Is Kusal Mendis the new life saver for Sri Lanka?

Kusal Mendis is one of the positives for Sri Lanka in 2018…….

It was Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, who were famous for their rescue acts whenever Sri Lanka fell into trouble. They passed the baton to a certain Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who carried Sri Lankan cricket on their shoulders for more than a decade. It was up to Angelo Mathews to show the way and for a certain period he was doing his job pretty well, but his fitness hampered his performance and, thus, the job of life-saving-act had to be carried by the bunch of young boys.

The likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Roshen Silva, Kusal Perera or Kaushal Silva are talented, but somehow, they are proving to be inconsistent. A 23-year old youngster named Kusal Mendis, so far, proved his worth consistently this year and giving the impression to the Lankan fans; he is different from others and possesses the temperament like a Mahela, Sangakkara or Aravinda to fight it out when the going gets tough.

The 23-year old is special. Those who have just come to know about Mendis after his back to back fighting knocks against all the odds at Wellington and Christchurch, might feel, he is more about compactness rather than possessing the ability to script a counterattack like an Aravinda or a Sangakkara. The boy can take the attack to the cleaners like a maestro and who knows better than Steve Smith and his men, who witnessed one of the most dashing knocks of this decade at Pallekele.

Mendis notched up a swashbuckling 176 against a competent Australian attack, which set the tone for a marvellous series where the Islanders gunned down Smith & Co quite brutally. He followed it up with an 86-run knock at Galle, but since then, Mendis lost his mojo and started to frustrate the Sri Lankan followers, for whom – digesting a Lankan defeat has become a regularity over the past two years.

Chandika Hathurusingha took over the responsibility to rebuild Sri Lankan cricket. The start of 2018 was pretty optimistic for the master, but since that adventurous tour of West Indies, nothing has gone right for Sri Lanka. As usual, they are losing. As usual, things are pretty chaotic on and off the pitch. Chandika’s tactics have come under scrutiny and, it seems, the officials too are losing faith in him gradually.

But one thing for sure, it is too early to write off Chandika. It is always tough to bring back a team on track who have suffered a lot in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Yes, the progress is slow, but some bright outcomes cannot be ignored. Among few of those outcomes, the return of Mendis to back to form can be credited to Chandika and batting coach Thilan Samaraweera's hard work.

Mendis of 2018 – enough consistent, enough wiser

After his heroic knock alongside Angelo at Wellington, Chandimal said, “After the match yesterday everyone was having a bit of fun telling Mendis that he was batting like Thilan Samaraweera. He works really closely with Thilan on his batting, and we were just making fun of the way he'd played”.

“We should especially mention that at tea yesterday, he had 98 runs, and at the end of the day, after batting 31 overs and playing out a whole session, he had only made it to 116. You look at that and you really see he played for the team. It's a really valuable century, and it's one that he had to go away from his natural style to produce” Chadimal added.

The impact is evident.

The Mendis of 2018 is different from that of 2016 and 2017, where he did not know the importance of composure and displaying resolve according to the demand of situation. Since that marvellous knock against Australia at Pallekele and Galle, perhaps, Mendis thought, it is always ideal to rely on counterattacks no matter in what situation he comes out to bat. But in five-day matches, you cannot switch to a fourth or fifth gear immediately as because, it is not a Twnety20 match. In Test cricket, understanding the basics of batting is a must. And that’s why, he struggled and even, he was dropped from the side for such a style, which resulted in his lean-patch.

But this year, he worked on his weakness along with Thilan and the result has been satisfactory.

In the morning session of Day 4, Mendis weathered the storm from Trent Boult and Tim Southee, but Neil Wagner did not know about anything else other than targeting the ribs and throat. Wagner unleashed a barrage of short-pitch bowling, which came towards chest and neck like cannonballs – Mendis’ newly-found confidence and polished technique helped him to survive the heat of Wagner. He spent hours after hours along with Chandimal to ensure safety. And for which, Sri Lanka could at least survive the day and take the game to Day 5.

 “It was to bat as many balls as possible, as had been the case in Wellington. I tried to make the ball older and softer. If runs came, then that's a bonus. So we took it hour by hour and tried to break the work up that way. I was able to bat a session and a half, but if I'd been able to support Chandi a little bit better, we might have been able to finish today without a wicket having fallen", Mendis expressed his opinion in the post-match presser.

After all the hard work in the middle, he was dismissed quite tamely - Spotting a wide length ball from Neil Wagner, he drove it uppishly to short cover, where Matt Henry took a spectacular diving catch.

The shot was a wrong one and the good thing is Mendis, at present, can judge his mistakes better than before. As he said, “I don't think that was a great ball to drive. After looking at the replays, that's probably what I take from it. I was trying to hit through extra cover. The fielder was close, and I hit it too far in the air. It was probably too wide. It's one that I really could have left alone, but I made the wrong decision. Hopefully, I can learn from it”.

The words say it all. The Mendis of 2018 is much wiser than before. He has understood the pros and cons of playing Test cricket. Mendis has started to realise his true abilities, which is similar to what the past masters used to do more – be the life saver, when the team is in deep trouble.

Talent is nothing if does not turn into deeds. It seems, gradually, Mendis is learning this. Otherwise, he would not have ended up as one of the best batsmen of 2018, who has scored 1000-plus runs alongside the great Virat Kohli.

Mendis said, “I am going to try and get 1000 every year” which is the statement of a man, who is confident and hungry for more. He is one of the positives for Sri Lanka this year and Sri Lanka need to exploit the positives they have.            

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 29/12/2018  Is Kusal Mendis the new life saver for Sri Lanka? 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar             

Dean Elgar was OUT, credibility of ‘modern day’ umpiring comes under scrutiny…..yet again

“In this age of neutral umpires and technology, if the poor decisions crop up time and again, then their credibility comes under scrutiny, which is not good for the game”

In 1988, Imran Khan’s Pakistan was well set to bring an end to mighty West Indies’ more-than-a-decade-long dominance in Test cricket. Imran’s men started off the Test series as underdogs and quite astonishingly, they took a lead in the series and maintained that lead until the fourth day of the final Test. But on the final day, some poor umpiring denied Imran of creating history. West Indies went on to level the series despite reeling at 207 for 8, while chasing 262 runs in fouth innings.

Abdul Qadir said to ESPNcricinfo, “After Wasim had got rid of Ambrose and Richards, I had Marshall plumb lbw on the back foot to a flipper, but the umpire turned down the appeal”.  Qadir further added, “I thought Pakistan were a bit unlucky not to have got the benefit of that Dujon bat-and-pad catch. I thought that towards the end of the match, the umpire was no-balling me unnecessarily, allowing Benjamin to go for big shots”.

 Javed Miandad in his autobiography wrote, “We would have wrapped up the game, but a couple of crucial umpiring decisions robbed us of victory. We would have been successful if it was not for the poor umpiring that spoilt our chances in the end”.

Imran was crestfallen after that defeat at Barbados, which he thought, Pakistan were robbed of a victory. At Lahore, almost six months ago, in that eventful semi-final clash against Australia during World Cup 1987, another dubious decision against Imran by the renowned Dickie Bird, disturbed a famous come back from Pakistan. Australia would not only stun the local crowd, but would stun the world by lifting the trophy for the first time and start the beginning of a new era in Australian cricket.

Fast forward to 1999 at Hobart, where Steve Waugh’s men were finding the going tough against Wasim Akram’s Pakistan. Australia were five down and at the crease, Justin Langer – a struggling customer and one-Test old Adam Gilchrist were facing the heat of the best attack in the world to chase down 369 – quite an impossible task from 126 for 5.

Shortly after Pakistan had taken the new ball on Day 5, Justin Langer, on 76, appeared clearly to have snicked one to wicketkeeper Moin Khan off Wasim Akram but 'home' umpire Parker ruled that not out. Australia's total then was 5 for 237. Wasim lost her temper and so the Pakistani players on the field lost their motivation. That wicket could have changed everything, but in turn, it helped Australia to script a world record 16-Test-victory on a trot. Whereas, Pakistan returned home demoralized, with Akram losing his captaincy once and for all.  

There are many such crucial decisions in the history of Test cricket, which led to hamper the rhythm of a team and deny them from a victory. Above all, they simply dented the morale of the game and thus, killed the joy of watching a Test match.

Since Imran became the captain of Pakistan, he had been vocal about neutral umpires and the use of technology in cricket. It took a while for ICC to realise the importance of Imran’s words and at present, cricket witnesses neutral umpires in Test matches and utilization of modern technology at its best. Even though neutral umpires and technology have benefited teams to a great extent, but in the critical junctures of Test matches, the ghost of Barbados or Hobart tends to revisit.

That ghost revisited at Centurion on Day 3 of first Test between Pakistan and South Africa. South Africa needed 149 runs to win on a deck, which was a pretty tough one to counter. Yes, for a team like South Africa, chasing 149 would not be a big deal, but on such a spicy deck and against the mercurial bowling attack of Pakistan, it was expected to be a tricky chase. And in the morning session, the Pakistani pacers struck gold pretty early and the home team could have been two down pretty soon had the television umpire not disappointed.

In the fifth ball of ninth over of the day, Dean Elgar edged one towards slip, where Azhar Ali took a low catch. The on-field umpire wanted to be fully assured about the catch and went upstairs. But before going upstairs, the on-field umpire’s soft signal was out.

Now, an umpire gives a soft signal about what he is thinking and that becomes a very important part in decision-making. If the umpire’s soft signal is out, the first primitive decision is out. If the 3rd umpire doesn't find conclusive evidence of ball hitting the ground or not, the benefit of doubt is given the umpire’s decision and is termed out. The same applies when a decision is referred. The ratio is 60:40 for umpires call. If the ball hits the leg, off or top of stumps, the ratio of contact and umpires decision comes into play.

Azhar Ali’s catch was low and even the video evidence showed, the ball touched Ali’s fingers and not the ground. But to the utter astonishment of on-field umpire, television commentators and Pakistani players, the television umpire – Joel Wilson – turned down the decision. Elgar was saved and Pakistan lost their morale.

A century partnership was scripted between Elgar and Hashim Amla and when it was breached, South Africa lost two more wickets quickly, but it was too late for Pakistan to strike back. South Africa have taken a lead.

0 for 1

119 for 2

136 for 2

137 for 4

Just imagine the situation if Elgar was dismissed. South Africa would have been 16 for 2 as Pakistan could have spiced things up and made the Test a lot more interesting. But a bad decision simply killed all the thrills of a contest, which offered so much.

Maybe, the talk would more about Pakistan’s poor batting display, Imam-ul-Haq and his uncle and Sarfraz Ahmed’s credibility as the captain, but somewhere, I feel, Pakistan still could have pulled off something special if that decision did not go against them.

Elgar was out and that’s what I feel and even the great Graeme Smith felt the same.

In this age of neutral umpires and technology, if the poor decisions crop up time and again, then their credibility comes under scrutiny, which is not good for the game. 

Note: This article has bene published at Cricketsoccer on 28/12/2018 Dean Elgar was OUT, credibility of ‘modern day’ umpiring comes under scrutiny…..yet again

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Roshen Silva drives loosely and Trent Boult sinks Sri Lanka

Trent Boult annihilated Sri Lanka quickly to leave them demoralised…….

Trent Boult is a predator on any surface. Be it in a subcontinental flat deck or in a seam and bouncy track, Boult will script Thunderbolts with a commendable effort. Since he burst into the Test scene, quite silently he has delivered some of the finest spells in test cricket, which hardly received the hype and attention from international fans and media. The surprising silence regarding such customers leads to the use of the word underrated, which automatically creates a space to highlight the overrated ones.

But like a Dale Steyn or James Anderson, even a Boult can find the going tough when a batsman decides to display resolve. A pacer is hardly worried about the counterattacks as because there is always a chance to dismiss the batter, but in case of defiant resistance, the chances go down a bit. Again, if a quality pacer can breach the wall of resistance for once, he rediscovers his killer instincts immediately – havoc is created and if the bowler is gifted such, obviously, he does not take time to clean off things.

A new day offers a new beginning. It offers us not to commit enough mistakes. It gives us the opportunity not to waste the hard work done on the previous day. But Sri Lanka’s Roshen Silva decided otherwise.                   

Until the fifth over of the day commenced, Silva kept the basics right – got behind the line of the ball better and executed shots with soft hands. He was needed to do the same for a brief period and gthe ive strike to Angelo Mathews as much as possible. But in the fourth ball of fifth over of Day 2, Silva attempted a loose-drive with hard hands against a delivery, which was pitched up. Boult struck gold and Silva was left to rue about the stroke. In the twinkle of an eye, all the hard work of Day 1 was wasted due to lack of resolve.

Silva departed and Boult punished Sri Lanka ruthlessly. The ball came out of his hand like a weapon of mass destruction, which moved prodigiously – moved in and out from a full-length leaving Sri Lanka tottering. Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal and Dushmanta Chameera could do nothing, but surrender meekly against a pacer, who was bowling in such a manner as if he had just landed from another planet. It was a mayhem, which took a few minutes to sink the Lankan ship leaving their talisman – Mathews – as a mere spectator at the other end. Mathews could do nothing.

Six wickets fell in the span of just 15 balls.

Boult started the day at 0 for 20. The pacer was struggling with form in the opening Test in  Wellington, where he finished with the figures of 2 for 145. But he was just one moment away to rediscover his mojo and as soon as Silva gifted it, there was no stopping to the mayhem. Boult’s spell not only sunk Sri Lanka, but dented them psychologically as their bowlers failed to test the New Zealand batters, who batted the visitors out of the game.     

That’s how destructive a pace bowler can be.

That’s why people love to watch a pace bowler at his very best.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 26/12/2018 Roshen Silva drives loosely and Trent Boult sinks Sri Lanka

Thank You
Faisal Caesar 

Christchurch and Centurion offer great joy, but MCG frustrates

While the quality of cricket was enthralling at Christchurch and Centurion, MCG frustrated everyone…..

Even though cricketing actions are evident on the Boxing Day in other countries, but each and every cricket fan focus on the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which has become quite synonymous with Boxing Day since the 1980s.

The sky high popularity of Boxing Day Tests during the 80s prompted the then Victorian Cricket Association to trademark the event. Except for the summer of 1989-90, MCG has been a regular venue for the Boxing Day Test. The fans, who don’t live in Australia, either wake up early in the morning or remain awake deep at night to watch live action from MCG.  MCG hardly disappointed the fans since the start of a Test. The first day of a Boxing Day Test in MCG means high quality excitement and to a greater extent, the tracks have played a vital role in providing such.

MCG decks have never been as flat as the pancakes. Neither can anyone claim, MCG decks are like roads. The equality between the bat and ball has always been noticeable. But when you see a spinner to bowl in the eighth over of the day on an MCG track, I am sorry to say, all the interest about the Boxing Day Test in MCG, takes a setback. One could see such events take place on Day 1 of the third Test between India and Australia.

The hype about the track at MCG was huge before the Test match started and the people involved in preparing and reporting the deck, stated, it would have something for both the batters and bowlers. Sadly, on a sun-kissed day, the excited crowd all around the globe was presented with a subcontinental track, which was slow and low and would get slower as the day progresses.  All of a sudden the interest regarding the Test was dented for those, who wish to witness a bit of a challenge for the batters on Test match pitches.

As a matter of fact, the notion – good tracks mean a flatter track – has done a lot of damage to Test cricket over the past few decades. In Test cricket, a contest is not a contest, until and unless, it has something for the bowlers. On a docile deck, Test cricket can never burst into life.

Even though, at the fag end of day, the clash between Mitchell Starc and Virat Kohli triggered a bit of thrill, but when you notice the action at Christchurch and Centurion, Day 1 at MCG is easily overshadowed by the thrills and chills of the decks provided by New Zealand and South Africa.

The track at Hagley Oval was a lively one. It was painted with a green brush and as soon as Suranga Lakmal started to swing the red cherry like hell, New Zealand discovered themselves in an absolute disarray. Six wickets went down in a hurry, but BJ Watling’s solidity and Tim Southee’s jaw-dropping counterattack dragged New Zealand out of the mess.

It was a top quality fight.

The Lankan bowlers forgot to bowl a tight line and length, but adopted a more attacking option to bury New Zealand early. It was a desperate situation and demanded a desperate measure – Southee unleashed his best with the bat. Bingo! Let’s go for the kill rather than getting killed. A flurry of boundaries cropped up and Sri Lanka’s attacking line-and-length was disturbed for a brief period.  New Zealand ended with a respectable total considering the track and situation they were in and struck hard with the ball when Sri Lanka came out to bat. Sri Lanka displayed resolve and arrested further collapse. The Day 1 at Christchurch witnessed 266 runs for 14 wickets.

A few hours later, cricket burst into life in Centurion, when a certain Babar Azam decided to answer his critics. Babar is mostly considered as a limited-overs batsman and not worthy enough to play Test cricket. But when Pakistan were tottering at 111 for 8, Babar decided to change his colour in went the Southee way – Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada were taken to the cleaners in a manner, as it seemed, they were mere club bowlers. It was a freakish display of counterattack. Babar was the man possessed.

When Pakistan came out to bowl, like the Kiwis, they struck hard. Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi went berserk. The wickets started to tumble, but the home team’s scoring rate did not take a step back. Their scoring rate was around 3.9 runs per over, despite the threat posed by Pakistan pacers.

New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan attacked, counterattacked and attacked and the spicy deck attributed to such a top-notch Test cricket. It forced the players to unleash their attacking instinct – the contest between bat and ball was not dull like MCG. Obviously, the Day 1 at MCG frustrated all, but Christchurch and Centurion saved the day.       

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 26/12/2018 Christchurch and Centurion offer great joy, but MCG frustrates    

Thank You

Faisal Caesar        

Will Dale Steyn rediscover his mojo?

The world awaits for Steyn to come back to his lethal best…….

0 for 60 vs Sri Lanka on July 20, 2018

0 for 30 vs Sri Lanka on July 20, 2018

1 for 54 vs Sri Lanka on July 12, 2018

1 for 35 vs Sri Lanka on July 12, 2018

2 for 51 vs India on January 5, 2018

The above numbers are about one of the all-time best fast bowlers in the history of Test cricket. Those who have been following the man since his debut in 2004-05 season, are not habituated to witness him cut a frustrating figure. Obviously, Dale Steyn can’t be such a mediocre fast bowler. Steyn rocks, Steyn breathes fire!  

From 2007 to 2014, Dale Steyn could easily be termed as the best fast bowler of modern era and his wicket-taking abilities at home and away, easily makes an all-time best customer. Especially, on the flat-decks of subcontinent, his guile had put chills down the spine of the best in business, but sadly, for the last three years, the going has not been rosy for Steyn.   

Injuries threatened his existence in the international arena. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi or Vernon Philander may not have made us all miss the sight of a red-hot Steyn, but somewhere, an emptiness could always be felt.

The kind of aura, which Steyn brought into the game like a Shoaib Akhtar or Brett Lee, it would take time for Rabada to reach that level. The South African Black Panther is an absolute predator, when the mission is about hunting batters and is following the footsteps of Steyn – but in cricket, there is something about involving the whole world with you, when you are on song in the middle.

When Steyn ran towards the batsmen, for a moment, the time stopped and no matter how much important work you did, you would stop doing it, focus on an object of mass destruction, slowly unleashing his destructive qualities to create a havoc in 22-yards – destruction can be a piece of spectacle and like Malcolm Marshall, Allan Donald or Shoaib Akhtar, Steyn made destruction an art of joy for all. Like a Shoaib or Lee, he has been a rock star and a rock star just forces you to get involved with his actions. They are hard to ignore.

That is why the emptiness were felt. That rock star flavor was hugely missed. But it seems, the Steyngun is gradually coming back to his best. It was evident during the limited-overs series against Australia, where his accuracy and skill hinted of a better outcome. Yes, the pace has gone down a bit, even though he was quite lively in the Test series against Zimbabwe, but he does not hit the 145 kmph mark on a consistent basis. He hits the 130-135 kmph mark consistently at present and targeting the outside edge has become more important for him than banging in those lethal inswingers.

But it is guaranteed, despite the lack of pace, a fit Steyn won’t short of that rock star flavor. His followers are expecting him to rediscover his lost mojo at Centurion where the Proteas would play their Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. On South African soil, Steyn has always been an irresistible force and against Pakistan, he boasts a very good record. Meanwhile, Steyn is just one wicket away from becoming the all-time best wicket taker in the Test history of South Africa. At present, he is level is Shaun Pollock’s 421 Test wickets.

With Philander and Ngidi being injured, it is expected, Steyn would share the new ball  against Pakistan along with Kagiso Rabada on what is expected to be a lively wicket in Pretoria.

“Test matches are what really drive me to perform. If I can carry on playing Test cricket for as long as possible that will be great. There is a plenty of T20 cricket going on at the moment because that is where the money is at but I think that people will always know that test cricket is the real deal. I love the red-ball game,” Steyn told this to Sports24 in a recent interview.

Steyn would be given that old responsibilities to lead the attack and the greater the responsibilities, the better the best delivers. It is expected, Steyn would rediscover his old best in Centurion. He has still a lot to offer in Test cricket.

   

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 24/12/2018 Will Dale Steyn rediscover his mojo? 

Thank You
Faisal Caesar

History of cricket in Bangladesh during Pakistan era

Football was the number 1 sports, but cricket was equally followed with great interest during Pakistan era….

In 1947, the British Raj in subcontinent came to an end, but before they left, the undivided Indian subcontinent was divided into India and East and West Pakistan.  With new hope and determination, the nations started to rebuild and the development of sports was also a part of it. Even though cricket was a British game and could have been ignored by both India and Pakistan, but it was hard to ignore the mass appeal this game generated and the value of it as a tool of diplomacy between two India and Pakistan, was bigger than any other subjects.

In West Pakistan, cricket started to progress by the enthusiastic people out there, but the scenario was completely different in the East. Since the Maharaja of Natore and Sarada Ranjan Ray left the scene, development of cricket in Eastern part of Bengal took a back seat. Gradually, football and hockey took cricket’s place. And when Dhaka District Eleven beat Islington Corinthians football team, which came to visit subcontinent in 1937, football became extremely popular in this region. Mind you, this was the only defeat, which Corinthians digested among the 36 or 38 matches they played – obviously, Dhaka’s victory just triggered a football revolution, which had a long-lasting effect even after 1971.

 But cricket did exist……

From Osman Samiuddin’s famous book, The Unquiet Ones, we come to know: There was, in fact, enough happening for a haphazard club league in the days of partition, according to a veteran Bangladeshi journalist. “Although the football and cricket league were suspended in the year of Partition, different clubs played friendly matches, keeping the spirits high during the winter months,” wrote Muhammad Kamruzzaman, in a publication to mark the 2011 World Cup in Bangladesh.

“The League started in 1948 with matches starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoons and ending on Sunday. In a day and a half, the match spanned 75 overs a side. Apart from the Dhaka DSA Ground, Wari Victoria, East End, Race Course and EP Gymkhana/Garrison also hosted League matches. The fields of the Engineering College, and SM hall along with their splendid pavilions were sometimes compared to those county grounds in England. There was also the Eidgah, Dilkusha and Shabag Ground”.

Formation of a Cricket Association in the East

In 1948, a cricket team from West Indies and Common Wealth visited West Pakistan, but it none in the East bothered about it. But Feroz Khan Noon – a Punjab Landlord and future Prime Minister –  thought of patronizing a cricket association in the East in 1951. As Osman Samiuddin wrote in his book: More Leagues and triangulars were arranged as a result. Masood Salahuddin, a former all-India cricketer, who played two unofficial Tests against Australia in 1935-36, had moved to Pakistan after Partition and was based in the region, becoming an early colossus on the circuit.

The visit of a cricket team from Burma

In 1951, a self-financed cricket team of West Pakistan businessmen from Burma (now Myanmar) visited Dhaka. It was the first foreign team to visit here since the partition. The Burmese team played a few exhibition matches on the greenish pitch of DSA ground, which had CI sheet as its boundary. The local team crushed the visitors.

One could say, those matches were played pretty casually by the visitors, who shunned white clothing and decided to wear coloured clothes, keds and stripped caps or straw hats. Certainly, cricketers, who smoked the same cigarette while fielding at slip cordon – could not be taken seriously. The local crowd – family members of the cricketers mainly – enjoyed such things, but their body language was far from being professional and surprisingly, the local team did not protest against such activities. But at least, cricket found some space amid the football mania!

Some changes started to take place

East Pakistan was rocked by the language movement. The likes of Salam, Barkat, Rafiq and Jabbar had to shed their blood to establish Bangla as the mother language of the people of East. It enlightened the people of East, which paved the way for some significant changes in that region.

In 1952-53 season, after its first international tour to India, the West Pakistan cricket team led by Abdul Hafeez Kardar landed on Chattogram to inspire the people of East about cricket. The Ispahani family of Chattogram, and the boss of Pakistan Cricket Board at that time, Justice AR Cornwalis played a very crucial role in organizing one match in Chattogram and three matches in Dhaka.

A 16-member East Pakistan Sports Federation  (EPSF) side was announced for the Chattogram and Dhaka matches with Barrister and leader of East Pakistan assembly, ATM Mustafa as its captain. The matches were a two-day affair and the results were a draw, but some of the cricketers from local side did shine. After the matches, West Pakistan cricket team went to tour Burma, and two cricketers named Dr. Mazharul Islam Damal and wicket-keeper Qazi Mohsin were picked from East – but they were considered only because of injuries to two cricketers from West.

Those matches in Chattogram and Dhaka against West Pakistan made a slight impact.  Kardar, who featured only in the last game, later on in a column at DAWN in 1954 hinted, the first seed had been sown via those matches.

Cricket started to create its own identity in the East.

The East Pakistan Sports Federation

The EPSF, which was formed in early 50s, took part in the Pakistan National League. In their first match, they faced Pakistan Services team studded with Test players at the Dhaka Club Ground. Kardar was the captain of the side and players like Imtiaz Ahmed, Sujauddin and Miran Box were featuring as well. But to the astonishment of all, EPSF bundled out Kardar’s men for 200. But in the end, Kardar’s men won due to superior temperament. It was a big learning curve for the East.

A cricket stadium was built in Dhaka

In 1955, a stadium in Dhaka was built, which is now known as the Bangabandhu International Stadium. It was built to host cricket matches and it ushered a new era in cricket of this country. International teams with prominent cricketers started to visit East and from a game of chosen few, cricket started to become the game of majority and choice of the new generation.

January 1, 1955, was a very significant day for the East. The newly built stadium in Dhaka would host the first Test in Pakistan.  India were the visitors and they were greeted with a lot of cheer.

As Kamruzzaman wrote: Cricket as a game got a huge boost after hosting the first Test match. School and college students suddenly found this game quite attractive. Bat and ball sales went up in sports shops. A lot of clubs also came up during this time. Cricket, in the space of five years, became the second most popular behind football. India team manager Lala Amarnath commented that the Dhaka Test’s organization was the best and so was the crowd attendance.

Playing cricket was not just  confined to Dhaka Stadium, but in the grounds like Dhaka DSA, Wari Club Ground, Victoria Sporting Club Ground, Dhaka Wanderers Club Ground, Eidgah Ground, Dhaka Club Ground in the Race Course, Engineering College Ground (now BUET), SM Hall Ground, East End Club Ground, Faridabad Club Ground in Gandaria, Dhaka University Ground and Gymkhana Club Ground – cricket was played with a greater interest alongside football.

Jewel, Raquibul and co

The grounds in Dhaka and international matches played in Dhaka stadium made cricket quite popular in the East and in the process, gave birth to cricketers like Abdul Halim Chowdhury Jewel and Raquibul Hasan. Such cricketers were extremely passionate and improved their cricketing skills by playing on the green-top wickets, which dominated in each and every ground of Dhaka. The likes of Jewel and Raquibul wanted to dominate fast bowlers like Weasly Hall, Alan Davidson and Fred Truman and thus, broke their sweat on toughest tracks.

 Their hard work paid off. Especially, Jewel’s courageous stroke-play caught the attention of Western cricket pundits. In the course of time, Raqibul would also claim a place in the thoughts of West.

Alongside, Jewel and Raquibul, cricketers like Khawaja Mohammad Atahar of Nawab family, KM Omar (Hichchu), Amirullah Munni, KM Hasan, Chand Khan, Sukumar, Mohammad Hakim, Altaf Mahmudul Haque Bakul, Lutfar Rahman Makhan, Sohrab Khan, Mohammad Enam, SA Majid Koran, Latif and Dulatzzaman.

The influential Mushtaque and Islmail Gul

Mushtaque – a cricket crazy Bengali boy from the East built the Azad Boys club, which became a well-known organization for providing greater opportunities to youngsters from the East. Mushtaque used his connections with the elites of Dhaka to organize cricket matches and raise funds for his club.  The great Jewel was one of the famous names of Azad club and its impact was huge in spreading cricket in the East.

Meanwhile, Ismail Gul was an all-rounder from Junagar, Karachi and skipper of Dhaka Wanderers. The youngsters of Dhaka used to love this person a lot and for them, he was the ultimate mentor. After Ismail became the captain of East Pakistan, he changed the face of cricket in this region. There would be regular matches, coaching camps and his smart mentorship and strict discipline would lift East Pakistan Cricket to such a level that they would challenge the might of Karachi and Lahore. This region would always be indebted to the contributions of Ismail Gul.

But the West continued to ignore the East…….

Even though some promising cricketers started to make their mark, still, they were heavily ignored by the hierarchy of West. Till 1970, Niaz Ahmed – a non-Bengali cricketer – was the only cricketer to play Test cricket from the East and his inclusion was a desperate bid by the Western think tank to save their faces.

The level of discrimination was evident from that first encounter against West Pakistan in that 1952-53 season. As Kamruzzaman wrote: Former all-India all-rounder Masood Salahuddin offspinner Sarwar and a high official of Lahore Railway, Sayeed Ahmed; and they weren’t just made to play, Salahuddin was made captain replacing Mustafa, much to the surprise of many. Mustafa knew all the players in the team, while Salahuddin knew only those who came with him”.

From Osman Samiuddin’s book we come to know: A feeling was building that as in life, so too was West Pakistan not doing right by the East. The culprit, Kamruzzaman wrote, was clear. “Nobody can deny that Kardar had a hand in the politics involving the East Pakistan players, by keeping the Cricket Board in front”.

The cricketers from East Bengal, while playing in Karachi, perhaps in the 60s, forced a draw by piling up an innings of around 300 runs in reply to Karachi Cricket Association’s 400 runs. Karachi included eleven Test players. Such was the caliber of cricketers from East Bengal.

But discrimination sustained. Even though, pressures from Cornwalis and some influential East Pakistan officials, Sohrab Khan and Amirullah Munni were included in Pakistan Eaglets team for its tour to England, but the mentality remained the same. The two players were fielded only in two matches out of twenty.

The likes of Jewel were ignored, while Raquibul’s talent was finally recognized by the West in 1971, but it did not happen as the liberation war broke through. His unofficial debut against a touring Commonwealth XI was abandoned by crowd invasion in Dhaka.

1971….

The war of independence broke out in March, 1971 after the West Pakistan army scripted a massacre in Dhaka on March 25. The whole nation united to fight against the oppression of West Pakistan Army. Jewel, Mushtaque and Raquibul participated in that war. Bangladesh cricket lost its precious diamonds: Jewel and Mushtaque in that war, but Raquibul could defeat death and come back home to rebuild the cricket in a land, which would become Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.

Conclusion

After the independence, somehow, cricket was lost and football dominated the proceedings throughout the 70s, 80s and mid 90s. But the effort to rekindle the lost glory of cricket before liberation and during the British Raj in this region never stopped. The effort started off in the mid 70s and gradually, cricket replaced football as the number 1 sports in the country.

The passion for this game always existed in Bengal and in Bangladesh, the passion was even more.

At present, Bangladesh is widely regarded as a nation, who are mad about cricket.

Note: This article has been published on Cricketsoccer on 21/12/2018 History of cricket in Bangladesh during Pakistan era

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

All is quiet on the great fight back at Basin Reserve

The lack of interest in Sri Lanka’s epic fight back among cricket fans and pundits is quite saddening…….

There you go, from nowhere, Sri Lanka managed to draw the first Test at Basin Reserve quite astonishingly. But, frankly speaking, even their ardent supporters won’t put their money in favour of Sri Lanka – surely, you don’t want to prove yourself a fool by investing faith in a team, which is displaying poor quality cricket at home and away and whose house is pretty chaotic at present.

But you know what, cricket – especially Test cricket - is such a format, where you cannot write off anyone easily. No one understood this better than Aizaz Patel, the hero in Abu Dhabi, who stated, if you think test cricket is, the easier it will come back and bite you on the, well, you know.

"You always have to expect the other team will play well. Nothing is expected in cricket. We know it's a funny game and it can bite you in the arse if you expect too many things," Patel said after the final day of first Test was washed off by rain. Patel said such in a rather sad manner as because, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis displayed the best of grits and determinations on Day 4, when all seemed lost at 13 for 3.

Their defiant resistance on Day 4 paid rich dividends on the final day, where the skies above the Basin Reserve opened up to honour their courage as it did the same 11 years ago in Lord’s, when a lad named MS Dhoni’s determination delayed England’s victory and later on, the Lond skies opened up to draw the match to the utter astonishment of England captain Michael Vaughan.

Indeed, fortune favours the brave!  

It was not that New Zealand bowled badly on Day 4 since the Mathews and Mendis came together in the middle. As Patel said, “I haven't played a lot of test cricket, but a lot of the boys said that was the first time they had seen a day of test cricket without a wicket. But that's not to say we played poorly. I think we bowled well”.

“We applied ourselves and bowled in good areas for long periods, they just adapted really well and they have two guys sitting on 100 not out so we can't beat ourselves up too much about that”.

Indeed, Mathews and Mendis adapted very well and their focus was to spend as much time as possible on the wicket. The habit of playing false strokes was cut off, the threatening ones were left sensibly rather than poking and playing with a straight bat was the order of the day. A collapse was arrested and Sri Lanka managed to stitch a match-saving partnership, which is expected to boost the morale of this Lankan unit.

Undoubtedly, Mathews is not finished yet and still, a fit Mathews has a lot to offer for Sri Lanka. Still, I think, Mathews should lead this side if he can maintain his fitness.

But what staggered me most, is the silence of the so-called cricket fans and pundits regarding Sri Lanka’s epic fight back. Rather, the buzz of an auction garnered more attention. Sadly, this is the modern day cricket, where the tamasha dominates more than quality. This is the era, where great efforts in Test matches get poor attention for the sake of an auction, which is not even a cricket match.

And if the teams are not heavyweights, none even bother to notice.

Even though, things were different before tamasha burst into the scene. One can’t deny, how much interest the first Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe generated in 2005. Both the teams were regarded as minnows in that time, but still, none of the cricket fans could ignore the thrill and chill of a Test match.  

Time has changed. Cricket has changed a lot. The interest of cricket fans has changed as well.

But whether this change in interest good or bad, I have asked this question to myself many times. Is preferring a tamasha over the high-quality content in Basin Reserve better? For me, it is not. I would always prefer the high-quality content in Basin Reserve. As I believe, for the betterment of cricket’s future, it is very important to follow the best format and the new generation of cricket bosses, pundits and fans should believe the same.  

But, the story is different. They do say, Test cricket needs to be branded in the best possible way, but here, the action does not speak louder than words. And for which, all is quiet on an epic fight back at Basin Reserve!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 19/12/2018 All is quiet on the great fight back at Basin Reserve

Thank You

Faisal Caesar