Interesting facts ahead of Tigers’ game against New Zealand

Expectations were high ahead of the World Cup in England but upon the team’s return home yesterday, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza spoke of his disappointment of not meeting their own expectations in the coveted tournament, although he lauded the poise from the youngsters.

Aside from Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman and Liton Das, all of whom are currently on vacation, the rest of the Tigers departed from Heathrow Airport on July 6.

Following their quarterfinal exit in the 2015 edition, the Tigers left for the ongoing World Cup with high hopes of reaching the semifinals for the first time in history.

The accumulation of experience and the fact that the team won their first multi-nation tournament just ahead of the World Cup during a tri-series on their tour of Ireland, where they beat West Indies in the final, provided the team with impetus going into the showpiece event.

Expectations were further justified when they began their campaign with a win against South Africa. However, results did not go their way when it mattered most. Given the format, where all ten teams played each other in the group stage, it was always going to be a tough ask. Yet, the Tigers finished well below the expected mark, ending in eighth place after having targeted a semifinal berth.

“We went there with expectations and from that point of view it is disappointing. If we look at the whole World Cup and how we played, if some things went in our favour, we could have played the semifinals. Overall it was a positive experience but at the same time, the expectations were higher and from that point of view, it was disappointing,” Mashrafe told reporters yesterday upon his arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The close defeat to New Zealand and the washed out match against Sri Lanka certainly played a hand but Mashrafe took responsibility nevertheless.

“As a captain, when the team does not fulfil expectations, then I will have to accept criticism. Of course I am taking full responsibility and at the same time it is normal that there will be criticism anywhere in the world after a big tournament,” the inspirational skipper added.

While his disappointment was evident when he suggested that ‘the chips were down’ in crucial matches, Mashrafe spoke highly of the youngsters’ efforts and said they should not be blamed, adding that some could match the levels of the current Big Five.

“It’s always the young players who are particularly blamed. Those who are seniors now, they were young once and not as consistent as they are now. The youngsters now are playing with a level of consistency and under a kind of intense pressure that we did not have to face when we were young,” Mashrafe said, referencing younger players like Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedi, Mustafizur and Liton Das.

“So, they cannot be blamed unilaterally. They tried very hard. It is a big stage and it is not easy to perform here. I am hoping that with more experience they will reach the levels shown by Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Riyad.”

Lack of consistency played a key role for the captain in their campaign, which could have ended differently. However, Shakib Al Hasan performed magnificently throughout the tournament and the captain duly credited his star all-rounder.

“Shakib was outstanding. Shakib, Mushfiqur [Rahim], Mustafizur and Saifuddin played outstanding cricket. The others performed less consistently. At some particular points we needed luck to be on our side but that did not happen.”

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has been rewarded for his pivotal role in the Tigers' maiden Test victory against New Zealand at home in December 2023 with a nomination for the ICC's Player of the Month award for the month of December.

New Zealand arrived in Bangladesh with an untarnished record in Tests in the country. Taijul was soon to change that with his left-arm spin.

The first Test of the two-match series witnessed both sides pulling the tug with equal strength. Mahmudul Hasan Joy's 86 was matched by Kane Williamson's hundred while Taijul's 4/109 cancelled Glenn Phillips' four-for in the first innings.

PHOTO: ICC

Najmul Hossain Shanto's century helped Bangladesh set a total of 338 for New Zealand to chase in the final innings. Taijul ultimately proved to be the difference maker between the two teams as he grabbed a scintillating 6/75 to help Bangladesh close a win by 150 runs.

Taijul's brilliance against New Zealand continued in the second Test as he plucked five more wickets albeit in a losing cause.

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The series ended with milestones aplenty for Taijul. He took his team to a historic win at home against New Zealand, clinched the Player of the Match award in the first game and was named Player of the Series for picking the most wickets (15).

Alongside the Taijul, Australia skipper Pat Cummins and New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips were also nominated.

The Australian skipper had a blockbuster 2023 by winning the ICC World Test Championship, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and retaining the Ashes. As the universe would have it, Cummins signed off from the year with a sensational performance in the last month as a captain and bowler.

Hosting Pakistan for a Test series, the fast bowler had a decent start as he picked up three wickets in the opening match while leading them to a win. But it was in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where Cummins unleashed himself.

Defending 317 in the final innings, Australia found themselves in a tense situation with Pakistan cruising at 110/2. Cummins brought himself back to remove his counterpart, Shan Masood, for 60 after which Australia regained command.

From there on, Cummins shut down any resistance from Pakistan batters, bundling them out for 237.

Against a spirited Pakistan looking to fight back, Cummins delivered a heroic performance with a five-for in each innings (5/48 & 5/49) while reaching 250 Test wickets, winning the Player of the Match award and securing the series win that would ultimately lead to Australia becoming No.1 in Tests again.

Renowned primarily for his batting blitz and wicketkeeping, Phillips was able to showcase his strength as a spinner against Bangladesh in Tests to go with it.

In the first match against Bangladesh, the all-rounder snared five wickets in the Test and played a handy knock of 42 off 62. Phillips recognised there was more to be done as the Blackcaps lost the opening bout.

During the second Test, Phillips displayed his resolve as a player. In the first innings in Mirpur, Phillips took 3/31 to restrict Bangladesh to 172. However, New Zealand encountered trouble while trailing as they lost half their side for 46 as Phillips arrived at the crease.

Still, a long way to go, Phillips led the rescue mission with a standout knock of 87 off just 72 balls to bring New Zealand at level with Bangladesh.

The hosts then set a target of 137 for the Kiwis which proved more than challenging on the surface. New Zealand again found themselves in a corner with wickets constantly falling. With six down for 69, Phillips once more showed maturity with the bat in hand and played a match-winning knock of 40* in a partnership with Mitchell Santner (35*).

His exploits in the second Test earned him the Player of the Match award as he finished the series as New Zealand's top run-scorer (181 runs at 60.33).

Where would Soumya Sarkar be in the next game had he made another poor score, not the 169, against New Zealand in Nelson yesterday? That is the poignant question involving Bangladesh's cricket, viewed through Soumya as the prism.

The southpaw had played the Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka of late, a tournament not only unfit for his age group but also one where he had to bat at number six, owing to the presence of several openers in the squad.

The national team's think tank had felt it would be a good enough testing ground to observe Soumya's performance before the ODI World Cup. But of course, with so many openers, he was being forced to play a role as a bits and pieces player.

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Then he played a series against New Zealand at home and was dropped from the plans for the World Cup in India due to subpar outings. The team faced an opening slot crisis at the apex event but the 30-year-old was not the one they had looked at for the slot before. Decisions rarely make sense here.

It has been a recurring pattern of poor performances and bad decisions regarding players out of form. Many times in the past, Soumya has been used as a stop-gap measure. The experiments do not end as quick fixes are always what the process employed.

For instance, he was once drafted into a Test against Afghanistan as the lone pacer in 2019 after having been flown to 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai following stars such as Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal falling to injuries. This time too, his selection for the New Zealand series was inconceivable.

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha said he had scored runs in domestic cricket after a poor outing with bat and ball in the first ODI of the New Zealand tour, adding that they needed someone who can "bowl and bat" in Shakib's absence.

A look at records would tell anyone that Soumya only averaged 26.63 in the last Dhaka Premier League, where he boosted his stats with a hundred in the final dead rubber league game.

He, however, did score in the National Cricket League, averaging over 48 in 11 innings with four fifties. But that does not justify his inclusion; nor did the head coach have any justification for the role he was said to be given.

Soumya has not only played sporadically due to poor performances, his batting positions have been inconsistent to say the least. He has opened in 39 innings but the last time he opened before this series was back in 2019, averaging around 36 with a strike-rate just over 100.

Most of his appearances in ODIs since 2018 have come at middle-order, appearing in number 7 on three occasions and averaging 15. He was never a slogger and was always going to find it difficult.

"It's good, when the coach wanted him in the team, we also supported. We have to follow the coach's plan and definitely he has a future plan he considers Soumya fit for seaming conditions in places like New Zealand or Australia," cricket operations chairman, Jalal Yunus, told the media yesterday when asked if it's a positive that the management's faith was repaid.

His 22 fours, two sixes, batting till the last over yesterday, was a one-off. He rode his luck as well, as New Zealand failed to take opportunities on the field. But that will not happen every time. Question that follows is what would happen when Soumya returns to Mirpur wickets with uneven or low bounce.

"As cricketers, we cry more often than we laugh. We play one or two matches well but rest go badly," Soumya said yesterday. He was humble, saying the next ton may come in the next game.

While he needs to find consistency and capitalise on form, Bangladesh cricket too needs to get out of seeing individuals as part of certain templates. Otherwise, the agony of stroke-makers like him would only continue.

His century, far from saving his career, becomes a saving grace for the management who feels they have trusted him. However, on the back of one or two bad performances, Soumya would either be dropped or slotted back into lower-middle order, without clarification of his role.

Bangladesh are set for a steep challenge in trying conditions in New Zealand as their white-ball tour against the 2023 World Cup semifinalists begins with the first of three ODIs at the University Oval in Dunedin on Sunday (Bangladesh time 4:00 am).

For Najmul Hossain Shanto and his troops, however, the island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean is no longer an alien territory. The current trip is Bangladesh's fourth in New Zealand in the past six years -- the most compared to other countries in the period -- but the visitors are still searching for their maiden win in white-ball formats there.

The last ODI series ended 3-0 in favour of the hosts in 2021 -- extending Bangladesh's winless streak in ODIs on New Zealand shores to 16 games -- with the Tigers failing to contend in any of those games.

The three-match ODI series will also serve as a springboard for Bangladesh to somewhat soothe the wounds of their abysmal World Cup campaign in India. Despite the absence of regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan, still recovering from a finger injury, the Tigers will remain buoyant following a drawn Test series with New Zealand at home earlier this month.

Turns out, Mount Maunganui Test triumph last year is still providing the visitors with hope of rewriting history once more. Shanto, who guided Bangladesh to their first-ever home Test victory against New Zealand in Sylhet last month, said that they "look to win this series".

"We have a very good team, and last year we won one a Test match here," Shanto said yesterday following the trophy-unveiling ceremony alongside his counterpart, Tom Latham.

Earlier, the Tigers enjoyed a fruitful outing in their lone warm-up match -- having posted over 300 runs en route to a 26-run win over New Zealand XI on Thursday.

"I think the boys played some good cricket and the wicket was fantastic. Preparation wise, everyone is doing their job. The New Zealand eleven played some good cricket, so it was a great practice match, giving us confidence for this series," he added.

Along with Shanto, who sat out of the practice match, batting mainstay Mushfiqur Rahim, all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz and pacer Shoriful Islam are anticipated to return in the starting lineup.

Given how the warm-up game went, the Tigers thinktank could upvote in featuring uncapped Rishad Hossain after the leg-spinner took three wickets and hit a blistering 54-ball 87 while batting at number seven.

The hosts, meanwhile -- having rested two veterans in Kane Williamson and Tim Southee -- will be relying on several fresh faces, with World Cup sensation Rachin Ravindra set to resume from where he had left off.

More than 8 million people in Britain tuned in to watch England win the Cricket World Cup on Sunday following the decision by Sky decision to allow the final to be shown on a free-to-air channel.

After criticism that England's earlier matches had only been watched by under a million viewers on Sky's subscription-based channels, the broadcaster made Sunday's finale against New Zealand available on Channel 4.

"I’m thrilled that a total peak audience of 8.3m watched England win the Cricket World Cup. It's wonderful that the whole nation can come together to share these momentous British sporting events," said Alex Mahon, chief executive at Channel 4.

More than 50 percent of those who watched the dramatic match, which England won on boundary count after a tied Super Over, did so on Channel 4.

However, despite being available to more people, the cricket failed to top numbers who watched the BBC's coverage of the thrilling Wimbledon tennis Men' Singles Final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, which took place at the same time and peaked at 9.6 million viewers.

The lack of free-to-air coverage of England's progress through the competition was blamed for the failure to generate the excitement of other major sporting competitions.

More than 11 million viewers in Britain tuned watched the England women's soccer team in the semi-final of the World Cup in France for free on the BBC, making it the country's most widely viewed broadcast of 2019.

The 2005 Ashes series against Australia attracted an audience of some 8.4 million, but the number of viewers dwindled after the decision was made to screen all England games on subscription channels.

Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said the World Cup victory would live forever in British sporting history and cricket chiefs are hopeful the game will inspire more young people to play the game.

"It's also exciting to think just how many children will be inspired by this victory to pick up a bat for the first time and hopefully become the great cricketers and World Cup winners of tomorrow," May's spokesman said