Sports Supplement, 10th issue

Tigers meeting the demand
of time - 'abroad wins’
• Mazhar Uddin
Following their maiden quarter-final
appearance in a World Cup two
years ago down under, Bangladesh
have displayed improvements on
a consistent basis. It was clearly
evident at home as the Tigers won
three bilateral ODI series' in a row,
against world cricket powerhouses
Pakistan, India and South Africa.
At the same time however, there
were questions lingering over the
Tigers' performance in Test match
cricket. Bangladesh took care of that
criticism too as they slowly but steadily
began to showcase improvements
in the longer version of the game.
It all started to change when
Bangladesh scripted a brilliant
comeback against Pakistan in the
first of the two-match Test series
in Khulna where Tamim Iqbal and
Imrul Kayes put on a record 312-run
opening wicket stand in the second
innings to deny the opposition.
The belief began to gather under
the guidance of the visionary head
coach Chandika Hathurusingha,
who seems to know what he is doing,
that too with a great amount of
confidence.
As a result, Bangladesh started
to believe that they can win Tests as
well. And at home against the formidable
England, who are much higher
than the Tigers in the Test ranking,
Bangladesh created history.
The home side lost the first of
two Tests in Chittagong but came
agonisingly close to victory. The
Tigers then made a brilliant comeback
in the second and final Test,
clinching a memorable win to
square the series 1-1.
However, it remained to be seen
if the Tigers are good enough in
Tests away from home in difficult
conditions. Many thought the Tigers
would continue to struggle abroad,
despite their recent run of success.
First up for the Tigers after the
England Tests was the tour of New
Zealand. The visiting side were
greeted with fast bouncers in deadly
swinging conditions as the Kiwis
forced the Tigers to the backfoot.
Bangladesh went on to lose both
the ODI and T20I series' despite
some valiant performances. But
the way the Tigers fought in both
the two Tests was remarkable, in
spite of New Zealand running away
with the series 2-0.
All-rounder Shakib al Hasan and
skipper Mushfiqur Rahim’s record
359-run partnership was a major
highlight. However, despite posting
a mammoth 595 runs for eight
wickets declared in the first innings,
Bangladesh went on to lose the
Test, breaking a 122-year old record.
No other side lost a Test after scoring
such a huge first-innings total.
But apart from the defeat, the
fighting instinct shown by the visitors,
including Mushfiq receiving
a blow to his helmet before being
taken off the filed by an ambulance
to the hospital, were all part of the
learning process. A brave Mushfiq
later returned to the field, earning
a lot of praise along the way.
In 2017, Bangladesh also played
their first ever Test in India. It was
the perfect time for the Tigers to
challenge their mental and technical
skills against the world's number
one ranked team.
As expected, the visiting side
faced some testing times against
Virat Kohli’s furious Team India.
But still, the Tigers tried to counter-attack
the opposition where
Mushfiq’s responsible century in
the first innings helped Bangladesh
to take the Test right till the fifth
and final day.
Bangladesh were able to scent
victory and tried to learn from their
small mistakes, which at times
made them suffer heavily. And
Feature 3 4
Saturday, April 1, 2017
the tour of Sri Lanka was perhaps
the perfect time to correct their
mistakes and finally look for wins
abroad, in both Tests and ODIs.
However, it was never going to
be a smooth ride for the visiting
side as the Lankans have a great recent
track record at their den. And
in the first Test, it proved to be true
as Bangladesh went on to face a
comprehensive 259-run defeat.
Then came the landmark 100th
Test for the Tigers in the second
and final match of the series at P
Sara Oval in Colombo. Bangladesh
did exactly what they were capable
of and adapted to the five-day
game perfectly, controlling the majority
of the sessions.
The likes of Shakib and Tamim,
the senior members of the side, took
up the responsibility and led from
the front. And, the result was evident
as the Tigers became the fourth
team in history to win in their 100th
Test and levelled the series 1-1.
The job was not yet done however.
The focus immediately shifted
from the Tests to the ODIs in
which the Tigers have already created
a reputation of being a dangerous
unit. Their tails were up as
the cricketers were beaming with
confidence after the Test series.
They won the first ODI against the
home side comfortably by 90 runs.
Tamim once again stood firm and
smashed his eighth century.
The second match was then
washed out due to rain. Bangladesh
though are in no mood to
share the ODI series and will definitely
eye winning it 2-0.
Even if the Tigers don’t win the
third ODI, that will be followed by
the two match T20I series, the tour
of Sri Lanka will remain their most
successful visit in recent times. And
without a doubt, the cricket pundits
will now rate Bangladesh as the new
big thing in world cricket. •
NAZMUL ABEDEEN (FAHIM)
It’s time to wrap
things up
DT
Now there is no way to presume what could be the fate of the second
ODI if we had a full match in Dambulla on Tuesday. It’s true, a 300-plus
score is always a difficult chase in an ODI. And although not in the best
of form, still, it’s only fair to think that with 311, the scoreboard was
slightly on the Lankans’ side and their chances of a win was on the card.
And to add to that, the history of no team chasing such score in their
land was another point to ponder.
But then there were a few elements in favour of the visiting side too.
One of the biggest challenges while chasing any big score is the wicket.
This particular wicket in Dambulla was the best that we’ve seen in
this series so far. One of those that may be termed as “batting paradise”,
even bounce, no sideways or seam movement and no turn. Even the
guile of Shakib al Hasan had hardly any impact on the Lankan batters.
Once in, it is easy for a batsman to play pre-determined shots, both
vertical and horizontal; an ideal surface even for an out-of-form batsman.
A condition that very much suits Bangladeshi batsmen’s aggressive
batting style.
Understandably the margin
of error for the bowlers
on such wickets is really very
Bangladesh are different
now. They are able and
hungry. And today in
Colombo, they have the
perfect opportunity to
prove it by winning the
last ODI and clinching an
away series
small. Although some of our
bowlers looked a bit expensive,
the fact is other than
Mustafizur Rahman, all bowlers
bowled reasonably well.
Mustafizur’s cutters were
less effective on this very
skiddy surface as it didn’t offer
much friction to create the
desired bounce and deviation,
which is supposed to be his
main strength. This probably
made him uncomfortable and
indecisive and compelled him to bowl defensively; something that he’s
not used to and didn’t work for him at all.
To be honest the bowlers should be given credit for keeping the score
to a minimum in the last few overs. Taskin Ahmed bowled his heart out,
especially the last over. It’s not only the hat-trick that he should be given
credit for, but more for not conceding runs in the last over. This outstanding
over could easily have been the decisive factor of the match.
The way our bowlers, with the help of some sharp fielding, got back the
momentum, was really commendable. It shows our team’s “never say
die” attitude and willingness to win.
The current form of our batsmen is also an undeniable factor. Top-order
to middle-order to lower- middle order, there is a sense of confidence
and hunger. They seem to be challenging their own performances
in every match. Big partnerships, strike rotation, playing to a plan, fearless
stroke play, and strong body language indicate only one thing; we’re
maturing as a cricket team.
And this is where Bangladesh team are different now. They are able
and hungry. And today in Colombo, they have the perfect opportunity
to prove it by winning the last ODI and clinching an away series. It’s time
to wrap things up. •
Nazmul Abedeen Fahim is an Elite cricket coach and analyst
DT
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Tour Diary
Dambulla, happy hunting ground for Tigers
• Ali Shahriyar Amin
from Dambulla
The Dambulla leg of Bangladesh's
ongoing tour of Sri Lanka will be
remembered for many reasons.
Bangladesh made a strong start in
the ODI series, winning the first
game by a margin of 90 runs. Opening
batsman Tamim Iqbal scored
the eighth century of his ODI career
and also became the first ever
Bangladeshi to join the 10,000-run
club. In the second ODI, fast bowler
Taskin Ahmed became the fifth
Bangladeshi to clinch a hat-trick.
But apart from cricket, there are
quite a few things to remember from
Dambulla for a long time to come.
The journey towards Dambulla
started from Colombo on March
23 with memories of Bangladesh’s
historic win in their 100th Test
match still fresh in the mind of
this correspondent. The hilly areas
in the island nation are pretty
similar to Bangladesh's Rangamati,
Bandarban and Khagrachari. As the
journey progressed, this journalist
was slowly nearing the central
province of Sri Lanka when large
hills became visible.
En route, the Bangladesh correspondents
visited Pinnawala Elephant
Orphanage. The orphanage
started off with the introduction
of five abandoned baby elephants
in its premises in 1975. There are
almost 96 elephants at the orphanage
now. This institution caters not
only for the abandoned babies but
also for those injured and maimed
within the jungle. One of the most
interesting times is when these elephants
cross the road and bath in
the nearby Maha Oya river. They
are herded by mahouts twice a day.
The journey towards Dambulla
came to an end in the evening.
The next day, the first experience
of seeing the Rangiri Dambulla
International stadium was quite
memorable. One can see the Ibbankatuwa
Lake flowing at one side
and Dambulla Rock on the opposite
side from the top of the gallery. The
press box in Dambulla is way higher
than Galle or P Sara Oval in Colombo.
The box is probably on the
ground's sixth floor, much different
to the home of cricket in Bangladesh
– Mirpur's Sher-e Bangla National
Cricket Stadium.
The visit to Aliya Resort – the
Scenic view of Dambulla from the Aliya Resort
(L) Elephants bathing in the Maha Oya river and the Sigiriya Rock
Tigers' residence during their Dambulla
stay - after Bangladesh’s first
ODI win was a memorable experience
as well. The swimming pool
there was beautiful as both the Sigiriya
Rock and Pidurangala Rock
could be seen. The resort is so big
that Bangladesh players often had
to ride the bicycle to visit a fellow
teammate's room. A funny experience
comes to mind. This journalist
saw Tamim searching for room
number 86 while riding on a bicycle.
He was lost! Later, the officials
helped Tamim to drive to his desired
destination.
The resort is situated in the Sigiriya
jungle. A touch of nature always
exists there. Once, this journalist,
while waiting for an official
Bangladesh press conference, even
Overview of the Rangiri International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN
witnessed a bird singing in front of
the hotel lobby. The experience of
climbing the Pidurangala Rock in
order to observe sunrise was an adventurous
one. This correspondent
awoke at 4am in the morning and
started his journey, along with the
others, on the preview day of the
second ODI. The group of Bangladesh
journalists were done climbing
the hill at around 5:30am. The
last few steps before reaching the
peak of Pidurangala Rock was really
challenging.
Unfortunately, the sun rose
around the shade of the clouds and
the Bangladesh correspondents
weren't able to see the beautiful
scene. But the view of the green
carpet from the top amid the refreshing
cool breeze was rich consolation
to say the least.
The next destination was the
world famous Sigiriya Rock. The
well-preserved archaeological site
was breathtaking to watch. Sigiriya
today is a UNESCO-listed world
heritage site. It is one of the best examples
of ancient urban planning.
The climb to the peak of the rock
is generally tough. But after reaching
the summit, all the tiredness
will disappear. One thing comes to
mind after reaching the top – how
much fitness does a cricketer has
to achieve before playing a competitive
five-day match under the
scorching heat? After surfing the
internet, a few websites suggested
that a player has to burn almost
2,000 calories in a full day's play
of Test cricket. According to a research
prepared by The University
of New Mexico, for every person
weighing over 75kgs, every step
climbed will ensure the burning of
0.42 calories on average.
This journalist had to climb
1,200 stairs to reach the top of Sigiriya
Rock. And 1,000 steps to
reach the peak of Pidurangala
Rock on the same day. Therefore,
this correspondent might have
lost 1,000 or 1,200 calories overall.
Combining all these experiences,
the Dambulla journey would have
been perfect had the Tigers sealed
the ODI series in the second match.
However, having experienced the
beauty of mother nature, Tamim's
ton, Taskin's treble, along with the
first ODI win, this journalist can't
complain! •
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN