Bangladesh’s Docile Submission makes Pakistan Supreme

Just when we thought Bangladeshis are learning the trick of handling pressure against the big guns of world cricket they have disappointed us again. If not a win there was a hope for stubborn resistance when Bangladesh faced Pakistan at their backyard in the T20 and ODI formats of the game. Pakistan looked a confident lot after beating Sri Lanka in their home series. Bangladesh had proved to be quite a force in their home turf in the recent series. So there was a battle on the cards. But that’s not how the series unfolded. It turned out to be a one sided contest without much thrills. Let us take a look at the games.

One-off T20 International, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, November 29, 2011

Mohammad Hafeez showed his al round skills to power Pakistan to victory

The series started off with the one off T20. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. There were 3 Pakistani batsmen reaching the twenties Mohammad Hafeez (25 of 31), Umar Akmal (20 of 14) and Misbah ul Haq (21 of 20). But Bangladeshi bowlers were able to keep a leash on Pakistani scoring. Pakistan made 135 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. The total looked to be gettable. But Bangladesh made a disastrous start losing first 4 wickets for 17 runs. They never recovered from this early shock and were folded up for 85. Only Nassir Hossain (35 of 38) offered some resistance. Hafeez and Shoaib Malik claimed two wickets a piece.

1^st ODI, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, December 1, 2011

Shahid Afridi dazzled with the willow and took wickets with the ball

Mushfiqur Rahim the Bangladesh captain won the toss in this opening ODI of the series and he decided to bat first. Yet again Bangladesh suffered an early collapse. They had lost 4 wickets for 29 runs. They reached a meagre total of 91 in 30.3 overs. Nassir Hossain (21 of 40) was again the top scorer for Bangladesh while Shahid Afridi took 5 for 23 for Pakistan. Though the total looked easily achievable yet Pakistan lost 5 wickets in their chase to get to 93. Mohammad Hafeez (22 of 38) and Shahid Afridi (24 of 23) secured the victory for tourists.

2^nd ODI, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, December 3, 2011

Nassir Hossain scored his maiden century and offered resistance

In the second ODI Pakistan won the toss and they had no hesitation in batting first. Though there was no big contributions but Pakistan reached a total of 262 thanks to the bits a pieces contributions of Hafeez (32 of 56), Younis Khan (37 of 70), Misbah (37 of 55), Umar Akmal (59 of 54) and Shahid Afridi (42 of 27). For Bangladesh Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain got two wickets a piece.As was the trademark of Bangladesh batting in this series they lost 4 wickets for 19 yet again. But there was a great recovery thanks to Shakib Al Hasan (34 of 90) and Nasir Hossain (100 of 134). Nasir Hossain got his maiden century but it was to a losing cause. Bangladesh ended their innings at 186 for 7 and fell short by 76 runs. Umar Gul looked steady and picked up 4 for 36. Nassir Hossain was adjudged the Man of the Match for his innings. With a 2-0 lead Pakistan clinched the series with one match remaining.

3^rd ODI, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong, December 6, 2011

Final Bangladeshi wicket falls to Shoaib Malik

This was an opportunity for Bangladesh to salvage some pride with the series already lost. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Pakistan yet again did not have any big contributions. Bits and pieces knocks by Misbah (47 of 89), Umar Akmal (57 of 84) and Younis Khan (26 of 38) helped them reach a total of 177. Willy Bangladeshi left arm spinner Abdur Razzaq took three for 21. So there was hope for Bangladesh to chase down an achievable score. Though they lost their first wicket early but Shahria Nafees (25 of 52) and Mahmudullah (35 of 73) staged a partnership. But once they fell there was little resistance and Bangladesh again folded up for 119. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik starred with the ball and took 3 for 27 and 3 for 6 respectively. While Abdur Rehman and  Saeed Ajmal got 2 wickets each.

It was an emphatic series win for Pakistan who next play against Bangladesh in the test series. For Bangladesh their bowling seemed good, but the batsmen failed the team with the exception of Nassir Hossain of course. 

Shakib Al-Hasan: A Penchant for Success

Bangladesh has been considered as a team with a lot of potential but on the field they often fail to deliver the results. Though a cricket frenzied nation, Bangladesh did not have many cricketing icons till lately. Mohammad Rafique was considered as an idol by many but not all. All Bangladesh needed was a person they could look upon. Shakib Al-Hasan has gained that idol status in Bangladesh. Though talented players like Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza had a lot of potential but they often lacked the application. Though Shakib is only 24 years old but he has the desired presence of mind to make himself count on the cricket.

Shakib is a Cool Headed Batsman

Shakib Al-Hasan shot into limelight with his 86 ball century and three scalps in the Under-19 tournament against Sri Lankan Under-19 team in 2005. Between the years 2005 and 2006 he played 18 Youth One Day internationals for Bangladesh and scored 563 runs at an average or 35.18 also taking 22 wickets at an average of 20.18. Shakib broke into the Bangladesh national squad during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2006 along with some other uncapped players. Faruq Ahmed, the chief selector back then described him as a very good cricket who was good in all the departments of the game. He made his ODI debut in the last ODI on August 6. He scored 30 not out and took his maiden wicket in the match. Bangladesh went on to win the match and clinch the series. In the same year he was handed a central contact by the BCB.

Soon the World Cup 2007 in West Indies came knocking at the doors and Shakib found a place in the Bangladesh World Cup squad led by Habibul Bashar. Bangladesh caused quite a stir in the tournament by reaching the second stage. They shocked India on their way. In the match against India Shakib scored a key half century. He also scored a half century against England but that was for a losing cause. Shakib ended as the second highest scorer for Bangladesh with 202 runs from 9 matches at an average of 28.85 and he took 7 wickets too.    

Shakib has proven his worth as a left arm spinner too

Shakib Al-Hasan made his test debut against the touring Indians in May, 2007. He did not have a successful test debut though. In September 2007 another ICC tournament came about, it was the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. In the vital match against West Indies, win in which would ensure second round berth for Bangladesh, Shakib took 4 for 34 and became the first Bangladeshi bowler to get more than three wickets in T20. Soon Jamie Siddons took over as the head coach of Bangladesh and he was planning for long term success.

Shakib Al-Hasan holds the Trophy after beating West Indies in Tests

Till this point Shakib had been considered as a batsman who could bowl a bit. But Siddons shocked everyone when he picked Shakib as specialist spinner in the test series against New Zealand in 2008. He had a stunning time with the bowl with figures of 7 for 37 in New Zealand’s first innings, this was the best bowling figures for a Bangladeshi in test cricket. Though Bangladesh lost the series but Shakib ended up as the leading wicket taker in the series. It was during this time that Bangladesh was showing consistency in their performances and beating world class teams every now and then. Next month South Africa toured Bangladesh and Shakib improved as a spinner even further he took five wickets twice in two tests and became the second highest wicket taker of the series behind Makhaya Ntini. Bangladesh lost the series 2-0 and it prompted Australian leg spinner Kerry o’Keefe to term Shakib as the “world’s best finger spinner”. In January 2009 Shakib scored 92 to help Bangladesh get to a victory over Sri Lanka. On January 22, 2009 Shakib Al-Hasan ranked first amongst all the all-rounders in ICC ratings.

Shakib celebrates after scoring a century

In 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh exited in the first round itself and they were beaten by Ireland too. The present captain Mohammad Ashraful was sacked and Mashrafe Mortaza was made the captain of Bangladesh. Shakib was selected as his deputy. On the tour of West Indies in July- August 2009 Mortaza hurt his knee and was unable to take field in the final day, so the captaincy duties fell upon Shakib. He along with Mahumdullah took 13 wickets in the test match to lead Bangladesh to their first overseas win. He became the captain from second test onwards, he was 22 years and 115 days at that time. Thus he became youngest Bangladesh captain and fifth youngest in the history of Test cricket. Under his leadership Bangladesh went on to win the second test too. He performed admirably scoring 16 and 96 not out and had figures of 5 for 70 with the ball. He became the man of the series too. He went to win the man of the series award in the following ODI series with two half centuries and 2 wickets.

Shakib dives to take a spectacular catch

Under Shakib’s captaincy Bangladesh became a force to reckon with and most teams were on the lookout for this young team. They made it a routine to beat Zimbabwe. But he decided to resign from captaincy of Bangladesh following the poor performance in 2011 World Cup. He has decided to concentrate more on his form and career.

Bangladeshi players carry Shakib off the field after winning against Sri Lanka

BATTING AND FIELDING AVERAGES

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	24	45	2	1421	100	33.04	2443	58.16	1	8	185	6	9	0
ODIs	119	114	19	3340	134*	35.15	4296	77.74	5	22	294	22	30	0
T20Is	16	16	0	214	47	13.37	200	107.00	0	0	17	4	4	0

BOWLING AVERAGES

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	24	40	5825	2761	89	7/36	9/115	31.02	2.84	65.4	3	8	0
ODIs	119	118	6034	4328	150	4/16	4/16	28.85	4.30	40.2	4	0	0
T20Is	16	16	342	377	21	4/34	4/34	17.95	6.61	16.2	1	0	0

Is Bangladesh Losing the Plot Again?

If you consider the graph of the Bangladesh cricket team, it would show an unimaginable inconsistency. In their good times they have beaten strong teams such as India, Pakistan, Australia and West Indies. But they have also succumbed to facile losses. One of the brightest lights in Bangladesh cricket was their win against the world semi-finalists Pakistan in World Cup 1999. But in the aftermath they had many disappointing results. They also managed to beat the unbeatable Australian team (in those days) at the heaven of cricket, Lord’s. Their next notable performance in ODIs came against the fancied Indian team led by Rahul Dravid in 2007 World Cup. But after this they were again subjected to many disappointments.

Famous Win Against India in World Cup 2007

One of the highlights for Bangladesh cricket was that they were still a leader among the minnows and managed to beat Zimbabwe consistently, though the Zimbabweans were ravaged by political unrest at home. Another noteworthy achievement for Bangladeshis came under the able leadership of Shakib Al-Hasan when they defeated the depleted West Indies side in 2010. They not only won the ODI series but the test series too with an overwhelming margin of 2-0. Under Shakib Bangladesh proved to be a competent cricket team as was witnessed by New Zealand or England. Shakib’s partnership with Jamie Siddons was one of the impressive phases of Bangladesh cricket.

Shakib is and has been One of the Best Performers

In the recently concluded 2011 World Cup in India Bangladesh had some inspiring performances winning against the giant killers Ireland, fancied England and Netherlands. Though they lost their matches against India, West Indies and South Africa and thus blew the opportunity to move to the next round. Shakib not only led the team well in his tenure but he improved as an ace all-rounder too. He picked up important wickets at crucial junctures of the game and scored runs when his team needed the most. Immediately after the World Cup the Bangladesh team toured Zimbabwe, who had just come out of international hibernation. Everyone expected Shakib’s men to win the series handsomely but the team failed.  Though Bangladesh won the first two matches easily but then they seemed to have lost the art of winning and lost the series 2-3. This loss didn’t go well with the Bangladesh Board and they brought about many changes, while Jamie Siddons left, Shakib was stripped off captaincy. I feel this was a decision taken under circumstances rather than being a just decision. One failure cannot undermine the consistency Bangladesh had under Shakib. Mushfiqur Rahim was named the new skipper and Stuart Law was brought in as the new coach.

Bangla Batsmen Need To Step Up Their Game under New Regime

It is time for the new partnership to prove their worth. West Indies at present is touring Bangladesh. In the One off T20 Bangladesh got to a win by 3 wickets. West Indies batted first and got to a total of 132 for 8 with Marlon Samuels (58 off 42 balls) top scoring. Bangladesh chasing the score got to 135 for the loss of 7 wickets. The star of the game was newly appointed captain Mushfiqur Rahim who scored 41 off 26 balls and was named the Man of the Match.

Mushfiqur is the new Man in Charge

 In the 3 match ODI series West Indies bossed the proceedings. In the first ODI at Mirpur they won by a margin of 40 runs. West Indies batted first and got to a total of 298 for 4, star for the visiting side was Lendl Simmons who scored 122 off 124 balls. In reply Bangladesh managed to get to 258 for 7 in their 50 overs. Shakib Al-Hasan top scored with 67 off 58 balls for the home side. In the second ODI, West Indies again beat Bangladesh emphatically by a margin or 8 wickets. Bangladesh got to a score of 220 after batting first with Mushfiqur Rahim (69 off 109) and Nasir Hossain (50 off 54) being the impressive batsmen. West Indies chased down the total with comfort thanks to the contributions from Lendl Simmons (80 off 125 balls) and Marlon Samuels (88 off 74 balls). In the final ODI at Chittagong Bangladesh came back strongly and won the dead rubber by eight wickets.  They bowled out West Indies for 61 in 22 overs as Shakib wrecked the Windies batting with his 4 wicket haul. The winning runs were knocked off by Tamim Iqbal in 20 overs.

Lendl Simmons has Been a Thorn in the Flesh for Bangladesh

Next up is a chance for Bangladesh to redeem themselves in Test cricket. It is a week West Indian side and it would be a great chance for Bangladesh to get off to a winning start in Tests under the new reign.