Shahadat debacle reflects pace problems

When Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl against Pakistan in the second Test at Mirpur yesterday, it surprised many. The only logical reason might have been that there was moisture on the wicket that the Tigers skipper Mushfiqur Rahim wanted to exploit with his two medium pace bowlers -- Shahadat Hossain and Mohammad Shahid.

But what transpired the moment Shahadat hurled the first ball of the match, after which Shahadat tumbled on the ground and took a painful blow, was more than Mushfiqur's wishful thinking.

After getting some treatment in the middle Shahadat managed to bowl another ball, a strayed delivery down the leg side that was duly punished for a four.

But that was it for the pacer. He left the field to have an assessment of how bad his right knee was and bowled a few deliveries in front of the team's dressing room before returning to the field briefly and even took a good catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Sami Aslam.

As opposed to the general practice, during the lunch break, Shahadat came out to bowl on a practice wicket in the middle. He was in his delivery stride while trying to bowl his fourth ball but suddenly stopped and collapsed on the ground, from where he was carried out on a stretcher. The first report from the dressing room was that Shahadat had 'twisted his right knee' and probably been ruled out of the match.

The first impression one may get from the Shahadat episode is that it was one of those freak injuries. But someone who has been following the experienced pace bowler in domestic cricket and since the first Test, which he sat out, it was more than just a freak injury. It was something destined to happen to someone who was not match-fit.

There is a tendency that our bowlers hide injuries. Take for instance Rubel Hossain, who was clearly not in any sort of rhythm in the first Test in Khulna. On the third day of the Test, Tamim Iqbal had a plan to give Rubel a five-over spell in the last half an hour or so. Rubel bowled only two overs before being surprisingly removed from the attack. The next morning it was revealed that Rubel had complained of a side-strain and was subsequently dropped from the second Test.

Shahadat was trying to put up a brave face from the moment he tumbled after bowling that first delivery. His whole effort after that was more like a futile exercise of hiding something that perhaps only aggravated things.

At the end of the day it's the team management that plays the role of gatekeeper when it comes to ensuring that it won't allow even a slightly unfit player in any international match, let alone a demanding Test match.

In domestic cricket this season Shahadat has been a face of a struggling bowler compared to a very successful Mohammad Shahid, who is just carrying his domestic form into the Test.

Think of his debut in the first Test in Khulna where Mushfiqur funnily allowed him to bowl just one over before bringing him back in the 36th; yesterday though Shahid suddenly became the darling of the same captain.

With decent pace Shahid bowled eight overs without a break in his first spell in the morning session when he was denied a deserved second wicket due to over stepping. And by the time the teams went for the tea break, Shahid had bowled 17 overs under the boiling summer sun.

This is perhaps a classic example of how we treat our pace bowlers. When you are playing good cricket, you can hide some glaringly bad things under the carpet. And to be honest, the Tigers' planning with the pace bowlers left a lot to be desired. Shahadat is the latest inclusion of a long list of injured pace bowlers.

And if you want a replacement you will have to search for someone from the freshers pool in the domestic circuit or you will have to live with a 128 kmph Abul Hasan. This certainly portrays a poor picture of our pace bowling department; a sector which looks further deserted with inexplicable exclusion of Al-Amin Hossain, the bowler who was sent back from the World Cup on disciplinary ground.

It's quite clear that the BCB needs to take a decision with regards to the bowler. If he in fact has been punished, the details of it should be made clear, because had it not been for the disciplinary issues, Al-Amin would have definitely found a place in this worn-out pace attack. The uncertainty surrounding the bowler can only make it worse for him.