.

Moreover, Sarfraz Ahmed was brilliant as a captain today. He set the field according to a plan and changed his bowling smartly to maintain the pressure on England. Finally, Pakistan have got a very proactive captain.

In my opinion, Pakistan can chase this total.

After the end of match my opinion at Facebook

Crushing victory for Pakistan! Who would've thought such last week? That's why Pakistan are the most unpredictable team in World cricket.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - Pakistan transform an easy match into a thrilling encounter

Brilliant exhibition of pace bowling from Pakistan bowlers. I loved their length. I have never seen such a disciplined length from a Pakistan pace unit. Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir and Hassan Ali consistently hit the good and back of a length and made the ball bounce from there to fetch wickets at regular interval.

After 31 overs, Sri Lanka lost four wickets for six runs and it was a typical Pakistani style to claw back into the game. Sri Lanka’s batting lost their way in that phase of the match and I must praise Sarfraz Ahmed’s attacking captaincy. Even in the middle overs he kept a slip in position and maintained an attacking field. 

It was a very good batting track and chasing this total should not have been a tough task for Pakistan batting line-up. But, Pakistan transformed an easy match into a difficult one and now we all have to say this match a thrilling encounter.

Sarfraz Ahmed paid the perfect tribute to Javed Miandad on his birthday. He was like a Karachi street fighter, whose one and only intention was to pull the match out of the fire and return to the pavilion as the hero of the day. He finished the job today like Javed used to do for Pakistan in the past and at the other end, Mohammad Amir provided the most important support to his captain.

Amir’s tail-end heroics once failed to script victory for Pakistan against New Zealand eight years ago at Abu Dhabi when he and Saeed Ajmal stitched a 103-run partnership for the last wicket and took Pakistan to the brink of victory, but fell short for just eight runs. Thankfully, Amir’s gallant effort did not go in vain at Cardiff.

I feel sorry for Lasith Malinga who, once again, rose to the occasion to give Sri Lanka the perfect breakthrough during the crucial passage of play, but sadly, lady luck was very impressed with Sarfraz today. You have to agree, fortune favours the brave.

Yet again it is proved, low scoring matches are always a joy to watch.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - Morgan and Stokes blaze, Bangladesh advance to semifinal

Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan’s ruthless counterattack dashed the hopes of Australia but it provided Bangladesh the opportunity to advance to the semifinal of a mega event for the first time in their history. Undoubtedly this is a great moment for me as a fan and follower of Bangladesh cricket since the 90s when cricket was not the most followed sports in Bangladesh. Watching Bangladesh improve as a team is just like a dream come true and I firmly believe, we can be the number 1 team in the world one day.

England’s revolution in 50-over format is something special and since the last World Cup, they have been scoring runs with a touch of arrogance which the other teams can hardly think of. They attack the bowling from the word go and keep on scoring at six runs per over which is simply a staggering effort.

Surely, Steve Smith was thinking of the golden days of Australia when the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden or Mark Waugh took the bowlers to the cleaners while witnessing the cold-blooded destruction of Stokes and Morgan. Australia were not a well-balanced side in this tournament. Except for Steve Smith and David Warner, they don’t have the batters to support them and apart from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, the rest of the bowlers are yet to come of age.

But at the moment, it’s time for Bangladesh to dream big rather than spending too much time in celebration and they should not read any newspapers and avoid interacting with Bangladeshi media from now on.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – 5 reasons why Bangladesh won at Cardiff

Kane Williamson, the star, and hope of Black Caps threw the new ball to Tim Southee to ball the first over of Bangladesh innings. He was given the task to give New Zealand an early breakthrough and in the second ball of the over, Southee dished out an in-dipper which took the in form Bangladeshi batsmen Tamim Iqbal by surprise and dismissed him for a duck. In the next over, Trent Boult bowled fast and swung the ball. He started off with an absolute cracker to Soumya Sarkar and in the fifth ball, he pinged Sabbir on the stomach after zipping past the inside edge. Boult put chills down the spines of Soumya and Sabbir.

Southee came on to bowl the next over and produced a cracking delivery to Sabbir which kissed his edge and went to Luke Ronchi. After another testing over from Boult, Southee produced yet another in-dipper which hit Soumya’s back leg and Bangladesh lost their third wicket for twelve runs.  For eleven overs, Southee and Boult made Bangladesh top order experience hell. It was a display of bone-chilling pace bowling which left them clueless and when Milne dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim, a New Zealand victory was just a matter of time.

But cricket is a funny game. You never know when the momentum can shift and the way this edition of Champions Trophy has been gifting us shocks after shocks, it was hard to switch off the television and concentrate on other works. Gradually, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad pulled the match out of the fire by stitching a record partnership for the fifth wicket and left Williamson out of ideas. Shakib and Mahmudullah struck hundreds and Bangladesh essayed another epic on the same ground where they beat Australia twelve years ago.

Bangladesh’s victory at Cardiff was the result of a sheer will power and great teamwork.

Attacking team combination

 The Bangladesh head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, thought of unleashing an attacking combination during the do or die clash against New Zealand. He included an extra pace bowler instead of Imrul Kayes, who failed miserably in the previous two matches. This gave Bangladesh a great opportunity to attack and search for wickets while New Zealand were batting. They did not have to rely too much on part-timers and at the end of the day, it proved to be a very good team selection.  Of course, without an attacking combination, no team can dream big.

Mustafizur Rahman’s spell in the middle overs

Mustafizur Rahman proved costly in the middle overs. He went for nineteen runs in his first two overs but returned to bowl a three-over spell in tandem with Shakib in the eighteenth over. He leaked just fifteen runs. He returned to bowl another three-over spell in the 35th over and during that spell, Fizz sucked the life out of Kiwis batsmen.

 He bowled with a scrambled seam and varied his length smartly. It halted the momentum of New Zealand batting and they struggled to score runs. Fizz, mixed up his slower and faster deliveries very well and his action remained the same while bowling both. It was hard to pick Fizz as the yorkers fell at the base of middle and off stump by rotating and giving the batsmen the false impression of a slower delivery.

Fizz’s spell in the middle overs was instrumental in saving at least twenty to thirty runs.

Disciplined Shakib Al Hasan, aggressive Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain

Since the tri-series at Ireland, Shakib Al Hasan’s performance both with the ball and bat was not satisfactory. But players like Shakib are made for the big occasions. He was given the ball when two most feared batsmen of world cricket were at the crease, Ross Taylor, and Williamson. Shakib did not try to be adventurous with the ball but bowled with discipline so that Williamson and Taylor could not score freely.  He was more like a supporting bowler at Cardiff. While Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain attacked from the other end, Shakib ensured that the pressure is always maintained so that his partners can utilize it.

Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain were fantastic with the ball. Taskin looked very rusty in the warm-up games, but at Cardiff, he seemed to have regained his rhythm and bowled his heart out. Whereas, as usual, Rubel was highly effective at the death and middle overs. He dared to bounce the batsmen and his yorkers were terrifying.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s brilliant captaincy

The Bangladesh bowlers stranglehold the New Zealand batters and in the slog overs, they will try to flex their muscles to muzzle the Bangladesh attack. Mashrafe Mortaza threw the ball to Mosaddek Hossain and his move surprised everyone. But this move was not out of imaginative captaincy, but smart thinking. The Cardiff track was slowing down and it demanded the need of a finger spinner who’s ball will fetch wickets while attempting to hit hard. Mosaddek’s gentle finger spin was ideal for that situation and he paid back Mash’s faith in style by setting jitters in New Zealand batting line up.

Again, Mash, like the match against New Zealand at Dublin, rotated his bowlers very well. Even when Williamson and Taylor were well poised to bat Bangladesh out of the game, he never stepped back from attacking. This is the hallmark of a great captain and Mashrafe is one of the best captains in world cricket today.

Shakib and Mahmudullah’s spirited fight back

The funda of building a partnership in cricket is more about rotating the strike rather than big hits. When Shakib and Mahmudullah joined each other in the middle, Bangladesh’s condition was pathetic. While many decided to give up, they thought, victory was still possible if a big partnership could be built. They occupied the crease at first and as soon as the threat of Southee, Boult nad Milne ebbed away, they fetched singles and couples smartly.

Williamson introduced Southee and Boult to break the partnership, but Shakib aMahmudullah did not lose composure but dabbed the ball through the gaps. When they both brought the asking run rate within reach, they attacked and reached their hundred with a sheer arrogance.

It was an unbelievable partnership and made Bangladesh believe strongly, anything is possible if you dare to chase your dreams.

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 09/06/2017 ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – 5 reasons why Bangladesh won at Cardiff

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - Pakistan fooled everyone

Yet again, rain spoiled a cracking contest. The low scoring matches always offer a great amount of suspense and when a team like Pakistan is playing, you can sit down and left biting your nails. Morne Morkel’s bone-chilling bowling display made 219 a mighty total, but Babar Azam’s composure ensured safety for the Green Shirts when rain started pouring and stopped the play. Pakistan won by virtue of Duckworth-Lewis method.

It was quite frustrating for me and the fans that the whims of weather playing a major role in this tournament. I am not sure why the ICC did not consider any reserve day!

But, which Pakistan did we witness yesterday? It was a bunch of energetic boys beaming with confidence. They fielded brilliantly, bowled superbly and their captain was tactically praiseworthy. Most importantly, the pacers dished out the lethal inswinging yorkers which were surprisingly absent against India.    

When you start to think, Pakistan are down and dusted, they rise from the ashes and fools everyone with their charisma.

I was impressed with Fakhar Zaman. Where was this lad hiding? He is an attacking batsman and can be very useful for Pakistan in future. But the Pakistan Cricket Board must be sensible enough while handling this lad.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - There is no Jos Buttler in New Zealand team

Had Jos Buttler not been there, England might not able to reach 310. Sadly, the Kiwis didn't have a Buttler to arrest the collapse when they lost their way after Kane Williamson got dismissed. As soon as you dismiss Williamson, this New Zealand team is found wanting.

Joe Root is the heart of England batting line-up, but despite the massive presence of Root, they have some outstanding performers who're able to arrest a collapse and accelerate in the right moment.

England, as expected, are in the semi-finals. Now it's a great opportunity for Bangladesh to rise to the occasion and utilize the stroke of luck they received yesterday.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Glistening Tamim Iqbal under the gloomy sky

The traumatic memories of suicide bombing at Manchester Arena, Manchester on May 22, 2017, were still fresh in the minds of England. June offered England a cricketing carnival to heal the wounds of May 22, but on June 3, England suffered another setback. A terrorist attack took place in the Southwark district of London. Britain was shell shocked but did not lose heart at all. They stood up with their heads high and slapped in the face of terrorism by triggering a cricket festival at Edgbaston.

Two cricket’s fiercest arch rivals, India and Pakistan, contested in front of a jam-packed stadium a day after the attack in Southwark. Sports has the unique to power to overshadow any evil deeds and the passionate cricket fans proved it at Edgbaston. Similarly, the mood of the cricket fans at Kennington  Oval, London was festive, but the sky above was still sad and gloomy. The mother nature had seen her dearest children suffer at the hands of devils and obviously, one cannot expect her to offer a sun-kissed day.  

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and elected to bat first. Mash’s decision surprised many, but in my opinion, his decision was not a bad one. Even though the condition was overcast, but the track was still dry and he might have thought of facing the might of Australian pace bowlers on daylight rather than floodlights where the white ball might swing like a boomerang.  It was up to the Bangladesh batsmen to support the decision of their captain.

Sadly Bangladesh’s response was abysmal. They kept on losing wickets and had Tamim Iqbal not scripted 95 runs, Bangladesh would have been in an absolute disarray. The fiery spell of Mitchell Starc ended Bangladesh's pathetic stay in the middle before 50 overs, but just when Australia were looking well poised to achieve full points, the London sky could not hold back her emotions anymore and came down heavily. No play was possible as Bangladesh and Australia shared point.  It was a lucky escape for the Tigers.

The first half of the match only witnessed the meek surrender of Bangladesh batsmen except Tamim. Under the gloomy sky of London, the lad from Chittagong was glistening. It was the same venue where he registered a hundred a few days ago and even yesterday, he was all set to essay back to back hundreds. But a mistimed shot ended his fighting knock and still, it earned a round of applauds from the spectators at Kennington Oval.

Tamim is not one of those players at present who can only bat on conditions which are comfortable for him, but he is very much authoritative on tough circumstances as well. He is not one of those players who’ll throw away his wicket but is all about leading from the front and even under pressure, he is not ready to melt down.  Tamim is in the form of his life and achieving this consistency has not been a miracle, but more about polishing the technique and temperament.

Tamim’s back lift

It is said the back lift can ‘make’ or ‘break’ a batsman. A flawed back lift can result in cheap dismissals and prolong the bad patch. Three years ago, while Tamim was going through one of the most horrible times in his career, his back lift was not perfect. While his teammates, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakin Al Hasan picked the bat up between first and second slip and brought it down straight and watched the ball carefully, through the line of stroke, Tamim used to pick it from third slip and did not bring it down straight in line of the wickets, which resulted in his cheap dismissals.

At present, his back lift is straight from the coaching manuals and he changes it according to the type of bowling he faces – a high back lift against pace bowlers and a bit lower against spinners.  As soon as the bowler is about to release the ball, Tamim bends his knees and transfers his weight on toes rather than heels. He keeps his elbow away from the body in order to enable free movement and left shoulder stays under the chin, with face fully focused on the bowler’s hand. Thus, he is able to pick the length quickly and play through the line comfortably after allowing the wrists to cock naturally.

The result was, Tamim’s flurry of strokes through the square of the wicket at the Oval against England and Australia. He played some wonderful shots through the cover and extra-cover.  

          

Improved defence

Another aspect of Tamim’s batsmanship is his improved defence. In the past, while defending the ball, one could notice, the ball did not stand still after defending, but either took an inside edge or juggle between bat and pad and then stopped. Tamim’s defensive play was not perfect, even though he scored runs despite such a shortcoming, but those stroke-filled knocks used to vanish amid the horrible bad patches.

At present, Tamim’s defence has improved. He can block the ball perfectly both on the front and back foot without allowing the ball to kiss the inside edge or find a way to juggle in between the bat and pad. Definitely, an improved defence has enabled him to play long innings.

Playing with soft hands

The tendency of most of Bangladesh batsmen is to go hard at the ball, but it is a destructive ploy when you are playing Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. When the ball is moving a bit, it’s always smart to play the ball with soft hands. Tamim, at present, is allowing the ball to come close to his body more and scripting strokes with soft hands. This should be a lesson for his teammates.

Astute on the back foot

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins made the ball talk yesterday which set jitters in the Bangladesh batting line-up. But Tamim mastered the Australian pacers very well. In addition to his improved back lift and good defence, Tamim’s authority on the back foot aided him to pace his innings.

Naturally, Bangladesh batsmen are not comfortable on the back foot and most often committed themselves to play strokes on the front foot even when the ball is moving and jumping. They develop this habit by playing on the flat decks of Bangladesh and thus, struggle while playing in tough conditions. But Tamim proved to a batsman who’s suited for all conditions.

He never felt like a fish out of the water while going on the back foot and got behind the line quickly than his teammates. This is why Tamim is the best batsman for Bangladesh at present.       

No cricketer achieves a purple patch by giving emotional interviews or taking selfies with fans and reporters, but through sheer hard work and thorough studying of the game. Tamim has done both and thus, he is scoring runs consistently.  

Note: This article is published at Cricketsoccer on 06/06/2017 ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Glistening Tamim Iqbal under the gloomy sky

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - What a rubbish display by Pakistan!

I grew up watching Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. I enjoyed the best of Pakistan cricket in the 90s. Especially in the ODIs, they were one of the most exciting teams in world cricket. Gradually, the glory days of Pakistan cricket have waned and what I watch these days is a team which can only deliver the goods rarely and plenty of crap most of the times. In the 50-over formats, they are nothing but a butt of jokes at present.

Watching the Pakistan ODI side, you always get the impression, they are still stuck in the past and despite the euphoria regarding Twenty20 format and Leagues, Pakistan’s approach towards the format remains old fashioned and funny. At times, you remain clueless about what Pakistan are doing in the middle. By stating about the change they stick with the same failed players of the past and still, I have not understood, how can you change things with these failed jokers. 

When you see below average players like Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad is batting at the top, you can guess, how pathetically this team would fare and when you still notice the skipper to follow the path of a pragmatic stupid named Misbah-ul-Haq, you can only guess, this team has a bleak future in 50-over format. In West Indies, Sarfraz Ahmed gave me the impression of an attacking captain and one of those captains, who can handle pressure and has a head on his shoulder. But at Edgbaston, he left me speechless with his ideas.

He hinted about ‘out-of-the-box’ idea and boy, he did deliver everyone this with funny field settings and bowling changes. Opening the bowling with a spinner under overcast conditions was a sheer stupidity and a ploy which Misbah tried with Lord Hafeez. How can you ignore the importance of a pace bowler in such conditions and even when a pace bowler was introduced, the slip cordon was relaxed. And, it is needless to state, sloppy fielding and Pakistan are always synonymous

Again, let me tell you one thing straightforward, cricketers like Imad Wasim are those players who can trigger the taamashas in PSL and Twenty20 games and are overrated customers who can be of no use in longer formats. Glorifying the products of Twenty20 and Leagues would never change the fortunes of Pakistan cricket in 50-over formats.  

This Pakistan team is lucky that someone like Imran Khan is not around and they are surrounded by a bunch of jokers who can only watch this team go down in 50-over format due to the toxic effects of Misbah-ul-Haq and do nothing. Had Imran been there, players like Hafeez, Shehzad, Imad and co would have been either serving tea at PCB office or cleaning the toilet of PCB.

I might sound harsh......Yes, I do sound harsh, but I firmly believe, I have stated the right thing. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

UEFA Champions League 2016-17 - Hala Madrid!!!

How could one breach the Juventus defence? How could the strikers and forwards unsettle the Juventus defence? How could the strikers and forwards beat Gigi Buffon? Such were the questions asked by many football followers before the start of UEFA Champions League final. But as soon as the final commenced, the man with a gelled hair, shining teeth, and gifted feet, showed the world how easily the stubborn defence of Juve could be breached. Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo had left an impact on another UCL final.

 Real Madrid is the best team in Europe and since Zidane took over as the head coach, Madrid improved each second. Their attacking flair is back and the midfield is giving us the impression of old days – full of creativity and vision. And at present, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world. He is a gem and has overshadowed Lionel Messi. For a brief period, CR7 has sent Messi in exile and apart from some of Messi’s blind followers, I don’t think anyone has to remember his name.

Hala Madrid!!! 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The Kumble-Kohli saga is not good for Indian cricket

If Virat Kohli can't gel well with Anil Kumble then I'm sure, he can't gel well with anyone. If Kohli's influence leads to the end Kumble's regime in Indian cricket, I don't think, it would be good for Indian cricket.

Kumble is someone who possesses a sharp cricketing brain and great man-management abilities. His vision about the game and ethics impressed Sachin Tendulkar in his playing days and Sachin was one of the saddest persons in the dressing room when Jumbo retired as Sachin knew his worth and he would be devoid of a sharp and composed mind in the remaining part of his illustrious career.

Kumble is a role model for many and he's one of those mentors who can act as a lighthouse for the youngsters during their tough times.

At times Kohli is too arrogant and it needs to be controlled. Kohli is yet to reach the level of Sachin Tendulkar or Anil Kumble and thus, needs a lot of soul searching.

I thank Ramachandra Guha for taking the hierarchy of India cricket to the cleaners in his resignation letter. These are hard hitting facts which some of us always used to say. Now, Mr. Guha has hit the nails on the head.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – A Bangladesh defeat, points to ponder

Chris Woakes walked off the field with a left side strain after bowling just two overs and Eoin Morgan’s face hinted, he was fearing something worse on a track which was an absolute batting paradise. Morgan’s plan to extract something from the fresh wicket hampered as the Bangladeshi openers, Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar weathered the storm early quite gallantly and then stitched a 56-run stand within first twelve overs. England fetched two Bangladesh wickets for less than hundred runs, but the confidently constructed 166-run stand for the third wicket between Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim sowed the seeds of frustration among the players of home team.

Tamim was at his pristine best. It was one of those days when a batsman can do anything with the bat whatever he wishes to do. If Morgan wished to stranglehold Tamim’s scoring rate, he would find the gaps and rotate the strike and even if the English skipper wished to attack him, Tamim would counter attack. At the other end, Mushfiq was in a similar mode of Tamim. While the focus had always been on Tamim, Mushfiq chipped in silently to notch up a productive half-century.

 Bangladesh were sitting pretty until the partnership broke. It seemed the Tigers would accelerate in the end overs to give England a tough total to chase. But as soon as the partnership broke, Bangladesh failed to unleash the swashbuckling batting display. Bangladesh’s 250 came up in 43.3 overs and in the remaining overs, they could add just 55 more runs which was a disappointing finish.

On such a flat deck,305 runs was never going to test England who’s batting lineup is studded with fearless stroke makers and chasing big totals has become one of their favourite jobs over the years. As usual, they chased down Bangladesh’s total without breaking enough sweat and started off the tournament in a commendable fashion.

Definitely, England deserve all the accolades. They are the pre-tournament favourites and were expected to win. From a cricketing point of view, the expectation regarding Bangladesh was not sky high, but one cannot deny about the capabilities of the Bangla boys who can crush any opposition on their day and thus, when Tamim and Mushfiq batted with sheer dominance, the level of expectations rose. From the perspective of a Bangladesh follower, things could have been different had the Tigers been a bit more sensible in some areas.

Batting woes in the last ten overs 

Time and again, Bangladesh batting seems to lose their momentum in the last ten overs. Especially, when they bat first. Not so long ago, in the tri-nation tournament in Ireland, they were well poised in the third match of the tournament against New Zealand and gave the impression of a challenging total in 50 overs, but all of a sudden, they lost their vim and failed to add enough runs. New Zealand won the match comfortably and even in last year, their story of struggle in last ten overs was evident.

 Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood and co kept the length full and varied their pace a lot after 44 overs and Bangladesh faced similar sort of situation against Hamish Bennett at Dublin last month. But sadly, Bangladesh did not learn their lesson well enough and failed to come up with a plan to attack in slog overs.

The ideal way to deal with such fullish deliveries in the death overs is to attack the ball like a baseball player –  make enough room by dragging the back foot away from middle and allow the front foot to take over and hammer the ball out of the park. Above all, it’s very important to stand outside the crease to play the ball on a half volley length. Big hitters in the slog overs like Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram etc. used to apply such a ploy with a great effect. Modern day big hitters in slog over like MS Dhoni, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Corey Anderson etc. does the same as well.

Then, there are the modern day innovative strokes which have become a part and parcel of every batters in slog overs.

Despite having some gifted hitters like Sabbir Rahman and  Mosaddek Hossain, Bangladesh are not able to capitalise effectively in last ten overs. Chandika Hathurusingha needs to run a special coaching session with his best hitters and polish them to reap a rich harvest in slog overs.

An attacking combination is the key

On a flat deck and against a team like England, it is always tough to defend 305 with just four frontline bowlers. When you have an option like Mehedi Hasan in the team and who has the history of injecting fear in the minds of English batsmen last year, it was not sensible enough to ignore him. Mehedi is a talented allrounder who can serve effectively both as a batsman and bowler. Moreover, his spin bowling could have added the much needed power in the Bangladesh bowling lineup. It would have been better if he was picked instead of Imrul Kayes and stick with the plan of sending Sabbir at number three. Sabbir is one of those batsmen who has that touch of a Ricky Ponting in him and can boost the run rate so that dullness doesn’t chip in.

 Relying on part-timers for the fifth bowler option despite having better options is nothing but a defensive approach and Bangladesh’s success in 50-over format in last two years has not come due to a pragmatic ploy. Their attacking intent aided them to achieve big things and for which, the Bangladesh think tank needs to find the ideal combination which suits their fearless brand of cricket.

A plan to bowl effectively on batting paradise

The first match at the Kennington Oval hinted about what kind of tracks England would offer in the upcoming matches. In the majority of the cases, we are going to see a carnival of runs feast and it would be a hard time for the bowlers out there. But a team needs to find the right way to establish their existence amid this run feast.

The best way for them would be to dry up the runs from one end and create pressure from other.  The length has to be full in death overs and try to extract enough movement with the new ball as much as possible. In the middle overs, lessening the flow of runs should be the key via using a spinner and if the plan is to break the partnership, a spin and pace bowling combination can be a very good option.

Bangladesh need to work on this more. The current team is capable of learning from their mistakes and bounce back.

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 1/06/2017 ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – A Bangladesh defeat, points to ponder

Thank You

Faisal Caesar