Lop-sided challenge for Tigers

"In Tests, we see different scenarios. How the game went today, it was like in T20s," Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz encapsulated what transpired in India's first innings on day four of the second and final Test at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur yesterday.

The home side scaled new heights, moving from one world record to another in an enticing and fast-forward day of Test cricket. India, leading the series 1-0, had two days to win a match, and while many might have naively expected a draw after two days of rain, the hosts surpassed all expectations.

First came the fastest 50 by a team, then the fastest 100, 150, and 200 followed. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal started it, and the others maintained that mode of batting as a Test match turned into T20 cricket after Bangladesh had made 233 in the first innings, courtesy of Mominul Haque's unbeaten 107.

India batted for 34.4 overs, just over a session. They scored 285 for nine to not only ensure a lead in the quickest time possible but also declared to pick up two Bangladesh wickets: opener Zakir Hasan and nightwatchman Hasan Mahmud.

It was a very different Test experience for the likes of Khaled Ahmed, hit for two sixes in his first two deliveries this series, or even Mehedi Hasan Miraz and the experienced Shakib Al Hasan.

Miraz admitted that they went into T20 mode too, and it was what he and Shakib both did. He bagged a four-fer along with Shakib to dent India's rapid scoring, but it was still difficult. Talking about his dismissal of Rohit Sharma, who was looking menacing, he said: "The way he started with a first-ball six, it was a challenge to bowl. I tried to bowl in T20 mode."

Talking about Shakib's four-fer, he said: "They batted in a T20 mindset, and since he's very successful in the format, he understood how to apply himself, and he got it from the very first over."

But the match scenario does not allow for more aggression from Bangladesh batters, who will have to face more than two sessions to save the match.

"The situation right now is that we have to think of safety first. We will try to bat as long as possible," Miraz felt.

But overall, it was a different kind of experience for Bangladesh. India batted at more than 10 an over in the first 10 overs faced. They just kept going, even as wickets fell.

"Before this, two days were foiled by rain. Obviously, this hasn't happened before, and it was new for me. There is a lot to learn from this match, and we have done that," he added.

Bangladesh pacer Khaled Ahmed replaced Taskin Ahmed in the 15-member squad for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to start on October 29, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. 

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made the announcement of the only change in the squad on Thursday evening. 

"Taskin hasn't been dropped. We have a long list of international matches coming up in the next few months. The break will give him some time to rest and he can also start preparing for the upcoming series," selector Hannan Sarkar told the Daily Star over phone on Thursday.

Khaled, who claimed four wickets for 61 runs during Sylhet Division's opening round National Cricket League 2024-25 match against Dhaka Division in Khulna, was dropped for the opening Test against the Proteas after a poor display in the Kanpur Test against India in September. Meanwhile, Taskin wasn't included in the playing eleven of the first South Africa Test as the Tigers opted to go with Hasan Mahmud - the only pacer in the starting lineup -alongside three spinners.

The Tigers lost the contest by seven wickets on Day 4 in Mirpur today.

Bangladesh squad will travel to Chattogram on October 26 for the final match of the series. 

Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad and Khaled Ahmed.

In a bombshell press conference on Thursday, Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said that he had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that the upcoming South Africa Test series at home in October-November will be the last Test series of his career.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, of which he was an MP, Shakib has not returned to the country. He feels that if he can head back to the country and leave on his own terms, he will play the series against South Africa, which is to be his last Test series.

It is not just Test cricket that Shakib is set to leave as he further informed that he will not be playing T20 format for the next few series as he feels it is time to move on from the format.

Asked if he would play the T20I series against India, starting on October 6, he informed that he feels he has already played his last T20I.

"I think I have played my last match at the World Cup [against Afghanistan]," he added. 

When asked if the Champions Trophy in 2025 would be his last foray in the ODI format, he simply said "I hope so. Nine more ODIs."

Shakib Al Hasan, a name that has been synonymous with the Bangladesh cricket team in all three formats for almost 18 years, called time on his T20I career yesterday at a press conference in Kanpur ahead of today's second and final Test against hosts India, pulling down the curtain on an illustrious international career in the shortest format.

"I am not hurt or disappointed. I think it is the right time to move on and create a place for the new players," Shakib told the media yesterday.

This announcement ended Shakib's journey in T20Is, which began with Bangladesh's first-ever match in the format on November 28, 2006, at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna against Zimbabwe.

His 129th and final match for the Tigers in the shortest format was their Super Eights match of the ICC T20 World Cup against Afghanistan in Kingstown on June 24 earlier this year, which they lost by eight runs.

His T20I career, easily the greatest among all Bangladeshi cricketers, ended in a whimper considering the last thing he did in the format was to give a simple return catch to Naveen-ul-Haq to depart for a first-ball duck.

But that does not take away anything from his incredible career, one that certainly puts him in contention of being called the greatest all-rounder in T20Is till now.

Now, the debate on who is the greatest all-rounder of all time in cricket has been raging on for decades, with many candidates for the top-most spot but none being the clear-cut choice.

The evolution of the game from its primitive days to the modern era, the changes in laws and playing conditions, and the introduction of a brand new format in the 2000s have only added to the complexities of the debate with no clear consensus on who is the best ever.

But instead of trying to find the greatest all-rounder in all of cricket, if one goes format by format, he/she would be hard-pressed to find an all-rounder with a better career in T20Is than Shakib.

Shakib's T20I career spanned 17 years and 209 days, longer than any other player in the world.

The 37-year-old is both Bangladesh's highest run-getter and wicket-taker in the format and was either the top-ranked all-rounder or at least thereabouts for the majority of this period.

Shakib also has five player-of-the-series awards, the joint second-highest in the world. With 2551 runs, he ranks 13th in the list of highest run-getters in the format and the only all-rounder who is ahead of him is Australia's Glenn Maxwell at 10th with 2600 runs.

He is also third in the wicket-taker's list with 149 wickets, whereas Maxwell has only 43 to his name.

Shakib's detractors, over the years, have pointed to the lack of quality opponents he has faced. But the pressure Shakib had to endure to carry a team devoid of stars in the shortest format should not be forgotten.

Through his performances in T20Is, Shakib made his way into T20 leagues across the world and was the first to show that a player from Bangladesh can become a highly sought-after commodity in world cricket. More than anything, that will be the lasting legacy of Shakib's T20I career.

Players of the Bangladesh women's team were upbeat yesterday on their rest day, riding the high of their tremendous 3-1 win over five-time champions India in their final group-stage match of SAFF Women's Championship in Nepal on Wednesday.

In that match, the team rose above the debate surrounding head coach Peter Butler's apparent dislike towards senior players and routed India to finish as Group A champions and will now face Group B runners-up Bhutan in the semifinal on Sunday.

Just a day before the crucial match against India, midfielder Monika Chakma dropped a bombshell, openly telling the media that coach Butler did not like the senior players and preferred fielding inexperienced juniors instead.

After the criticism, the English coach decked up the playing eleven against India with senior players who had helped the side clinch its maiden SAFF Women's Championship title two years ago and the players responded with a brilliant showing.

Following the win, captain Sabina Khatun revealed that former head coach Golam Rabbani Choton, who had coached the side in their SAFF Women's Championship winning campaign in 2022, still has a positive influence on them while talking to the media at the team hotel in Nepal.

"I always try to talk to Choton sir before every match. We have had a good relationship for the last 14 years. I think he knows me better than I do. He knows every player," Sabina told the reporters yesterday.

"Sir told me that we would play the semifinals whether we win, draw or loose [against India]. But we all have to perform well because we have a good opportunity to play the final. I just forwarded the message to all the players without mentioning his name because of the ongoing debate and I think every player did their job correctly," she added.

Choton, who parted ways with the team some 14 months ago, is currently in Dhaka and he corroborated what Sabina said.

"I usually try to avoid them because I am not with them anymore. However, I am forced to pick up their calls sometimes after their repeated calls. I advised Sabina to perform well collectively."

Choton also urged the management to keep faith on the seniors as they are proven performers.

"The management should keep faith on the senior players because they proved that they are performers two years ago and also proved it against India on Wednesday.

"I think this disparity among the players is the result of how the team is being handled. Instead of blaming the players for poor performances, the management should focus on improving individuals and the girls have to perform as a team like they have done in the past," said Choton.

Although Bhutan thrashed Maldives 13-0 in their final group-stage match and are undefeated till now, Sabina is confident of doing well and reaching the final.

"In the semifinal, we will try to perform like we did against India. We want to perform well irrespective the outcome of the match," said the 30-year-old captain.