Thankfully, Bangladesh gave Soumya Sarkar opportunity

Soumya arrives and conquers in style……

Soumya Sarkar is not one of those cricketers in Bangladesh, who neither garners enough sympathy nor fan followers. He is not a popular choice of Bangladesh sports journalists, who may create a massive emotional hype about an average performer like Fazle Mahmud, who bagged back to back ducks despite playing domestic cricket for more than a decade, and perhaps, that is why the fans here bear a misconception about some of the talented customers in Bangladesh cricket. Sadly, the Bangladesh fans are heavily influenced by local media, where a group of people are habituated to convey the wrong messages.

Just before the 3-match one-day international series against Zimbabwe started, Bangladesh media went gaga over Fazle Mahmud, a batsman who averages 30 with the bat and ball after spending almost sixteen years in the domestic circuit. I failed to understand, how could a batsman with a chink in the technique and fragile temperament create so much hype? How could a sports journalist highlight such a mediocre performer?

I do have my sympathy for Fazle as anyone can experience such a horrendous debut, but after playing so much of First-Class cricket and List A matches and earning the tag “complete package” from someone like Habibul Bashar, certainly, you cannot invest enough faith in a player who fails to open the account in international cricket in two consecutive matches.  Sympathy is dependent on faith. If you lose faith, sympathy ebbs away automatically.

Fazle Mahmud’s failure paved the way for someone else to cash in at number 3. The Bangladesh think-tank had not been influenced by media hype and decided to include Soumya Sarkar.  Before this, he rushed into the squad in last month’s Asia Cup for batting reinforcement, where, in the final, he was found compact enough with the willow and effective with the ball in that crunch game against Pakistan.

Since he returned to the domestic arena, he had been delivering the goods and even cracked a hundred in the warm-up match against Zimbabwe before the start of ODI series. Logically, Soumya deserved to be in the ODI squad rather than Fazle Mahmud.

Thankfully, the Bangladesh hierarchy included Soumya in the squad for the third ODI and did not prioritize emotion. Otherwise, the local crowd and fans watching on television would have been denied an absolute crackjacker from Soumya.

It was the sort of an innings, which a batsman should script against the weak attacks.  The Zimbabwean batters showed signs of improvement as the series advanced, but sadly, their bowling remained below-par as usual. It received the treatment, it deserves – simply blown away by the willows of Bangladeshi batsmen. And, tonight, Soumya rubbed salt to the wound, by unleashing the beast in him.

It seemed, old Soumya was back after a long wait and with those exquisite timing straight off the middle of the bat, the young man hinted of a comeback and can be the ideal batsman at number 3, which Bangladesh have been searching for a while.

His murderous display would leave Bangladesh in a selection dilemma, and it would be interesting to see how Bangladesh handle these performers after the return of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.

But nevertheless, on a positive note, Soumya’s comeback is a huge boost. As because, these days, he offers the goods not only with the bat, but with the ball as well.

 I hope, the renowned cricket experts and media of Bangladesh, realise the fact, it’s always sensible enough to provide opportunities to the tried and tested one time and again rather than those, who have past their best. As because, the likes of Fazle Mahmud won’t give Bangladesh anything, but the likes of Soumya, Liton and Imrul Kayes are still giving Bangladesh the best of outcomes.

Note: This article has been published at cricketsoccer on 26/10/2018 Thankfully, Bangladesh gave Soumya Sarkar opportunity

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Is Fazle Mahmud that good?

So much hype, but no better results…….

A frustrating debut

First ODI, Mirpur, October 21, 2018: Tendai Chatara pitched one up in the middle and leg, which lifted and all Fazle Mahmud, the debutante, needed to do was to leave it by letting his wrist down. But, in turn, Fazle fended at it and paid a heavy price. A duck on debut.

Second ODI, Chottogram, October 24, 2018: Sikandar Raza floated one up and Fazle Mahmud decided to come out of the crease and misjudged the flight completely to get stumped disgracefully. 148 for 1 became 152 for 2, and thankfully, Bangladesh did not collapse as someone like Mushfiqur Rahim was there to steer the ship safely to the shore.

The Hype

Before the three-match one-day international started off, the Bangladesh media were upbeat over this lad from Barishal. The encouragement transformed into a hype and, it seemed, Bangladesh were all set to get a solution at number three – a Brian Lara or Kumar Sangakkara has arrived at the scene to take world cricket by storm.

The hype became over-hype when one of the selectors of Bangladesh cricket team, Habibul Bashar termed him as a “complete package”. Bashar said, “He started as a flamboyant, aggressive batsman in his early days, but I have noticed in the Ireland tour that he can bat according to the team's needs. He rotates the strike, but he still has the big shots. He is now a complete batsman, which had a big influence in his selection. He is also a good fielder and bowls spin, a complete package”.

One has to respect the opinion of Bashar, who played at the highest level as the captain of Tigers and once upon a time, he was one of the best batsmen of Bangladesh. One can expect, Bashar has the eye and cricketing sense to notice the talent and skill of a batsman if not the media of Bangladesh, who are habituated to glorify the men of yesterday, without highlighting the new talents. Had someone like Chandika Hathurusingha was not around, Bangladesh might not have been blessed with cricketers like Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar or Liton Kumar Das.

Anyhow, let me stick to Fazle Mahmud.

Chandika is past now, but the unnecessary hype is permanent in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh cricketers Mehidy Hasan (L) and Fazle Mahmud (R) attend a training session ahead of the first one day international (ODI) cricket match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on October 20, 2018. Image Courtesy: ESPNcricinfo

The hope and excitement regarding Fazle Mahmud gathered enormous momentum and when Bangladesh’s first wicket fell in the first ODI, the majority of the eyes were focused on how Fazle fairs! But sadly, his short stay at the wicket was nothing encouraging – no feet movement against a lifter, but nicked the ball for nothing to walk for the pavilion.

It was a day to forget for the debutante and he received encouragement from Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. In a press conference, he said, “I still think [Fazle] should get another game. It is hard to judge a player based on one game. You can't also blame him for getting out to that delivery. We have backed a lot of players in the recent past, but we also can't afford to give someone a lot of chances before he performs. But we will try to give him the best of opportunities”.

Fair enough!

Being the skipper, Mash has always been a symbol of encouragement and also, one can have faith in his judgement.

Fazle featured in the second ODI, but the outcome was same.

This time around, he misjudged Raza’s flight and for what reason he skipped out of the crease only he and his instincts would understand. In his second stint he lasted for five balls, something better than first (where he lasted for 4 balls), but sadly, the scorers were not troubled at all.

Is Fazle Mahmud that good?

Fazle Mahmud made his first-class debut in 2004. He switched to a different field for a better career, but shifted back to cricket for the love and passion for the game. But in all these years, his numbers at domestic cricket don’t support the opinion of Bashar.

He averages 33.16 with the bat and 47.35 with the ball after playing 68 first-class matches, while in List A matches he averages 30.13 with the bat and 38.81 with the ball with a strike rate of 71.49. Meanwhile, in Ireland, while playing for Bangladesh A, in the 5-match ODIs, he notched up just 136 runs from 4 ODIs at an average of 45.33 and bagged 3 wickets at an average of 34.50. His batting numbers are not better than Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun and Zakir Hasan. Still, perhaps, his strike rate (115) in Ireland became the criteria of selection, but should strike rate be the sole criteria to judge a player’s selection in 50-over format?

Personally, I think, to select a player for ODIs, the matter of technique and temperament become very much important. A player may experience a horrendous debut at first hand, but he does not deliver you the same in the second stint after breaking so much sweat at domestic level for almost a decade, do they? Yes, there are exceptions, but the majority don’t.

Temperamentally, Fazle was like an ice sculpture in a hot desert. A bowler does not need enough time to melt him down. A batsman, who has been termed as a “complete package” doesn’t prove to be a shaky-boy in the middle. Then technically, Fazle did not seem to be efficient enough, which indicates, how poor the domestic structure of Bangladesh cricket is, where any Tom, Dick and Harry can score runs easily!

From a technical point of view, Fazle’s bat faces toward the third man and gully and when he brings his bat down, it remains in an angled position, which exposes the edge. Then, he does not get enough side on, which also exposes his defence. Moreover, Fazle’s feet don’t move and on both occasions, he showed, he is unable to read the length of the bowler.

Do you expect such things from a batsman, who spent so many years in first-class cricket?

I don’t think so!

Also, one does not expect such a display against the benign attack of Zimbabwe.

Hype is always a very bad thing. It not only conveys the wrong message, but hides the truth also. I don’t see any reasons behind glorifying those cricketers, who are not well-equipped to play at the highest level and also, hampers to develop a better future.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 25/10/2018 Is Fazle Mahmud that good?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Zimbabwe fought well, but need to be a bit more disciplined

“It was all about displaying the right attitude when it mattered the most. Had Zimbabwe been a bit more disciplined, the story might have been different”  

In the course of time, a clash between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh is not evenly-matched anymore. At present, Bangladesh are the heavyweights against Zimbabwe and don’t even bother the absence of their major players. Bangladesh are expected to win against Zimbabwe, while the team from Africa play to script an upset.

Over the years, Bangladesh cricket has progressed immensely, while Zimbabwe’s progress remained stagnant and hit the rock bottom due to political turmoil and financial crisis. But still, they have not forgotten to play cricket completely and cashing in whatever the opportunities they are provided.

They have played against the big boys like Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India, but somehow, that Zimbabwe of Flower Brothers and Heath Streak doesn’t show up anymore. They get mauled in a disgraceful fashion, but still, they don’t give up. Their immense fighting spirit was evident against Sri Lanka last year, where they stunned the Islanders by beating them at their own den and then in the one-off Test match, Zimbabwe almost dished out an upset. The Lankans hung on to an absolute cliffhanger to save their face.

Even in South Africa, a  few months ago, one could witness the urge to fight among the Zimbabwean cricketers. In the 3-match ODI series, their bowlers tested the Proteas batters, but perhaps, lack of enough opportunities did not inject that cutting edge and discipline in them.

Their fighting spirit was evident in the first one-day international against Bangladesh also.

On a track, which had enough carry, the Zimbabwean new-ball bowlers did utilize the conditions in the first power-play. Especially, Liton Kumar Das was finding it tough to deal with the bounce and movement of the track. In the second over, Liton was saved from being run out by a wide throw from Sean Williams. A bad miss for Zimbabwe. Then in the third over Liton pushed uppishly towards short-cover, where Sikandar Raza took a low catch.

The catch was reviewed and Liton was saved again. It was a close decision and on any other day, it could have gone in favour of the bowling side, but it was not Zimbabwe’s day. In the fifth over, Imrul Kayes flicked one in the air towards square leg where Mavuta messed it up and spilt a catch.

The hard work of Kyle Jarvis and Chatara were down and dusted.

But Liton did not stay longer. The testing line and length of Chatara let Liton play a ball on the wrong line and Zhuwao took the catch. Chatara then devoured the hyped Fazle Mahmood for a duck. Bangladesh were 17 for 2 – a familiar scenario more often these days.   

Kayes and Mushfiqur Rahim led the recovery, but Mavuta took less time to break the partnership and Zimbabwean bowlers nipped out six wickets within the first 30 overs.

Saifuddin joined Kayes to do the repair work and Donald Tiripano immediately found the edge of Saif. But the third umpire thought otherwise.

Kayes punished Zimbabwe for that drop catch and went on to notch up 144 runs, while Saif took the advantage of some undisciplined bowling to give Bangladesh a respectable score.

The Zimbabwean batting needed that composure displayed in Sri Lanka to chase the total. But they lost their way in no time as the top half of the batting line-up went to the pavilion within the first 20 overs. Batsmen like Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza and Brendan Taylor have enough experience to glue the team together, but they just failed to use their feet and trust their defence under pressure.

The fightback came from the lower half of the batting line-up. Sean Williams, Peter Moor, Mavuta and Jarvis showed how it could be done. Their batting was nothing but a disciplined approach on a track, which was good for batting and had the dew factor to help them as well.

In the end Zimbabwe fell 28 runs short, but they should see the positive side of the matter – they had Bangladesh on the floor within 30 overs and tested the top order with discipline, which they lost in the end overs and while batting the lower order added 143 runs in 25 overs without losing all 10 wickets.

It was all about displaying the right attitude when it mattered the most. Had Zimbabwe been a bit more disciplined, the story might have been different.  

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 22/10/2018 Zimbabwe fought well, but need to be a bit more disciplined

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Sarfraz Ahmed was bold and aggressive, Pakistan reap a rich harvest in Abu Dhabi

Sarfraz rethought his strategies at Dubai and struck gold for Pakistan…….

Pakistan cricket was in an absolute jeopardy in 2010. The spot-fixing saga brought nothing but miseries to a nation, which already in a haphazard state due to a devastating flood. The captain of the team and two once-in-a-generation pace bowlers would not feature in the national team anymore and Pakistan cricket was looking for someone to stabilise the situation. Ijaz Butt played a gamble by appointing Misbah-ul-Haq – a player whose career as over long time back - the captain of Test team and it struck gold.

Misbah brought the certain stability within the team and Misbah’s team sung the song of team spirit. With a mediocre team, Misbah continued to impress at home and abroad. From nowhere, the written-off guy in Pakistan cricket, emerged as the ultimate leader of Pakistan and Misbah, himself, would never have thought of challenging the might of Imran Khan. But, actually, he did. In numbers, his captaincy record shows better than the mighty Khan.

But despite the success, Misbah earned a lot of criticisms because of his defensive mindset. On a positive note, his defensive strategy helped to inject a certain composure in the team, which was much required to calm things down at that time, but Pakistan by nature are an aggressive bunch of species and relished someone as a captain, who would unleash the beast in the field.

Pakistan’s love and affair with aggression started with Abdul Hafeez Kardar and in the 80s and 90s, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram took it to the next level. For a certain period, it seemed, Younis Khan could be the best person to carry on this legacy, but the Pakistan Cricket Board thought otherwise.  Misbah was the blue-eyed boy of PCB and he led Pakistan for seven years with success and the least amount of love.     

To satisfy a Pakistani, an aggressive captain is a must. Even I also endorse the idea of the Pakistani cricket fans. A captain must be aggressive on the field as it not only helps to uplift the spirit of the team, but also aids to open the path for a different idea, which a defensive captain can’t think off.

In Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pakistan thought that they have found someone to lead the team in an aggressive fashion and last year he was heading the right way, even though tactically he was found wanting at times, but still, his aggressive intent helped him to travel through the rough path against a bunch of mediocre sides.

His captaincy came under scrutiny in the Asia Cup and in the first Test, where his defensive approach brought the memories of Misbah era, which Pakistan have forgotten since the Champions Trophy. He was needed to reassess his strategies after the draw at Dubai and thankfully, Sarfraz responded under adversity like an Imran Khan!

Under pressure, the whole team looks towards their captain to seek confidence and at 57 for 5, Sarfraz was needed to rise to the occasion. His counter-punch along with Fakhar Zaman’s composure gave Pakistan the confidence, which helped them to dash Australia within three and a half days.  

Sarfraz’s captaincy was not up to the mark in Abu Dhabi, but changed his approach in Dubai – an aggressive intent was the mantra. Firstly, he led from the front with the bat aggressively in both innings despite being injured. Secondly, he shunned the defensive field setting and used his wicket-taking bowlers more to keep Australia always under pressure. Thirdly, Sarfraz unleashed the tactics of mental intimidation against that team, which is the master in this craft. He was noisy. He looked like an inspiring figure. But never displayed his frustrations like the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh.   

In the post-match conference, Sarfraz said,  “You never, ever give up. To bounce back from 57 for 5, there can't be many teams that can come back from losing five in the first session and then to win in four days by such a big margin. That is what I've learnt, to keep fighting”.  

This is the kind of brand of captaincy, which the Pakistani cricket fans are accustomed to. Mushtaq Mohammad did it, then Imran and Javed Miandad did the same and then, Wasim Akram carried on their legacy. All fought like a Lion. Sarfraz looked the same in Abu Dhabi and he ensured that the Middle East remains a fort for Pakistan.

Pakistan reaped a rich harvest in Abu Dhabi and it was due to Sarfraz’s aggressive approach.

Sarfraz has rediscovered his aggressive mojo, the Pakistan cricket fans are happy!

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 20/10/2018 Sarfraz Ahmed was bold and aggressive, Pakistan reap a rich harvest in Abu Dhabi

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The contribution of Sarada Ranjan Ray in Bengal cricket

“Perhaps, in Bangladesh, Sarada might have been the first person to let people know about cricket. His knowledge about the game spread from Kishoreganj to Mymensingh to Dhaka and his legacy is still evident in the Eastern part of Bengal, where cricket has become the heartbeat of a nation”

The Bengali middle class has always played a very active part of the society of the subcontinent. Since the days of British Raj, the Bengali middle class, famously known as the Bhadrolok, has played a vital role in various social movements. Be it a protest for a noble cause or major political movements or creating a certain sporting culture, the Bhadrolok has always featured prominently.

The British came to the Indian shores with the motive of doing business, but while doing so, they started to rule the roost in undivided India. Their soldiers played a game called cricket during leisure time and the common Indians mastered the game by watching. Cricket started to spread throughout India and in the eighteenth century, it was a part of India’s sporting culture. Patiala, Rajputana, Central India, Kashmir and Bengal invested time and money in this game. 

For some, cricket became a tool to attain recognition in the eyes of the British, while for those Bhadrolok along with the Maharajas of Bengal cricket was the medium to defeat the British on their own turf. But while doing so, the Bhadroloks and Maharajas played a crucial role in spreading cricket throughout Bengal.

***

Bengal cricket owes a lot to the Maharaja of Natore and it owes a lot more to Sarada Ranjan Ray Chowdhury. Sarada Ranjan Ray was the elder brother Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, the paternal uncle of the great Satyajit Ray.

Sarada Ranjan Ray hailed from Kishoreganj, a district in central Bangladesh and part of the present day Dhaka Division. At Kishorganj’s Katiyadi village, the Ray family is renowned for their intellectual background and it was in this family that Sarada Ranjan Ray Chowdhury was born. He studied at Minor school till the age of eight and then got admitted at Mymensingh Zilla School. At that time, Kishoreganj was a part of Mymensingh. Later on, after the independence in 1971, Kishoreganj was separated from Mymensingh.

The economic growth of Mymensingh District was more remarkable than Dhaka. So to suppress Mymensingh, Greater Mymensingh was separated from their 7 out of 6 Upazilla - Kishoreganj, Tangail, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Netrokona.

Coming back to our main story, Sarada Ranjan Ray shifted to a school in Dhaka where he completed his matriculation and then started his college life at the prestigious Dhaka College. At this college, Ray started to fulfil his cricketing ambitions. 

Since his childhood, his interest in sports was immense. It was the time when cricket was taking its roots in Bengal and Sarada Ranjan Ray could not stay away from a bat and ball. Those who watched him in his teens said Sarada Ranjan used to walk along the muddy roads of Kotiyadi with a bat and book in his hands. He was not only a brilliant academic, but equally impressive in sporting activities as well.

Cricket became a part and parcel of his life. He not only played the game for pleasure, but studied the intricacies of the game by heart and soul. His passion for the game prompted him to write a book as well and it also prompted him to spread the game in this region.

***

While studying at Dhaka College, Ray and his brothers – Upendrakishore Ray, Muktidaranjan Ray, Kuladaranjan Ray and Pramadaranjan Ray – established the Dhaka College Cricket Club. It was in this club where the students were taught about cricket and this influenced them about the importance of physical exercises. There was a school of thought among the non-Bengalis that, people from Bengal are not physically strong enough to claim their authority over others.

Ray was not comfortable with such a school of thought, and decided to develop a culture where the young guns of Bengal would be interested in making themselves fit to give a fitting answer to the critics. And, Ray was successful with his motives. The Bengal boys started to take sports and physical exercise seriously, which helped Ray build a cricket team.

After completing the graduation from Dhaka College, Ray received the Premchand Scholarship and started studying Sanskrit. But, he did not complete his degree and joined Aligarh University as a teacher of mathematics. In Aligarh, he continued to spread his passion for cricket alongside teaching maths. He returned to Dhaka College as a professor in later years – a place, which he had made the home of cricket in Bengal a few years ago. 

The seed, which Ray sowed a few years ago, started to reap a rich harvest as his Dhaka College Cricket team paid a visit to Kolkata to play a match against the prestigious Presidency College. The match was played at the Eden Gardens in 1884, where Dhaka College beat Presidency. This defeat was not taken lightly by the hierarchy and students of Presidency. They protested about the inclusion of teachers in the team as the experience and skill of Sarada Ranjan and his brothers – Kulada and Pramada – proved a handful for the Presidency boys.

Sarada Ranjan was annoyed by this and protested. But later on, the British Professor of Presidency College and the Officials of Calcutta Cricket Club negotiated with Ray and convinced him to exclude the teachers from his team. Ray was hurt and left Dhaka College.

The great Ishwarchandra Bidya Sagar requested Ray to join as a professor at the Metropolitan Institute. But the institution suffered from a financial crisis and it led Ray to open “S Ray and Company” which sold books and cricket kits. He opened a shop selling cricket merchandise in 1895 at Kolkata. Even though, bats, balls and other equipment sold by his store were imported, he decided to make them available for a cheap price for all.

The willow woods were imported from Sialkot. The bats were then made from this wood in his factory at Jessore Road. Such bats were cheap and teenagers could buy them easily and quench their thirst for playing the game. In 1906, his “Balanced Bat” won an honourable prize in the Kolkata trade fair.   

***

Sarada Ranjan Ray was a good coach as well. His coaching skills did not go unnoticed by the Maharaja of Natore, who recruited him to coach his side. Sarada’s knowledge about the rules and technical aspect of the game was crystal clear. Easily, he was one of the finest intellects of cricket, who spent his life loving this game and teaching others about the game’s beauty.

His white beard made many mention the similarity with WG Grace. However, he was not just the Grace of Bengal for such likeness. Rather, he was the Grace of Bengal because of his outstanding contributions towards this game.    

Perhaps, in Bangladesh, Sarada might have been the first person to let people know about cricket. His knowledge about the game spread from Kishoreganj to Mymensingh to Dhaka and his legacy is still evident in the Eastern part of Bengal, where cricket has become the heartbeat of a nation. 

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 17/10/2018  The contribution of Sarada Ranjan Ray in Bengal cricket

Thank You
Faisal Caesar 

Fakhar Zaman’s composure on debut

Fakhar’s first day in Test cricket has been fruitful……..

Runs: 94
Balls faced: 198
Strike rate: 47.47

The above numbers are not about a batsman from the old ages, who used to play Test cricket in an attritional manner, but it is all about a modern day dynamic batsman – Fakhar Zaman, who just smashed a double ton or Pakistan in the 50-over format and hogged the limelight with his swashbuckling batting. Of course, modern day batsmanship demands flashy strokes and a strike rate above 80 even in five-day matches. But still today, one cannot deny the importance of an attritional batting display of old days under tough circumstances and their value in building a partnership.

Fakhar hails from Mardan, a place which has become famous for one of the best ever Test batsmen from Pakistan – Younis Khan. While Younis Khan gave Mardan an identity in Pakistan’s cricketing sphere, Fakhar gave Mardan the dose of dynamism with his freewheeling batting exhibition a year ago in the Champions Trophy. He burst into the scene from nowhere and became a ray of hope for Pakistan’s limited-overs’ side, who lacked someone like Fakhar in the opening slot to utilize the power-play.   

Fakhar is all about hitting the ball all around the park with a rare disdain. Expecting a bit of resolve from him is useless, but mind you, he can switch gears and drive the car patiently on the rough roads. At Abu Dhabi, on his Test debut, he showed, he can bat with a lot of composure – a much needed criteria in the longer-formats.

Pakistan lost Imam-ul-Haq for the second Test and thus roped in Fakhar. Even though, the Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed demanded an aggressive flair from Fakhar today, but to the astonishment of his skipper and others, Fakhar played the role of a sheet-anchor.

Fakhar witnessed the collapse of Pakistan top-order from one end and at 57 for 5, Australia seemed to have established their command – a paltry first innings total was on the cards and Fakhar decided to curb his attacking intents and concentrated more on spending time at the crease.

He decided to use the angle of right-arm bowlers of Australia, whose deliveries were pitching outside off to Fakhar rather than coming in – a bulk of his runs came through the point and cover region. All knows, he is very good on the onside and on his pads, but this time around, he did not depend playing according to his strength, but utilized the angle of the bowlers and gaps in the field smartly.

His scoring rate dropped down, but it hardly mattered as was providing the perfect foil to Sarfraz’s aggressive stroke-play at the other end. In test cricket, there is no need for two guns to blaze at the same time during a repair work. Uncharacteristically, it was Fakhar, who batted silently and played an important role in rescuing Pakistan from a disaster.

He fell six runs short of a memorable Test ton, but those runs were as valuable as gold. Fakhar’s first day in Test cricket has been fruitful and Pakistan would need more of such composure from him in the upcoming days.  

Note: This article has been posted on Cricketsoccer on 16/10/2018 Fakhar Zaman’s composure on debut     

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Sarfraz Ahmed needs to rethink his strategies

Sarfraz Ahmed has been mediocre as a captain and needs to pull his socks up as early as possible….

In this era, Pakistan don’t have the luxury to have so many captaincy-options like the era of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, which is good in a sense that the funny show of changing captains each year does not take place, but at the same time, it leads to a sense of too much dependency towards one person, which is bad in a sense, neither the person face the challenge of being axed or feel the challenge to rethink about his strategies as because, without him, the hierarchy has no other best options.

Sarfraz Ahmed was the obvious choice as the captain of Pakistan after Misbah-ul-Haq left and currently he is in that sort of a state, where he is not challenged about his place. Neither has he the challenge from someone like Javed Miandad nor has he the worry to face the heat from someone like Aamer Sohail or Rashid Latif or Waqar Younis. Even, there are no characters like Shahid Afridi or Younis Khan to raise the issue of change of guards whenever the time is tough.

Sarfraz is leading the side without such challenges and in a sense, he has not done badly so far in the limited-overs version and five-day matches. Winning a Test at Lord’s and then drawing the Test series against England at their own den deserves praise and until the end of a nightmarish Asia Cup campaign, the euphoria of Champions Trophy was at its peak, where Sarfraz led from the front to help Pakistan overcame their arch-rivals in the finals.

But Sarfraz, at present, I think, has not thought to revise his strategies more often. The state of being the “obvious choice and cannot be replaced,” perhaps has made Sarfraz a bit over-confident and reluctant, which is neither good for him nor Pakistan.

In the post-tea session, the ardent followers of Pakistan waited anxiously about the outcome of the Dubai Test, which transformed into an absolute thriller by some praiseworthy fightbacks from the Australian batsmen. In the past eight years, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become a fort for Pakistan and no matter how close a Test might get, at the end of the day, it had always been Pakistan, who laughed the last laugh in the desert.

But since last year, that scenario seems to have changed. Pakistan’s ten-year unbeaten record at home was breached by a mediocre Sri Lankan side, while yesterday, it seemed, the desert is losing its love for the men in green. The desert loves the men who fight with a plan and does not wait for things to happen. I am sorry to say, Sarfraz can’t expect much if he waits for the things to happen rather than having a definitive strategy.

One could not understand his plan to rely too much on an old workhorse like Wahab Riaz for wickets whereas he looked out of sorts from the word go. This Wahab is not the Wahab of Adelaide, but a pacer who is all set to become yesterday’s men. Neither does he have that deceptive pace nor the skill to set jitters in a batting line-up! If he struggled to fetch wickets against this depleted Australian batting line-up, surely, Wahab is not a force anymore and only a person without vision and knowledge would invest faith in him.

Then, Sarfraz’s decision of not bowling Mohammad Abbas – the best bowler of the match – enough on the final day when Pakistan needed wickets, remains baffling for all. Sarfraz relied on Wahab’s reverse-swing, but he clearly forgot, Abbas is also a master of this craft and is able to move the old ball from both ways. He tried the Yasir-Asif combination for a collapse, but traditionally, Pakistan’s strategy with a spin and pace combination has always struck gold in the past. An Asif-miracle won’t happen every time, but the captain needs to stick to his best bowling combination to force a win.

Then there was his defensive field set. He never let the Australian batsmen felt, they were being attacked, but let them feel, Pakistan were playing for a draw like them. A captain needs to attack and make his bowlers feel that he wants wickets rather than drying up runs. On the final day, you don’t set fields to dry up runs when the opposition is chasing a total of more than 450.

Sarfraz wants to establish a philosophy and every captain wants such. But the philosophy should be such that his teammates understand and it helps to force results rather than leaving everyone puzzled. Unpredictability does not always help to win, but for a victory, a certain plan is needed. I hope the sooner Sarfraz realise this, the better it would be for him.         

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 12/10/2018 Sarfraz Ahmed needs to rethink his strategies      

Thank You

Faisal Caesar        

Natore and its relation to cricket

Natore is one of the most prominent districts of Bangladesh and borders the Rajshahi City. It has two sugar mills, which contribute to the economic progress of Bangladesh. The region is always in a festive mood due to the haats, bazaars and fairs, the Bonolota Sen of Jibanananda Das  and the Kachagolla (a famous sweetmeat made by curdling the milk, separating the whey and adding sugar) of Natore has brought the district fame at home and abroad.

Once upon a time, Natore was a large water body. In 1706 Raja Ramjibon Rai filled up the major parts of the water body and established his capital. Life started to take a new turn in Natore. The Maharajas of Natore, gradually, made the district, one of the most prominent bodies of the undivided Indian subcontinent. They emphasized on a better education, strong economy, healthy practice in arts and culture and, Natore was not far from developing a sporting culture during the Bristish Raj when they embraced cricket with heart and soul and made a huge impact in spreading the sport in Bengal. 

In 1721, the British sailors played a cricket match among themselves in the port of Kambay. The soldiers used to indulge in sports to combat homesickness. These matches were attended by local spectators. Cricket was not an easy game to pick, but the locals could not but take it seriously and from then on, the English game started to take a deep root in the subcontinent.    

***

Cricket historian Boria Majumdar in his book, Cricket in Colonial India (1780-1947) wrote, “From the earliest years of British settlement in India, cricket was nurtured by leading public figures, military commanders, educators and journalists. Consequently, it was natural for men of status and affluence in India – the princes or Maharajas – to take up the alien sports. Maharaja patronage of sports was an established practice in India by the middle of the eighteenth century”.   

The Maharajas of Indian subcontinent loved big-game hunting to raise their status and then took polo, golf and horse racing seriously. It was all part of uplifting their status and, in the course of time, they would focus on promoting cricket. When they started to promote this game, according to Boria Majumdar: “For some aristocrats, cricket was a tool of social mobility., for others, it was a mean of challenging the British Masters by defeating them on their own turf. For some others, however, much more than achieving social mobility by emulating the colonizers, it was a mean to further other ambitions, gain economic stability and political power over other rivals”.

Certainly, cricket did become an effective political tool and one of the mediums to gain social mobility and at the same time, cricket became the tool of peer rivalries between the Maharajas of various states, which contributed to the make this game even more popular in this part of the world.

The rivalry between Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, and Maharaja of Natore, Jagadindranarayan Ray, became one of the most important factors ever to spread cricket in Bengal.   

***

The Maharaja of Cooch Behar, before the first World War, had maintained at least three cricket teams at his own expense. Professional cricketers like Joe Vine, George Cox and Frank Tarrant featured in his team. The Cooch Behar XI was well-balanced and even challenged the other best teams with enough guts and authority.

The might of Maharaja of Cooch Behar ignited the Zamindari state of Natore. Jagadindranarayan Ray decided to build a cricket team around 1906. He recruited players like P. Vithal, J.S. Warden, P. Shivram and K. Seshachari

Maharaja Ray was determined to take the upper-hand and improve more and more. And thus, he purchased 45 acres of land at Bondel Road near old Ballygunge in south Kolkata. He converted the whole expanse into a cricket field. Maharaja Ray built his team, which featured a greater proportion of locals, especially the Bengalis, and attracted a lot of Bengali spectators to not only cheer for his team, but to practice the game as well.

Hemachandra Ray, commenting on the cricket patronage of Maharaja of Natore, expressed, “At the time when Natore team dominated Bengal cricket, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar had also formed a quality cricket team. However, we Bengalis could not rejoice at the victories of Cooch Behar side. This was because Bengalis were a marginal presence in the Cooch Behar team and hence the credit for these victories went to the European players of the team”.      

***

The Maharaja of Natore was a nationalist at heart and soul and for some years, he was an active member of the Indian National Congress. At the age of 18, he became the President of Natore Political Association at the request of Surendranath Banerjee. In 1894, he joined Banerjee and Anondamohan Bose to become  the member of Rajshahi Municipality. After the partition of Bengal in 1905, he was the key figure in anti-partition movement. His nationalistic sentiments were evident in his cricketing interests as well.

For the Maharaja of Natore, the cricket turf was not just a simple ground, but he took it as a battlefield – his ambition was to teach the British Raj a lesson via their own game. While the Maharaja of Cooch Behar recruited players from England, Maharaja Ray stuck only to Indians.

To develop Bengal cricket, he invited Saradaranjan Ray to coach his team. Later on, Muktidaranjan and Kuladaranjan, the two brothers of Saradaranjan Ray joined the Maharaja of Natore to promote cricket in Bengal and India.

***

The Maharaja of Natore was so determined to fulfil his dreams, that he left no stone unturned to save the life of his adopted son Srishchandra Ray. He hailed from a poor family and his father a clerk at Natore Court. Srishchandra was an aspiring young cricketer, but all of a sudden, he fell ill and died, which left Maharaja Ray stunned! He spent a month in Shantiniketan to forget the tragic loss – a matter, which even surprised Srish’s own parents alongside the members of Royal Family.

While selecting the team, Maharaja Ray did not consider castes. His inclusion of Mani Das, a Hindu of lower-caste did not charm the upper-class people surrounding him, but he considered Mani as a better cricketer than the famous Bengal cricketer Kaladhan Mukherjee.

Maharaja Ray said: “Among the current lot of Bengali cricketers, Mani Das is one of the very best. I had sent him to open the batting against Gwalior. He wasn’t willing to open and was afraid of performing poorly in front of his more illustrious teammates. Noting this apprehension, I called him and said, ‘We’re Bengalis! In a predominantly Bengali cricket t,eam it is the duty of the Bengalis to take the lead’. Upon hearing this he touched my feet to take my blessings and went out to the middle to play an innings that proved invaluable for the team in the end”.

The Maharaja Ray then selected players like the great ‘untouchable’ left-arm spinner Palwankar Baloo –to build a strong Natore side and became one of the best cricket combinations in Colonial India  when players like Ganpat and Vithal joined.  

***

The Natore team became a symbol of pride for the Bengalis. Their victories freed this community from a sense of inferiority complex. Maharja Ray’s cricketing ambitions were not limited to playing the game and gain an upper-hand over his arch-rivals, but the promotion of the spirit of the game was also a very important part of it. Playing the game fair was his way. In one of the games against the Lawyers of the High Court, the umpire adjudged one of the Natore batsmen run out. The striker had hit the ball to the bowler, who failed to stop it and the ball hit the stumps at the other end. The umpire thought, the ball had hit the hand of the bowler before hitting the stumps.

The bowler, Purna Ray, went up to the umpire and requested him to reverse the decision as he thought he did not touch the ball. The Maharaja of Natore intervened immediately and stated, it was against the norms of the game and the batsman was out. The Maharaja respected the umpire’s decision  and held the spirit of the game highly. The Umpire, who was scared, was assured by Maharaja Ray, it was just a human error and it happens.

But the enthusiasm of Maharaja Ray regarding cricket lasted till 1914. The Maharaja of Cooch Behar had died a few years earlier and gradually, Ray’s interest in cricket started to wane. He concentrated on promoting Bengali literature and his subsequent involvement with Bangiya Sahitya Parishad halted the progress of cricket in Bengal.       

***

Why the Maharaja of Natore gave up promoting the game, which he loved so dearly, remains a moot question. Perhaps, all his nationalistic sentiments and passion for the game cropped up to dent the pride of his arch-rival, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, which faded as soon as he died. But whatever the reason was, the Maharaja of Natore had played a vital role in popularizing cricket in Natore and Bengal.

Natore and cricket are well connected. A district, which has so many things to make the locals and Bangladeshis proud, can also be proud of such an enriched cricketing history.   

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 08/10/2018 Natore and its relation to cricket 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar        

        

Why Mominul Haque's ODI career is stagnant?

In 2012, a young lad with a boyish look made his debut for Bangladesh in one-day internationals to replace Shakib Al Hasan. In his first series, Mominul Haque impressed with the ball and bat. During the following year, he was found batting in a Test match against Sri Lanka where his fluid wrists caught the eye of critics and in the same year he earned the tag “Pocket-sized dynamo” for scoring a jaw-dropping hundred against New Zealand in a Test match. Since 2013, Mominul had become a part and parcel of Test side at number 3.  

But his performance in the 50-over formats started to decline and it has come at a stage, from where, even the best of optimists cannot be hopeful of his revival.  

Bangladesh at the moment are still struggling to find the ideal number 3 batsman in 50-over formats and with someone like Mominul around, I don’t think, it should have been a worry if his bat was on song. But sadly, consistently, he is cutting a frustrating figure.

5, 9, 1, 3 and 15 had been his score in the last five ODIs and he averages just 7 with the bat this year, which is better than 2015, when he averaged just 2. Such numbers are not justified enough for a batsman, who is so gifted.

Why Mominul is struggling so much in ODI cricket?

Is it because he doesn’t apply the different technique for different formats?

Perhaps, Mominul lacks a different technique and approach to succeed in 50-over formats. In white clothes, he can have time to assess the situation, but in the 50-over formats, the time is less and for which, he needs to act quickly.

In Test cricket, Mominul may rely on boundaries more to build his innings, but in ODIs, such a ploy cannot always bring better results. Mominul needs to pick the gaps and manoeuvre the strike as much as possible as this would help to regain his confidence. But so far, he seemed reluctant to do such.

 As the numbers suggest, so far, 44% of the times he had been out caught by other fielders and on 20% occasions he had been caught behind – an indication of his lack of throwing it away, which crops up from lack of confidence. Mominul's tendency to rely on boundaries create an unnecessary pressure on him, which ultimately prompts him to play rash strokes and thus, his ODI career remains stagnant until now.  

Meanwhile, that 20 % were the results of a lack of a slip fielder in 50-over formats, which entice him to poke outside off – he curb such an instinct in Test cricket, but in 50-over formats, he falls into the trap by playing with an angled bat, thinking he would get away due to a vacant-slip-cordon.  

His teammates, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim are big hitters as well, but they don’t go after the bowling from the word go, but gain their confidence via putting the pressure back to the fielders – a ploy which Michael Bevan and Michael Hussey used to do in their heydays.

The mantra of one-day cricket is not just about hitting the ball all over the park like T20s, but like Test cricket, adaptation and strike-rotation are extremely important. The difference is, you need to act quickly.            

Moreover, Mominul must not forget, he has the ability to hit the ball better, as because, he is one of those batters, who can be a freewheeling force not because of enough power on the bat, but pristine timing. This is an asset and I don’t think Mominul realise this. He can fetch enough 4s if not 6s by virtue of his timing, but to do such, he needs to have the right attitude for 50-over format: Give time to build an innings and then, the rest will follow automatically.   

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 02/10/2018 Why Mominul Haque's ODI career is stagnant?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Bangladesh, it's time to move on

Bangladesh need to get out of the Asia Cup euphoria soon and think about finding the right combination…..

Bangladesh featured in the finals of the Asia Cup for the third time, but yet again, they failed to break the hoodoo of finals. In 2009 they reached the finals of a multi-national tournament at international level for the first time and were left stunned by a Murali-magic with the bat. Since then, Bangladesh have played four finals in a multi-national tournament, but winning a trophy despite playing one-day international cricket for the last 32 years remains a dream.

Bangladesh’s advance to the finals of this year’s Asia Cup had not been rosy. They had to fight against a harsh reality, which melts down even the best. Previously, Bangladesh used to lose the battle mentally after the loss of one of their star performers. But in this tournament, each adversity made the boys stronger and motivated them to perform even better. Such an attitude was something new for the fans and their never-say-die spirit sustained till the last ball of Asia Cup Final, where they put the best batting line-up in the world under pressure.          

India might have lifted the trophy, but Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his boys have earned the accolades more than the champions from the intellects of international cricket. None of them thought, Bangladesh’s display was just another surprise package, but this time around, they gave Bangladesh their due credit.

The Asia Cup has ended, in Bangladesh, the euphoria still exists. The Bangladeshis, still, are enjoying by keeping themselves busy in analyzing the Liton-dismissal and the Mashrafe-craze has crossed the threshold level – an expected scenario. But, someone like me, always fails to engage myself either with a conspiracy theory or worshipping a human-being.  

I am just asking myself, what next for the Tigers?

For me, the Asia Cup is past now and what I firmly believe, this Asia Cup euphoria should not last long enough to stop us thinking about the loopholes in our team, which still exists.

Frankly speaking, the Bangladesh top order is still in a shaky state. The search for Tamim Iqbal’s partner is still on and somehow, the think tank might be relieved by the graceful hundred of Liton Kumar Das in the final. But, yes, one must not be mistaken by the Miraz-gamble played in the final. The Miraz-gamble might have worked in the final, but definitely, he is not a long-term solution and still now, the young man is ideal lower down the order.   

So, at present, Liton seems to be the ideal partner for Tamim. Now, what about the number 3 position? Bangladesh gambled with Shakib Al Hasan in this position this year, but I would still say, he is not suited to that position and number 5 would be appropriate for him. The number 3 slot, somehow, hampers Shakib’s natural game. His free-flowing nature gets diminished.

Who could be the best options at number 3?

At present, Mohammad Mithun can be tried in that slot. In the Asia Cup, he displayed the right temperament – assessed the situation well and his ability to ease the pressure by rotating the strike. His ability to occupy the crease can be beneficial for the Tigers if he is utilsed at number 3. The more he will get the opportunity to bat on, the more he will flourish. For Mithun’s backup, Nazmul Hossian Shanto and Mominul Haque can be considered. Shanto had a very torrid Asia Cup, but he has plenty to offer and deserves time and support. While Mominul Haque needs to reassess his game if he wishes to prolong his ODI career. Mind you, you can’t blame Chandika Hathrusingha now.

Soumya Sarkar can be very productive either at number 6 or 7 as because, while batting lower down the order in the final, Soumya showed enough sense and sensibility – an indication, he could play in a more cultured manner if used in positions other than opening. Even, I think, he could be an option at number 3 as well. Moreover, his gentle medium-pacers can prove handy on any surface. Especially in England, they can be the weapon to break partnerships and dry-up the runs in the middle overs

Tamim and Liton to open, Mithun at 3, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib, Soumya and Mahmudullah at number 4, 5, 6 and 7 while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman come at number 8, 9, 10 and 11.  

This can be the best combination for the future if utilised properly. The World Cup is still eight months away and before the World Cup, Bangladesh will play plenty of cricket to prepare themselves. The biggest challenge for Bangladesh would be to find the right combination and maintain the fitness. The loss of major players due to fitness issues in a big tournament cannot be fulfilled every time like this year’s Asia Cup.    

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 01/10/2018 Bangladesh, it's time to move on

Thank You

Faisal Caesar