Tigers overcome mental barrier

The euphoria after Sunday's historic four-wicket win against Sri Lanka at Colombo's P Sara Oval has subsided in this part of the world, although the vanquished home side are still to recover from that painful blow at the hands of the youngest Test playing nation.

This is quite natural as no higher-ranked team takes a defeat sportingly against 'a little brother' [as Andrew Fidel Fernando portrayed in his satire piece for CricInfo].

Sri Lanka's leading daily The Island was perhaps one step ahead, writing an epitaph for their national team, but that does not necessarily mean an 'Asian Ashes' series is in the making and nor did Bangladesh hit the expressway after a bumpy 'Mouchak Road' ride all the way to their 100th Test that they showcased with a fabulous win at the P Sara Oval.

True it was Bangladesh's first-ever Test win against Sri Lanka and that too on their home ground, where the top teams in the world dare not dream of winning. True it was Bangladesh's first away Test win of substance against a quality side after that stupendous victory at home against England barely six months ago, but this victory is more fulfilling for the way it was achieved.

It was a game where the Tigers completed the full cycle of a cut-throat five-day contest and held their nerve when it mattered most. Bangladesh won against England at Mirpur inside three days. And if we are not mistaken the quality of cricket they played at Chittagong in the previous Test and the intensity they showed till the fifth morning was a more fruitful effort as far Bangladesh's test of character was concerned.

Then in Wellington, the Tigers were perhaps at their potential best in conditions hostile in every sense. They might have had a brain-freeze in the second innings but they have certainly learnt a lesson from that defeat. Before coming to Sri Lanka, the Tigers played their one-off Test in India at Hyderabad. And despite a defeat by a big margin they showed they are no longer afraid even after being buried by an avalanche of first-innings runs that India posted after winning the toss on a placid wicket.

Bangladesh's Sri Lanka trip was originally designed to start with the shorter-version leg. But the Bangladesh Cricket Board wisely persuaded its Sri Lankan counterparts to alter it understandably because the Tigers were in Test mode with three games on the trot. And it worked well for them although they were disappointing in their opening Test at Galle.

Going into the second Test at Colombo, Bangladesh made four changes including a forced one after wicketkeeper Liton Das pulled out following a rib fracture. Pace bowler Taskin Ahmed making way for left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was a technical one considering the nature of P Sara Oval wicket.

One-down Mominul Haque was dropped after failing to perform at Galle, where the left-hander paid the price of being rooted to the back-foot in both innings. Opener Imrul Kayes came in place of him and it was a decision that can certainly be debated over and over again. Mahmudullah Riyad was dropped for not performing with the bat. It was a justified call but the way he was handled after being dropped was uncalled for from the team management to the top brass of Bangladesh cricket.

Mahmudullah's axing paved the way for Sabbir Rahman to bat up the order and the accommodation of young right-hand batsman Mosaddek Hossain, who is very good batsman against spin.

The night before skipper Mushfiqur Rahim went for the toss at the P Sara Oval, my long-time colleague in the sport section, who is now marshalling the main desk, asked me if it was possible for 'Mushy to hide somewhere so that his deputy could go for the toss'. His fear was Mushfiqur might lose the toss again and his fear was realised the following morning.

This was perhaps the only step Mushfiqur and his troops could not control. But apart from that they hardly set a foot wrong from the very first ball that Mustafizur Rahman bowled to the sweep that Mehedi Hasan Miraz played on the fifth evening. The rest just turned into history.

Just reflect on how well Bangladesh bowled in the first morning after losing that toss and the determination they showed when the Sri Lankan tail wagged in both innings. The wicket offered nothing for the pace bowlers and didn't left-arm pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman earn those three second-innings wickets with sheer skill.

The biggest satisfaction for Bangladesh from this stupendous win was not that Shakib Al Hasan scored a magnificent century and backed it up with six valuable wickets, but his calm and collected approach after that madness on the third evening.

There was still a monumental job in hand when the Tigers came out to score those magical 191 runs for victory against the three-pronged spin attack led by a champion Rangana Herath. Two wickets down off successive deliveries from Herath, the Tigers for the umpteenth time looked down the barrel. But Tamim Iqbal was not ready to make the mistake he committed in Wellington again. The left-hander took the fight to the opposition and with him, Sabbir, who arrived in international cricket with a strong statement that fear is a word that does not exist in his dictionary, overcame that mental barrier that has haunted them for a long time.