Yet, despite the individual brilliance, murmurs of doubt persisted over Bangladesh’s approach, particularly their intent, or the lack thereof, in pursuing a win.
If there were still doubters of Test cricket's enduring magic in the age of T20 fireworks, South Africa’s thrilling five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia offered the most poetic rebuttal.
Faruque Ahmed ascended to the presidency of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after the July uprising, with the onus of reforming the board from the inside. But his tenure ended in a little over nine months before the reform initiative could even begin.
“If we can’t stick to our planning even against lower-ranked sides, how can we expect growth in Test cricket? I’m not against offering spin-friendly conditions, but why against Zimbabwe? Why did we lose confidence after one loss?”
Facing a must-win Test in Chattogram, Bangladesh and Mushfiqur battle to revive their struggling campaign.
The situation, both on and off the field, is disheartening. The national team’s struggles, coupled with ongoing match-fixing allegations and administrative chaos in the domestic arena, mirror the dysfunction of the previous regime Faruque promised to reform.
He is five Tests away from becoming the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach the 100-Test milestone — a landmark achievement. But milestones alone cannot justify selection if current form continues to deteriorate.
The latest slip-up came courtesy of Zimbabwe, who secured a gripping three-wicket win in fading light -- an outcome that, in truth, should never have been on the cards.
The Beximco XBC Fight Night in Dhaka had recently created some buzz among the ones fascinated with professional boxing.
It took almost a year for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, Nazmul Hassan Papon, to come up with the announcement: “Our main focus is on the next World Cup, not this one. You can't change everything overnight. We are planning long-term and trying to prepare a squad for the next World Cup.”
When the International Cricket Council (ICC) unanimously gave Bangladesh full membership and made the country the tenth Test-playing nation in June 2000, the immediate reaction from then Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury was that it would inspire Bangladesh's cricketers to strive harder towards their goals.
Bangladesh are all set to play their second and final Test of the two-match series against West Indies at Gros Islet in Saint Lucia, starting from Friday.
Proper grooming is crucial because all basic traits are absorbed during that budding phase, cricket experts remind, especially after national players miserably fail in terms of decision-making on the field. Bangladesh’s poor first-class cricket structure has often been identified as the main culprit behind the country’s struggles in five-day matches since its elevation to Test cricket in 2000.
There was not any significant difference between hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in terms of international experience as the two subcontinental rivals locked horns in a two-match Test series within the past two weeks.
Former Bangladesh captain turned national selector Habibul Bashar did not hesitate to give Bangladesh team ‘full marks’ for their efforts under trying conditions in the Chattogram Test against Sri Lanka that ended in a draw on Thursday.
“I firmly believe, you will see a different Mushfiqur [Rahim] in this series and he will return amongst runs with big scores.” It was on the opening day’s play of the Chattogram Test when the ‘Guru’ of Bangladesh batting stalwarts -- Nazmul Abedeen Fahim -- made the prophecy about one of his favourite students, with whom he had a special session before the start of the series.
How good is Najmul Hossain Shanto as the number three batter, a position that consistently demands the widest range of skills?
Right now, the ubiquitous buzzword in our cricket circuit is ‘mindset’. It seems all paths lead to that particular word in discussions about the problems surrounding the Bangladesh men’s national cricket team.
