Video: The problem with cricket’s multiple formats

Cricket in the modern day  consists of three different formats, and the evaluation of international cricket teams depends on their performance in all these formats.

However, are these formats comparable, or are they at all the same sport?

Arunabha Sengupta, Abhishek Mukherjee and Faisal Caesar discuss the differences between the formats and the resulting complications because of these variations.

Note: This video was posted at Cricketsoccer on 16/02/2017 Video: The problem with cricket’s multiple formats

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Faisal Caesar 

Video: Bangladesh’s meek surrender was surprising

If you are a follower of Bangladesh cricket team, certainly, their meek surrender at Mirpur on Day 3 would have hurt you a lot. It was just last year, on the same venue, the Tigers tamed Australia to create history and two years ago, the English Lions were tamed by Shakib, Miraz and co to convey a message to the world, no matter how tough the circumstances are and no matter how big the oppositions are, Bangladesh are capable of making them run for their money. But that fighting spirit is missing from the team members. The absence of Chandika Hathurusingha has created a vacuum, which is making Bangladesh suffer.

Deep Dasgupta, Arunabha Sengupta, Sandipan Banerjee and Faisal Caesar analyse Bangladesh’s performance at Cricketsoccer….

Note: This video was posted at Cricketsoccer on 12/02/2018 Video: Bangladesh’s meek surrender was surprising

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Where is the fighting spirit of Bangladesh?

After failing to handle the pressure in the final of Tri-series, Bangladesh surrendered meekly at Mirpur and lost the Test series. The Bangladesh team are fragile temperamentally at present.

When the Tigers used to fight

In the second Test at Colombo last year, the Sri Lankan tail wagged and posted a competitive total in first innings. Bangladesh were in a state of bother in reply. At 198 for 5, Bangladesh fans were thinking of how to get somewhere near Sri Lanka’s first innings total rather than taking a lead. But it was a different Bangladesh unit. Since Chandika Hathurusingha had been appointed as the head coach of Tigers, they developed the habit of fighting adversity – a character which was much needed for this talented unit.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and a young Mosaddek Hossain decided to fight back. Shakib notched up a Test ton while Mushfiq nd Mosaddek scored important half-centuries and helped Bangladesh to take a lead of 129 runs. In the post-lunch session of fourth day, Mustafizur Rahman’s late-swing and Shakib’s left-arm orthodox spin jolted Sri Lankan batting lineup and Bangladesh were needed to score 191 runs on Day 5.

Traditionally, Bangladesh are not very good chasers in fourth innings and against an inform Rangana Herath, the possibilities looked thin. But Chandika’s men would not bog down without a fight. From a shaky 22 for 2, Bangladesh clawed back into the match and registered their first win on Lankan soil in a Test match. The Tigers drew the series 1-1.

Rewind to 2016. At Dhaka, in the second Test, the English openers, Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett, scripted a tremendous counterattack on a turning track while chasing 273 in fourth innings. With two days still left to play, the total seemed to be a cakewalk for England who batted deep. But just after the tea break, Bangladesh changed its colour in a dramatic fashion.

England lost ten wickets for 64 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib created a havoc in English batting lineup. England surrendered meekly and Bangladesh showed the world how well they have developed temperamentally as a team.

Their roar was not only limited to 50-over formats but in test cricket, their roar could be heard from many parts of the world.

The Tigers don’t fight but surrender meekly at present

Chandika transformed Bangladesh into a bunch of fighters. But pathetic politics let him resign from the job. Sri Lanka appointed him as the coach to turn things around for them. While Bangladesh decided to face Chandika’s Sri Lanka's team without a coach. The Tigers looked terrific at the start of Tri-series but as the tournament progressed, Chadika’s Sri Lanka gained the momentum and in the final, they outclassed the hosts in all three departments to lift the trophy.

A final is all about handling the pressure. Chandika’s Sri Lanka handled the pressure better than Bangladesh. The Tigers were poor temperamentally.

Bangladesh’s poor temperament was evident throughout the Test series. In the all-important second Test, Bangladesh’s lack of temperament led them to digest a disgraceful defeat. In the first innings, they lost five wickets for three runs while in the second, they lost five wickets for 23 runs which were neither due to track nor some outstanding bowling by Sri Lankans.

The Mirpur track was a typical turning track where one needs to spend time at the wicket more and shun exhibiting attacking strokes. Roshen Silva showed how to bat on this wicket. He hardly attempted any attacking strokes but always played with a straight bat and maneuvered the strike consistently.

Yes, chasing 339 runs on a turning track would be tough, but with two and half days remaining, one cannot write Bangladesh off who had shown the stomach to fight against teams like South Africa, England and Australia not so long ago.

Moreover, just before the start of play of third day, Bangladesh’s veteran spinner Abdur Razzak said, “Chasing 300 is a difficult task, but it's not impossible. It's very possible. To me, the wicket looks more settled. I don't think it's that difficult to bat like the first innings”.

But to the astonishment of everyone, the Bangladesh batting lineup collapsed without showing any intention to fight. Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, and co were tamed not by some unplayable deliveries but lack of application and over-attacking instincts.  

The wicket was not behaving wickedly but it was the batsmen of Bangladesh team who batted wickedly and in a bizarre fashion.

This Bangladesh team doesn’t play like a team. They don’t wish to fight like the past.   

As soon as Chandika left, it seems, Bangladesh are losing their way.

Bangladesh need to fix their fragile temperament

In any sports or in any profession, a winning mentality plays a very vital role in achieving success. You win half the battle if you think you will win. But if you are afraid of losing or take things for granted, you are sure to suffer.

Either Bangladesh are playing with a defensive mindset or taking things for granted. The sheer professionalism and winning-mentality, which was evident last year is hugely absent at present. They are playing school kids and not men. And such a pathetic transformation in such a quick time is alarming for Bangladesh cricket.

The think tank of Bangladesh cricket needs to do a lot of hard work to fix the fragile temperament of Tigers.  

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 10/02/2018 Where is the fighting spirit of Bangladesh?

Mustafizur Rahman showed how to bowl with positive intent

Mustafizur Rahman’s short-burst at the fag end of second day was a matter of positive intent which the spinners of Bangladesh failed to exhibit.

The morning session of second day of the second Test was nightmarish for Bangladesh. It was a Bangladesh team which gave the impression of a newly appointed Test nation and lack the skill and experience to cash in on their own wicket. They lost five wickets for three runs, a scenario which was quite normal in the early part of last decade. But, at present, such sort of collapses are hard to digest as Bangladesh have improved as a team since 2015.

The manner of dismissals were so childish! Liton Das, who was expected to deliver his best today, attempted a shot away from his body with no footwork at all and dragged a Lakmal-delivery onto his stumps. Akila Dananjaya castled Mahmudullah Riyad with a beautiful delivery but Sabbir Rahman decided to follow the footsteps of top-order and left the scene without disturbing the scorers. The tail showed no intent to fight and left Mehidy Hasan Miraz stunned at the other end.

A lead of hundred runs is already huge and whatever Sri Lanka will add to this, will only create pressure on the home team. But in any format of the game, the exhibition of a fighting spirit always makes a huge difference. Those fight back, always keeps the hope alive. When Chandika Hathurusingha was around, Bangladesh played with the never-say-die spirit and bounced back in style to surprise many. But, this Bangladesh team doesn’t have a Chandika around. This team is like an ice sculpture in a desert. They melt under pressure easily.

With the track turning square and the ball jumping from the good length area, the spin-attack of Bangladesh should have come out all guns blazing. But neither Taijul Islam nor Abdur Razzak could create an impact. Taijul, who pitched the ball more up to the batsmen yesterday, continued to bowl on a shorter length and wie of off only to bleed runs while Razzak erred a lot with his line – it’s tough to pick wickets with a leg stump line.

After leaking runs, Taijul and Razzak looked for containment which is a negative and fruitless ploy on such tracks. Their negative tactics only allowed Sri Lanka to settle and stretch the lead. Roshen Silva’s wag and wheel tell us how Razzak and Taijuls’ poor bowling allowed him to score fluently through backward point, cover, long off and fine leg.

Mehidy Hasan was trying his level best to create an impact from one end, but he was lacking the ideal support as all of a sudden, the shoulders of Bangladesh team dropped.

But one man showed how to bowl with a positive intent and claw back into the game when wickets are hard to come by.

The man was Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafiz had been the stand out bowler for Bangladesh today.

In the 56th over, he was brought on by Mahmudullah to for a short-burst and he did not let his captain down.

He started the inspiring spell from around the wicket, pitched one on a good length and made it move away from Dilruwan Perera who poked it to Liton Das. He followed it up with another good length delivery and lured Akila to poke – Liton grabbed another catch and Mustafizur was on a hat-trick. Lakmal survived the hat-trick.

He bowled a three-over spell and mixed his cutters along with usual deliveries very well. The specialty of Mustafiz had been his length. He pitched the ball more on the good and back of a length rather than full. Moreover, he was able to achieve contrast swing at a sharp pace.

Even in the early part of Sri Lanka’s innings, Mustafiz was effective. His line of attack was not on a defensive side and attacked the top of off more often. He bowled positively throughout the day and taught his colleagues the importance of a positive intent.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 09/02/2018 Mustafizur Rahman showed how to bowl with positive intent

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Bangladesh surrender to panic attack

The good work of the bowlers had been wasted by the Bangladesh batsmen who were shaky in the middle.

The ball was expected to dominate a bit in Mirpur after International Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch at Chittagong ‘below average’ where 1533 runs were scored at the cost of just 24 wickets! Such tracks deserve such strong actions as in a five-day contest there must be a balance between bat and ball and it attracts more eyeballs when the ball is slightly dominating the bat. Perhaps keeping this fact in mind, the curator prepared a wicket which offered turn for the spinners in the first hour of Day 1 and at stumps, one can say, it had been a great day of Test cricket.

It would have been satisfactory for the stand-in captain Mahmudullah Riyad if he won the toss, but the way his bowlers started off the proceedings, one would feel, Mahmudullah was not unhappy after losing the toss. The lost-action-hero Abdur Razzak gave them a rollicking start while Mustafizur Rahman and Taijul Islam used the conditions very well to bundle out Sri Lanka for 222 – a score, which is considered to be competitive enough on this tricky surface, but if a batsman cut short his attacking instincts and rely on executing defensive shots, this track can be tamed.

The Bangladeshi batsmen, while fielding, witnessed the partnership between Roshen Silva and Dilruwan Perera, where they executed defensive shots more and rotated the strike rather than surrendering to panic attack when Sri Lanka were reeling at 116 for 6.  

According to Cricviz, “Since the fall of the sixth wicket, the pair of Roshen Silva & Dilruwan Perera have batted off the front foot to 66.6% of the deliveries they faced. Before that, it was at 56.9%. The defensive shot percentage has risen to 32.6% in this stand to 20.7% earlier”. Even though Kusal Mendis scored by pivoting on the back foot more, but as the day progressed, the track was giving evidence of extravagant turn and exhibited wickedness and thus, it demanded composure rather than displaying attacking instincts.

Mendis largely cashed in on the shorter stuff delivered by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Abdur Razzak at the earlier part of the day and flexed his muscles to fetch runs as you never know when the nature of this track can change. And for which, according to Cricviz, “Mendis camped more on back-foot (42%) than Silva (22%) and played defensive shots off just 18% of the deliveries to 27% from Silva”.

Bangladesh in disarray

When Bangladesh came out to bat, the inform batsmen, who enjoyed a run-feast at Chittagong on a Zahid-Reza-deck, were devoured by a panic attack in the twinkle of an eye. Tamim Iqbal started off in a commanding fashion by drilling the second ball from Suranga Lakmal down the ground for four, but one thing Tamim forgot, he’s not well-equipped to execute the defensive shots when it is needed the most. Yes, he scored a gem on the same ground two years ago against England, but he was batting first and applied the same method which Mendis applied today – score as much as possible against short and bad deliveries.

In the next ball, Lakmal delivered a good length ball which was simply needed to block by going behind, but his natural instincts to score runs off every ball forced him to go half-forward – a return catch to Lakmal silenced Mirpur.

Let me tell you, it was not a wicket-taking delivery.

Then in the second over, Mominul Haque, the scorer of two hundreds on a dead deck, paid the price of committing a schoolboy error which deserves no mercy. He was run out for keeping the bat in the air. It might be acceptable for a tail-ender, but for a top order batsman, such mistakes are absolutely annoying.   As ESPNcricinfo commentary said, “All he had to do was stretch forward and ground his bat. But he's limping forward with the bat in the air, holding it like a flag, making possible a run out that never should have happened. This is atrociously shoddy”

Panic sets up in the Bangladesh batting lineup.

Mushfiqur Rahim was looking shaky at the crease. He survived a couple of nervy moments in the middle where he was struggling to use his feet and time the ball well. Lakmal delivered him two deliveries on short of a good length, moving in towards the top of off, which he left dangerously. Lakmal repeated it for the third time and again, Mushfiq shouldered arms – the timber was disturbed.  Certainly, you are out of words when you see the best batsman of Bangladesh team is not sure about his offstump and struggles to judge the length.

Was it a wicket-taking delivery? NO!

With two overs remaining, Imrul Kayes attempted to play for the turn against Perera. He was trapped plumb in front and there was no need to take a review. Kayes went for the review and returned to the dressing room by wasting it.

Lack of ability to handle pressure

It seems Bangladesh are crumbling under pressure easily at present. During the days of Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh developed the skill to handle pressure and fight back. But gradually that character of Tigers is fading. We watched how the hosts failed to live up to the expectation in the final of Tri-series and even on a dead deck, they were found wanting by the scoreboard pressure. Things remained the same in Mirpur where the loss of one or two quick wickets set jitters in batting lineup.

Sri Lanka bowled smartly, but they did not pick wickets by virtue of brilliant deliveries as Bangladesh surrendered to panic attack.

Note: This article has been posted at cricketsoccer on 08/02/2018 Bangladesh surrender to panic attack

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Taijul Islam's attacking intent paid off

Taijul Islam bowled brilliantly on a day when the spotlight was on Abdur Razzak.

A day before the start of second Test, cricket fraternity of Bangladesh was buzzing about the selection of Abdur Razzak. The veteran left-arm orthodox bowler was once a part and parcel of Bangladesh limited-overs team, but in five-day formats, he was not able to showcase his talent the way everyone expected. Before the start of second Test, he averaged 67 from 12 Tests at the cost of 22 wickets which is a very poor record and thus, he was omitted from the Test team and his inconsistency in limited-overs format led to his ousting.

He kept on performing in domestic cricket, but the competition of cementing a place in Bangladesh cricket team is very much tough these days and Razzak could only invest faith, in patience and of course the media, who kept on highlighting about his selection in Test squad despite knowing the fact, Bangladesh don’t need to invest time in men of yesterday.

But the media hype and Razzak’s patience paid off. After Sunzamul Islam’s poor show in Chittagong, Razzak, who was a surprising pick up in Test squad, got included for second Test and he struck gold immediately.

He fetched four wickets which might be a memorable comeback to silence the critics, but one must not forget how he fetched his wickets. Apart from that dismissal of Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis, the wickets were simply gifted by the batsmen. Razzak should thank Dimuth Karunaratne and Gunathilaka for their clumsy stroke-play and make his comeback special!

But fetching wickets matter in any form of the game and the old warhorse’s selection could not be questioned.

Taijul Islam shines on Razzak's comeback-day

While the media and Razzak fans celebrate his comeback, I think, it would not be justified enough if we forget about Taijul Islam who, in my opinion, overshadowed the rest of Bangladesh bowlers. Most of the times, he bowls as a supporting bowler to either Shakib Al Hasan or Mustafizur Rahman. He is one of those bowlers who’s a workhorse but at the end of the day forgotten for his hard toil under the hot sun and on docile tracks.    

He was brought on to bowl when Razzak and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were bleeding four runs and over. Taijul’s first ball was short like Miraz and Razzak, but as the match progressed he gained the momentum. He decided to pitch the ball a lot fuller and on the good and back of a length consistently.

He pitched one on a better length against Dhananjaya de Silva and made it slide sharply. De Silva flummoxed and edged it to Sabbir Rahman. Then, Niroshan Dickwella came down the wicket prematurely to negotiate the low-bounce and was castled. Sri Lanka were in a dire straits as Taijul’s adjustment of length paid him rich dividends.

Roshen Silva and Dilruwan Perera stitched a threatening partnership to spoil the good work of Bangladesh bowlers, but Taijul ended their stubborn resistance by dishing out a loopy delivery in and around middle stump which resulted in a bat-pad catch. Then he ended the Sri Lankan innings with a ripper of a delivery which s jumped from good length to kiss Roshen’s glove as Liton Das took a very good catch.

According to Cricviz, “Abdur Razzaq might have got four wickets but it's Taijul Islam who's bowled slightly better lengths - he's got the batsmen to come on to the front foot 61.1% of the deliveries to Razzaq's 56% and they have attacked him just 22.2% of the times to Razzaq's 29%”.

The act of a supporting bowler always led him to hold one end rather than searching for wickets. He would either maintain a defensive line to stop the bleeding of runs or create pressure to build the platform for the strike bowlers to reap a rich harvest. But today, he earned the right of bowling as a strike bowler and one can notice how his line of attack and length changed – they were all about taking wickets rather than creating pressure.

Bangladesh’s poor show with the bat might not be a matter of joy for Taijul but he should be pleased with his efforts thinking, he has delivered the best on a day when the spotlight was on Razzak. I think, he has stolen the limelight from Razzak.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 08/02/2018 Taijul Islam’s attacking intent paid off

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Video: Chittagong Pitch was the worst advertisement for Test cricket

The Chittagong Pitch was rated below average and given a demerit point by match referee David Boon. In an age when the longest format has to compete for followers with One Day and Twenty20 Internationals as well as private T20 Leagues, this yawnathon was perhaps the worst possible advertisement for Test cricket.

Deep Dasgupta, Arunabha Sengupta and Faisal Caesar discuss the placid pitch and what it means in the context of current day cricket.

Note: This has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 07/02/2018 Video: Chittagong Pitch was the worst advertisement for Test cricket

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

মমিনুল হকের জোড়া সেঞ্চুরি - হাথুরুসিংহে হেটারসদের বোকার মত উল্লাস

বাংলাদেশের ফেসবুক পাড়া মমিনুলের জোড়া সেঞ্চুরি নিয়ে খুব খুশী। এদের মধ্যে বেশীরভাগই সারা বছর ক্রিকেট খেলা দেখেই না একমাত্র বাংলাদেশের খেলা ছাড়া। এদের মধ্যে আছে ফেসবুকের রাজনীতিবিদ, নীতিবাক্য চাপড়ানো মোটিভেসনাল স্পিকার, সেলেব্রিটি চিকিৎসক, মিডিয়াকর্মী ইত্যাদি।

এই যেমন “ডাক্তার প্রতিদিন” নামক একটি ওয়েবসাইট যেটা বিএসএমএমইউ-এর একজন সহযোগী অধ্যাপক চালান যাকে জীবনেও ক্রিকেট নিয়ে কথা তো দূর ক্রিকেট শব্দ উচ্চারন করেছেন কিনা সন্দেহ আছে সেই তিনি তার চিকিৎসা বিষয়ক ওয়েবসাইটে মমিনুল নিয়ে না বুঝে পোস্ট দিয়ে সাইটের গুরুত্ব কতখানি কমিয়ে দিচ্ছেন সেটা উনি নিজেও বুঝতে পারছেন কিনা জানি না। এখন প্রথম আলোকে খুশী করতে যেয়ে উনি এরকম কাজ করলে সেটা একভাবে চিকিৎসক সমাজকেই জোক বানিয়ে দেয়। কারন এই দেশে অনেক চিকিৎসক আছেন যাদের ক্রিকেট নলেজ বেশ ভালো।

এই মমিনুলকে ক্রিকেটসকার ২০১৩ সালে সর্বপ্রথম হাইলাইট করেছিল। বাংলাদেশ মিডিয়ার মুখে তখন ‘ম’ শব্দের উচ্চারন শোনা যায়নি বলেই মনে আছে। ঐ বছর মমিনুল নিউজিল্যান্ডের বিপক্ষে জ্বলে উঠলে প্রথম আলো ক্রিকেটসকারের হেডলাইন ব্যবহার করে তাকে নিয়ে রিপোর্ট করে।

ক্রিকেটসকারে মমিনুলকে নিয়ে লেখা সেই লেখক হচ্ছে আমি। অতঃপর মমিনুলের সাফল্যে এসব মৌসুমি ক্রিকেট ভক্তদের চেয়ে আমি বেশী খুশী হব এটাই স্বাভাবিক। কিন্তু এরকম মরা উইকেটে সেঞ্চুরি করাকে আমি খুব বড় করে দেখি না এবং এখনও মমিনুলের টেকনিকে সমস্যা আছে যেটা এখন না শুধরালে ভবিষ্যতে সমস্যা হবে।

***

আসল কথায় আসি।

মমিনুলের সাফল্যে সবচেয়ে বেশী খুশী হাথুরুসিংহে হেটারসরা। তাদের মতে মমিনুল বলে হাথুরুসিংহেকে উচিৎ জবাব দিয়েছে। কিন্তু হাথুরিসিংহে এবং মমিনুল কি শত্রু নাকি? গতবছর অস্ট্রেলিয়া সিরিজে মমিনুলকে বাদ দেওয়াকে কেন্দ্র করে প্রথম আলো এবং বিডিনিউজের কিছু দালাল টাইপের সাংবাদিক এটাকে ষড়যন্ত্র তত্ত্ব বলে দাঁড় করিয়ে দিল কিন্তু মমিনুলকে কেন বাদ দেওয়া হয়েছিল সেটা এরা উল্লেখই করেনি। কারন এরা বসেই থাকত কিভাবে হাথুরুসিংহেকে হেয়প্রতিপন্ন করা যায়।  

অস্ট্রেলিয়ার সাথে মমিনুল কেন বাদ পড়েছিল সেটা নিয়ে গতবছর আমি পোস্ট দিয়েছিলাম। সেই পোস্ট থেকেই আবারও কিছু কথা বলছি।

সব ক্রিকেটারের যেমন একটি লীন-প্যাচ/খারাপ সময় আসে, মমিনুল ও তেমন একটি লীন-প্যাচের শিকার হয়েছিলেন। মমিনুল একজন টেস্ট ব্যাটসম্যান কারন ৫০ ওভারের ম্যাচে ২০১২ সাল থেকে ২০১৫ পর্যন্ত তিনি তেমন কিছুই প্রমান করতে পারেননি। কিন্তু টেস্ট ক্রিকেটেও তিনি তার ফর্ম হারাতে শুরু করেন ২০১৫ সাল থেকে।

২০১৪ সালে তার ব্যাটিং এভারেজ ছিলো ৫১.১৭ কিন্তু ২০১৫ সালে এসেই তার এভারেজ নিচের দিকে পড়তে থাকে। ২০১৫ সালে তিনি পাঁচটি টেস্ট খেলেছিলেন যেখানে তার এভারেজ ছিলো ৩৬.৮৬। ২০১৬ সালে বাংলাদেশ মাত্র দুটি টেস্ট খেলেছিলো যেখানে তার এভারেজ ছিলো ২৩.৫০ এবং ২০১৭ সালে তিনটি টেস্ট খেলে তার ব্যাটিং এভারেজ হয়েছে ২৩.০০।

উপরের পরিসংখ্যান বলছে মমিনুলের ফর্ম ভালো ছিল না। এখন যে ব্যাটসম্যানের ফর্ম নেই তাঁকে যদি দলে না নেওয়া হয় তাহলে সেটা কি যৌক্তিক না অযৌক্তিক? কারও ফর্ম ভালো না হলে তাঁকে ড্রপ করা হয় যেন সে তার টেকনিকের উপর আরও বেশী কাজ করার সুযোগ পায়। এটা কোন ষড়যন্ত্র না।

অ্যালেন বোর্ডার কিংবা ভিভিএস লক্ষনের ন্যায় ব্যাটসম্যান ও খারাপ ফর্মের জন্য দল থেকে বাদ পড়েছিলেন এবং তারা ঘরোয়া ক্রিকেট এবং অ্যাকাডেমিতে নিজেদের ভুল গুলো স্টাডি করে আবার ফিরে এসেছেন।

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ক্রিকেট কিংবা ফুটবল যেই স্পোর্টসের কথাই বলুন না কেন, এগুলো এত সহজ না। এখানে স্টাডি ম্যাটার করে। এবং এসব ব্যাপারে মতামত দেবার পূর্বে খেলাটা সম্পর্কে ভালোভাবে স্টাডি করা উচিৎ এবং আপডেটেড থাকা উচিৎ।  

 

আমি সেই পোস্টে বলেছিলাম, “মমিনুলকে সময় দিতে হবে। সে ফিরে আসবে কিন্তু তাকে সময় দিতে হবে। এখন চট্টগ্রাম টেস্টে সে পারফর্ম করতে পারলে তার আত্মবিশ্বাস কোথায় যাবে”? 

সেদিনের সেই বাদ দেওয়াটা কি যৌক্তিক না অযৌক্তিক ছিল সেটার বিচার আপনারাই করুন। ঐ বাদ না দিলে মমিনুল নিজেকে নিয়ে কাজ করার সুযোগ পেত না। কাওকে দল থেকে বাদ  দেয়াটা কোন ষড়যন্ত্র না বরং ক্রিকেটীয় কারন।

প্রথম আলো এবং বিডি নিউজের কিছু দালালদের খপ্পরে না পড়লে আপনি নিজেই ভালো থাকবেন। 

ধন্যবাদ

ফয়সাল সিজার 

It’s a draw and it was evident on such a dead deck

The first Test at Chittagong is drawn and it was evident from Day 1. Overall, the Chittagong track prepared by local curator Zahid Reza produced five days of dull cricket and deserves to be rated as poor by ICC.

At 3:20 pm local time, Mahmudullah Riyad and Dinesh Chandimal shook hands and called it a draw. And, with that, the painstaking first Test ended. Apart from some nervy moments gifted by the poor shot selection of Bangladesh batsmen in the final session of Day 4 and second session of Day 5, the rest of the day only witnessed a hard toil for the bowlers. The track was like a road which offered absolutely nothing for the bowlers and only let the batsmen reach personal milestones.

The Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan batsmen scored heavily and easily on this track. Mominul Haque, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis and Roshen Silva cashed in big time to notch up hundreds while the likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das had to regret not getting a hundred on this easy deck. Meanwhile, Dimuth Karunaratne would be kicking himself for not opening his account on this deck.

Mominul Haque has become the first Bangladesh batsman to notch up tons in both innings of the same Test. A nice feat to cherish, but I wish he achieved such on a more testing track. Still, Mominul’s problem with the back lift persist. The bat is still not coming straight, but from third slip and gully – a technical chink, which might trouble him on challenging tracks.

You can shower all the praises on Mominul and keep bashing Chandika Hathurusingha, but as a matter of fact, there is nothing to celebrate about such feats on such a dead deck.

The first Test at Chittagong was an absolute poor advertisement for Test cricket. In five days, it only killed Test cricket each second and each minute. The local curator Zahid Reza prepared a wicket which could only fetch 24 wickets in five days at the cost of 1533 runs.

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Now let us know about how the International Cricket Council (ICC) rates pitches and deems them unfit to play on. There are certain conditions that the ICC has laid out in order for a pitch to meet their requirements. They are listed below:

The objective of a Test pitch shall be to allow all the individual skills of the game to be demonstrated by the players at various stages of the match. If anything, the balance of the contest between bat and ball in a Test match should slightly favour the bowling team,

A pitch should be expected to deteriorate as the match progresses, and as a consequence, the bounce could become more inconsistent, and the ball could deviate more (seam and spin) off the wearing surface.

The pitches can be rated:

Very Good: (if there is) Good carry, limited seam movement and consistent good bounce early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, with an acceptable amount of turn on the first two days but natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin later in the game

Good: (if there is) Average carry, moderate seam movement and consistent bounce both early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin from day 1, though not quite meeting the criteria for carry and bounce for a "very good" pitch.

Average: (If it) Lacks carry, and/or bounce and/or occasional seam movement, but consistent in carry and bounce. A degree of turn, but with average bounce for the spinner. Falling significantly short of "very good" with respect to carry, bounce and turn.

Below Average: (If there is) Either very little carry and/or bounce and/or more than occasional seam movement, or occasional variable (but not excessive or dangerous) bounce and/or occasional variable carry. If a pitch demonstrates these features, then the pitch cannot be rated in a higher category regardless of the amount of turn the pitch displays at any stage of the match.

Poor: A Poor pitch is one that does not allow an even contest between bat and ball, either by favouring the batters too much, and not giving the bowlers (seam and spin) from either team sufficient opportunity to take wickets, or by favouring the bowlers too much (seam or spin), and not giving the batters from either team the opportunity to make runs. If any of the following criteria apply, a pitch may be rated "poor":- The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match- The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match- The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match- The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball.- The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match

Unfit: A pitch may be rated 'unfit' if it is dangerous.

It is recognised that a limited amount of seam movement is acceptable early in the match and that a pitch may develop some unevenness of bounce for seam bowlers as the match progresses. This is acceptable, but should not develop to a point where they would be described as "excessive".

It is acceptable for a pitch to offer some degree of turn on the first day of a match, particularly in the sub-continent, though anything more than occasional unevenness of bounce at this stage of the match is not acceptable. It is to be expected that a pitch will turn steadily more as a match progresses, and it is recognised that a greater degree of unevenness of bounce may develop.

It is impossible to quantify the amount that a ball is "allowed" to turn as bowlers will turn the ball differing amounts. The type and identity of bowler shall be taken into account when assessing this factor.

In no circumstances should the pitch 'explode'.    

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Now, considering the ratings and their criteria given above, the track at Chittagong can be rated as poor. As because, there was hardly any contest between bat and ball. It favoured the batters too much and gave bowlers absolutely no opportunities. The bounce of the track was medium and got slower as the day progressed. The nature of the deck hardly changed in five days and gave no evidence of natural deterioration.

Last year, during the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, The ICC has officially put Cricket Australia (CA) on notice about the docile drop-in deck, which hardly broke up at all as Australia and England battled to a dull draw. It was the first time an Australian Test pitch has suffered the ignominy of being dubbed 'poor' by the sport's global governing body.

Like Chittagong, only 24 wickets fell at MCG in five days. Only 1081 runs in five days which ultimately killed the excitement of a Boxing Day Test. The ICC match referee did not even bother to think about the reputation of MCG and acted accordingly to report and the ICC rated the pitch of historic ground as poor.

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If the track at Melbourne can be rated as poor, then why not the Chittagong one? The local curator has delivered a track similar to Bangladesh’s National Cricket League, which heavily favours the batsmen. Yes, the home team enjoys the benefits of home advantage, but that does not mean to dish out a deck which is harmful for Test cricket and also, there is no meaning to put the reputation of Bangladesh at stake.

Last week, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) called up Gamini Silva to seek an explanation about the Mirpur track where Bangladesh lost the final of Tri-series. It was a track where there was no demon underneath, but Bangladesh’s defeat was more about their lack of temperament, still, fingers were pointed towards Gamini.

If BCB seeks explanation from Gamini then why not Zahid?

Judgments should not be biased.

Preparing such tracks won’t help Bangladesh to improve. Bangladesh’s improvement in Test cricket in recent times has been due to the tracks which offered help for the bowlers. Bangladesh’s success on home soil against England and Australia in five-day matches were on turning tracks. Any critic would rate Tamim Iqbal’s hundred at Mirpur against England in 2016 than Mominul’s milestone at Chittagong against Sri Lanka.   

For a team to improve in Test cricket, they need to shun playing on such dead decks. Preparing such decks only indicate, the team is afraid to lose and they found themselves at bay while touring abroad.

If the Bangladesh think tank and fans want the Tigers to improve, they should not support on playing such poor decks.

Note: This article has been published at cricketsoccer on 04/02/2018 It’s a draw and it was evident on such a dead deck

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Bangladesh in trouble on their wishful wicket

At stumps, Bangladesh are 81 for 3. On such a batting friendly wicket this scoreboard is not only surprising but also quite embarrassing for the home team.  

“We have a pretty good chance to win the Test. It is a pretty good wicket. It is all turning from the rough, and outside the stumps. We are hoping to start the day well. We are bowling in good areas, line and length”.

That’s what Niroshan Dickwella, the confident and charming wicketkeeper of Sri Lanka said after the end of fourth day of first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Chittagong. In fact, neither I nor the followers of Bangladesh cricket expected such statement on Day 4 as because, on such a batting friendly wicket. Bangladesh have been vocal about wickets of their own wish and they have been provided with a track where one can only witness the bowlers get punished.

But still, when the scoreboard reads 81 for 3 with two in-form batsmen back in the hut, it ultimately raises doubts about the temperament of the team. Whether they are capable enough to handle the pressure of gargantuan scores or not remains a moot question. In fact, Bangladesh did exhibit the stomach to handle scoreboard pressure in the past, but they met a sorry end. Ultimately, their poor display in second innings made them rue time and again.

The prophets of doom and gloom seem to have started to haunt the Tigers again on their wishful track. The situation of first Test is such, the result might not be in favour of home team if they fail to handle the pressure.

***

Dickwell said, the Chittagong track is still very good and the ball is turning from the rough and outside off. On a fourth day wicket, such sort of behaviours are normal, but the wicket is still very good to bat on – just one or two deliveries turning from the rough does not mean, the wicket has transformed into a tricky one. A batting team must cash in from word go by exhibiting a positive frame of mind. The execution of poor shots deserves no mercy on this track.

Sri Lanka declared after taking a lead of 200 runs and what Bangladesh needed was to finish the day in a commendable fashion. Just before the drinks break, the Tamim-Kayes pair stitched a 50-run stand with ease, but as soon as the game commenced after break, Imrul Kayes went for a ramp-shot against Dilruwan Perera, who already beat Kayes outside off several times. Kayes ended up taking his eyes off the ball as the ball hit the toe –end and the square leg fielder took the catch.

Just before the delivery, the gully fielder was brought to short leg and despite watching the field change, Kayes executed a ramp-shot out of nowhere.

Perera’s delivery was not threatening, but Kayes threw his wicket away.      

Sandakan was bowling quick, a matter which is a must on this. Still, Tamim Iqbal was handling him smartly, but against a Sandakan-skidder, which pitched way from his body, Tamim attempted a forward push way outside offstump edged to Dickwella.

The best way is to leave such skidders, but Tamim thought he was playing a 50-over match.

Is the wicket helping the spinners or batsmen are not putting a price tag on their wicket?

The visitors had witnessed Perera and Sandakan fetch wickets, but their heart would not be filled with joy if the wily customer Rangana Herath had not yet joined the party. In the fifth ball of final over, Herath gifted his team Dickwella to give such a statement as Mushfiqur Rahim was dismissed. The fielder at silly point took the catch and Bangladesh ended the day in a position of losing the match.

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Dickwella statement about ball turning from rough and outside off should be taken to note. Yesterday, an area on the back of a length in and around offstump gave evidence of uneven bounce and a puff of dust was seen coming out from that area. On such dead wickets, a bowler and the think tank of team need to notice such things as utilizing such areas are the only mean to grab wickets.

Bangladesh think-tank kept sleeping while the Sri Lankan think tank run by maestro Chandika Hathurusingha not only noticed it but utilizing it intelligently.

Bangladesh need to be careful about the rough area and play in a positive frame of mind on final day. It would be quite embarrassing if they lose on this dead wicket due to poor temperament and lackluster stroke-play.        

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 03/02/2018 Bangladesh in trouble on their wishful wicket  

Mustafizur Rahman, the only bowler to impress on a dull day

On a dull day, Mustafizur Rahman has been the only Bangladeshi bowler who bowled with enough intent.

Dhananjaya de Silva 173

Kusal Mendis 196

Roshen Silva not out 87

Sri Lanka 504 for 3 at stumps

Yes, this has been the story of Day 3 of first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Chittagong.  It was a dull day of Test cricket which even led one of the officials of Bangladesh cricket team to fall asleep. As soon as Sri Lanka posted 487 runs on the board, Chittagong deck gifted thousand runs within three days. Sri Lanka ended the day with just nine runs behind of Bangladesh's first innings total.

Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis were struggling six or seven months back, but this deck helped them to regain their run-scoring mojo as they notched up runs all the park with a great fluency and also scoring at 3.5 runs per over. The three spinners of Bangladesh were made to toil hard on this wicket as they struggled to find any sort of help from the wicket.

Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Sunzamul Islam bowled 117 overs in between them and bled 379 runs. Among them, Miraz went at a rate of 5.10 runs per over. They tried to vary their pace at times but on a wicket which required a bit more pace, delivering the ball a bit slower are expected to get hammered. Even though in the final session, the average speed of Bangladesh spinners clocked around 80 to 87 kmph, but their lack of pace in early part of the day did not fetch anything better.

On such a barren day for Bangladesh, it was Mustafizur Rahman, who impressed than the spinners. With the first new ball, he pitched the ball around that good and full area more and hardly erred his length and line. He beat the bat a couple of times with his away going deliveries from round and over the wicket and at times, he tried to generate pace to unsettle the batters.

Mustafiz showed more intent with the second new ball. He pulled his length back and started to bang the shorter ones. Even on a dead track he did not think about bowling defensively but stuck to his attacking line and length. His shorter length brought Bangladesh the wicket of dangerous de Silva who was accelerating the run rate and at one point Sri Lanka’s scoring rate in second session was 4.78 runs per over. But as soon as de Silva was outweighed by a shorter delivery, Sri Lanka’s scoring rate slumped to 2.7 runs per over in final session.

In the final session of Day 3, Mustafiz bowled his heart out. What did he not try? He dished out a barrage of short-pitch bowling, offcutters, away swingers, in-coming deliveries and pitched the ball up to Roshen Silva and Dinesh Chandimal. Most importantly, he attacked the top of offstump and even was seen pitching it on a middle and line stump line to bring the ball back in and then cut it away from the back of length without even thinking about the outcome as because, such a line on dead wickets are always at risk of getting hammered. But Mustafiz showed the courage to bowl with an attacking intent.

I wish Bangladesh think tank thought of picking an extra pacer who could not only have provided Mustafiz with the much-needed support but would have given the cutting edge to this attack which lacks teeth to take ten wickets.  

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 02/02/2018 Mustafizur Rahman, the only bowler to impress on a dull day

Thank You

Faisal Caesar   

Mr. Salahuddin and his technical advise to Mominul Haque - Really?

I just read a report saying, Mominul was able to fetch runs due to some technical changes and it was done by a local coach named Salahuddin. Mr. Salahuddin said Mominul's change in technique was about the initial step he took against spinners which limited his options against the fuller deliveries.

He said to crcinfo who in fact took help from BDnews24, “Mominul was always fluent against spin but in recent times, I had seen something wrong with his initial foot movement, He was taking a step while playing the shot. Spinners usually bowl a fuller length so that step was restricting his options. Spin bowlers understood this problem and trapped him. I worked on his initial movement, which he practiced”.

Did Salahuddin actually work on Mominul’s technique or is he just trying to take the credit?

Now, First of all, Salahuddin hinted of a step and if the coaching manuals are correct, the step is nothing but initial trigger movement and like all the great batsmen of the game, Mominul’s initial trigger movement is on the backfoot and it has always been the same and for which, I always said about the beauty of watching his backfoot stroke-play. The batsmen whose initial trigger movement is on the backfoot should never find it tough against a fuller length delivery.

Then, footwork has hardly been Mominul’s problem, but in New Zealand last year, his back lift was not lying in parallel with the wicketkeeper and the bat came down either from third slip or gully which hampered his run scoring abilities. The problems with the back lift still exists, but the due to a flat deck it did not create any problems.

How could Salahuddin fix Mominul’s footwork if he did not have enough problems? Whereas, his main problem is with the back lift.

Strange, no?

Secondly, The Sri Lankan pitched 28% of their deliveries on the good length area with the first new ball while the rest had been either on a shorter length, half-volley or over-pitched. With the second new ball, the percentage improved to 67%, but Mominul cashed on big time with the first new ball.

The Sri Lankan spinners over-pitched more to Mominul (35%) and pitched on a shorter length which was according to his strength and on such a easy track, he scripted shots down the ground more. He was seen coming down the wicket more often not against those whose flight posed a threat but against over-pitched ones.

Now, Sri lankan spinners hardly bowled full to Mominul. There is a difference between over-pitch and fuller length and I hope Mr. Salahuddin understands this.

Mr. Salahuddin’s advise might help Sri Lanka as they did not pitch it full enough to Mominul and thus, how effective Salahuddin’s advise has been, yet to be understood.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Tamim, Mominul, Mushfiq and Sunzamul, but you have forgotten Mahmudullah Riyad

Mahmudullah Riyad played yet another gem of a knock to arrest a collapse and helped Bangladesh to get past 500 runs, but his efforts might be forgotten this time as well.  

Mirpur, 2012 - Resolve at the bottom, but forgotten

When Sohag Gazi opened the bowling in the first Test against West Indies along with Shahadat Hossain, it was regarded as a masterstroke by many and as soon as soon Gazi dismissed Chris Gayle, he became the overnight sensation.  West Indies declared after posting a huge total and Bangladesh’s response was better as Nasir Hossain’s cold-blooded destruction of Caribbean attack overshadowed the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim and of course none even bothered to care about Mahmudullah Riyad, who played a vital role in taking a 29-run lead while batting at number seven.

Bangladesh were found reeling against Tino Best while chasing 245 runs on a spin-friendly track. But one man’s steely resolve kept West Indies at bay. Mahmudullah’s calm and composed presence at the other end kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive. On a turning track, best made the ball to jump from a difficult length and except Mahmudullah, none of the batters neither showed the courage nor technique to weather the storm.  But Best had the last laugh. He castled Mahmudullah and with that, Bangladesh dream of winning a Test was a dashed.

Khulna, 2012 – Bangladesh swapped by Abul euphoria and forgets the role of sheet anchor

Fidel Edwards and Darren Sammy rocked the Bangladesh top and middle order on Day 1 of second Test. At 193 for 8, the home team were all set to cut a sorry figure, but one man named Mahmudullah Riyad thought, still the situation could be stabilised if he is provided with an able support. Abul Hasan, better known as a pace bowler, stepped up to script one of the most entertaining knocks in history of Test cricket at number 10 and stitched a partnership of 184 for the ninth wicket and stunned the West Indians.

The whole Bangladesh was swapped by Abul euphoria and fans and sports journalists rushed in to take photographs with him but did not even bother to notice the person who played the role of sheet anchor and provided Abul the much-needed assurance.

Chittagong, 2015 – Composure at the top but forgotten by Mustafiz show

Mustafizur Rahman dished out an inspiring spell on Day 1 of first Test against South Africa. After Mustafiz’s heroics in 50-over formats, his outstanding spell to set jitters in Proteas batting line-up made him the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket. None of the Bangladeshis would spend the day without taking the name of Mustafiz.

But in the middle of the pitch, Bangladesh batters were finding it tough against the nagging and incisive line-and-length bowling of South African bowlers. Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque departed quickly and Bangladesh needed someone to arrest a certain collapse. Who could be better than Mahmudullah to do the repair work? He came out to bat at number four and exhibited high-quality temperament and technique and a track which was slow and low. His 192-ball 67 runs helped Bangladesh to build a strong foundation and take a healthy lead. Sadly, the Test was abandoned due to inclement weather otherwise, the result could have gone in favour of Tigers.

But, Bangladesh remained busy with Fizz mania and forgot to thank Mahmudullah for his composure.

Unsung hero

Such has been the life of Mahmudullah so far. He has been a silent, but a highly effective contributor for Bangladesh since his debut. More often, Bangladesh forgot his contributions and I guess, I should say, they love to forget Mahmudullah’s efforts, which has always surprised me as a cricket follower.

Even today, on the second day of first Test at Mirpur against Sri Lanka, on a flat deck, Bangladesh middle order was in a mood to throw their wickets away, but yet again, Mahmudullah held one end firm and marshalled the lower order wonderfully to help Bangladesh cross 500 runs in first innings. Sadly, his resolve was forgotten as soon as Bangladesh innings ended and the name of Mominul echoed more.

Traditionally, Bangladesh fans and media love to worship macho characters. The machos have always been portrayed as heroes and superstars. The modern fans love those who hog the limelight either by saying something patriotic or exhibiting aggression. Even if they are not performing, they love to remember them every day as the celebrated people of print, electronic and social media don’t let them shift their focus to those who strike the chord somewhere else.

Mahmudullah strikes a different chord. Neither has he the tendency to hog the limelight by patriotic statements nor would he display aggression to hit the headlines. He would work silently and make everyone look what an achievement looks like. He has been one of those unsung heroes of Bangladesh cricket who has been blazing torches in the dark streets whenever the Tigers lost their way.

In life, we hardly try to recognise our true heroes and performers.  A person of solid virtues who can be admired for something more substantial than his well-knownness often proves to be the unsung hero and Mahmudullah is one of those persons.

Don't forget Mahmudullah

Tamim’s stroke-play gave us unprecedented joy, Mominul’s hundred is talked more as there is that Chandika matter involved in it while Mushfiq’s inability to score a hundred has saddened your heart. Then, you are praising Sunzamul Islam’s stubborn resistance with the bat, but aren’t you forgetting to talk about Mahmudullah’s ability to bat with the lower order again? I am sure, you have forgotten about him already.

Yes, Mahmudullah is an ordinary person according to you, but don’t forget, “A  hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. (Christopher Reeve)  

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 1/02/2018  Tamim, Mominul, Mushfiq and Sunzamul, but you have forgotten Mahmudullah Riyad

Thank You

Faisal Caesar