Tigers’ chance to learn from Pak’s T20 quest

From lying on the ICU bed for two days after suffering a severe chest infection to smashing a blistering fifty against Australia in the semifinal of the ICC T20 World Cup, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan's heroics have been praised all around the globe although his side ended up losing the game.

Rizwan's dedication and determination towards the game was only revealed after Pakistan's team doctor Najeebullah Soomro talked about it in the post-match press conference after Australia beat Pakistan by five wickets in Dubai on Thursday.

Rizwan's bravery could be a great lesson for the Bangladeshi players, especially skipper Mahmudullah Riyad, who got carried away after qualifying for the Super 12 stage and went on to point out the hard work and sacrifice players make for the country.

Being a Test playing nation, it was expected that Bangladesh would reach the Super 12 stage with some authority by winning against the associate nations in the qualifying stage. However, Bangladesh lost their tournament opener against Scotland and that, expectedly, drew a barrage of criticism.

Bangladesh's job was only half done after qualifying for the Super 12 stage and the way Mahmudullah went on to express his anger and emotions after the game against Papua New Guinea was probably uncalled for.

The Tigers needed to hold on to their emotions, just like Pakistan did after New Zealand and England cancelled their scheduled tour to the country prior to the World Cup citing security reasons.

Instead, the players opted to engage in the war of words with players like Mushfiqur Rahim asking the naysayers 'take a look in the mirror', swaying the attention from on the field to off it.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, who had to endure two last-minute home series cancellations, remained focused on their goal and worked accordingly instead of throwing tantrums during press conferences.

Even though Babar Azam's side failed to reach the final despite playing some brilliant cricket throughout the tournament, it was their attitude and approach towards achieving the target that Bangladesh can adopt to transform into a better unit.

Bangladesh had missed the opportunity to prepare themselves accordingly ahead of the World Cup. They played Australia and New Zealand at home on slow and low Mirpur surfaces rather than facing the challenge in sporting tracks against tougher opponents.

Interestingly, both New Zealand and Australia will be facing each other in the final of the mega event tomorrow.

However, the Tigers will get yet another opportunity to rectify their mistakes both on and off the field as Pakistan will directly arrive in Dhaka from Dubai today to take part in a three-match T20I series. They will also play two Tests after that.

Skipper Babar and Shoaib Malik, however, will join the team in Bangladesh on November 16 ahead of the first T20I on November 19 in Mirpur.

It will be important for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), team management and the players to realise the importance of addressing the actual problem and find ways to improve instead of looking for an escape as they often do after every debacle.