Test Status: A Dead Albatross Around Our Neck

[Flip Master Mick]

an interesting read peeps... thought i would share it with the board... definitely an old timer voicing his antipathy for our team...


Our cricketers have just completed another tournament and we cannot blame them of one thing, consistency. They have kept intact their "ever cheerful in defeat" label and have lost all their matches in the Asia Cup now being played in Sri Lanka. Oh, I forgot. The Tigers did win one game against Hong Kong!

The Tigers played one series recently against the West Indies and drew one Test and had close finishes to the one-day series. There was applause all around and many in Bangladesh were ready to suggest that Bangladesh are no longer a push-over. Letters were published here in this column praising our Tigers forgetting that the West Indies in recent times have sunk to the utter depths of despair as a Test playing entity.

The reality is Bangladesh never was and never will be in the big league, given its present crop of cricketers; present format of competitive cricket played in the country and its present set of cricket administrators. We were ushered into Test arena not on the basis of our cricket playing ability but at the connivance of our cricket administrators of the time who in league with their counterparts, cricket politicians in the international arena, placed on our neck a weight that will pull not just our ability to play cricket down but also our reputation as a country. Some would say we will some day be able to stand on our two feet for with this Test status, we will gain the experience which will make us worthy as Test cricketers in not the too distant a future. All this may be good for arguing a case for continuing with this Test status. However, for a country that has such a great image problem, those amongst us who don't see any potential among our cricketers and thus see no light at the end of the tunnel and those who do not follow cricket at all, feel that the time is upon us to really decide whether or not to voluntarily keep this Test status we were given and not earned in abeyance till the time when our cricketers show more potential. We have to think of the country ahead of these cricketers who at best have enough potential comparable to a local club in England or a weak provincial side in India.


Shahjahan Ahmed, Dhaka

[Edited on 2-8-2004 by Flip Master Mick]

[oracle]

We have to think of the country ahead of these cricketers who at best have enough potential comparable to a local club in England or a weak provincial side in India.


Don't agree with that statement. I don't think he fully is aware of the standards of "club" level cricket in England. As such, it makes the whole article/statement fall through.

[Navarene]

The reality is Bangladesh never was and never will be in the big league, given its present crop of cricketers; present format of competitive cricket played in the country and its present set of cricket administrators. We were ushered into Test arena not on the basis of our cricket playing ability but at the connivance of our cricket administrators of the time who in league with their counterparts, cricket politicians in the international arena, placed on our neck a weight that will pull not just our ability to play cricket down but also our reputation as a country. Some would say we will some day be able to stand on our two feet for with this Test status, we will gain the experience which will make us worthy as Test cricketers in not the too distant a future. All this may be good for arguing a case for continuing with this Test status. However, for a country that has such a great image problem, those amongst us who don't see any potential among our cricketers and thus see no light at the end of the tunnel and those who do not follow cricket at all, feel that the time is upon us to really decide whether or not to voluntarily keep this Test status we were given and not earned in abeyance till the time when our cricketers show more potential. We have to think of the country ahead of these cricketers who at best have enough potential comparable to a local club in England or a weak provincial side in India.

RUBBISH !

[rassel]

"never will be in the big league"

we are already in the big league dummy.:P

[IanW]

I disagree pretty strongly with this article.


For my money, Bangladesh have three players that would be knocking on the door for selection in the Australian side ; Bashar (if he was Australian, we'd be calling him Mark Waugh's lost twin, and for the same reasons) , Mushrafe and Rafique.

Mushrafe because he's young, quick and good, and someone like that is always a chance as the #3 quick over a competant journeyman (eg Kaspa, Bichel).

Rafiqe, because he's an effective left-arm slow bowler, and one of them is always handy ... he wouldnt play a lot of tests, but he'd be in the squad, and get the nod for the subcontinent.

As far as the results go, lets review the last few Test series

Banglos in Windies : Better of a draw (coulda shoulda been won with better catching), then a poor result on a quicks pitch

Poms in Bangladesh : Didnt set England quite enough in the first test, but hardly a massacre. Second test was poor by Bangladesh and easily beaten.

Banglos in Zim : First test poor result, second rain-affected

Boks in Bangladesh : OK, these were the performances of a team that deserved to lose Test status.

Banglos in Pakistan : First test had Bangladesh a little short of where they needed to be, but the second ... a big, big innings by the Inzi was the only thing that got Pakistan that win.

In summary, this is a litany of defeat, but it's hardly a collection of massacres.

Test cricket is a very, very tough game. You can lose a match in a session, and a small quality difference applied day after day turns a nail-biting match into a routine victory.

The trick is getting the little things right. Catching. Bowling line and length. Knowing what to hit, and what not to hit.

The fact that the administration is doing the right things - working on improving the club competition, sending the kids to England (and then, I hope, Australia), and making sure the national team has year-round coaching are all good things.

Give it time. It's a surprisingly short distance from easybeats to a very competitive side.

If they collapse in a screaming heap against New Zealand, I'll agree.

But I think that could be a very, very good opportunity to clean-sweep a series.

Ian Whitchurch

[Bangla Mostan]

Dear Ian W...

The post you have given us not only highlighted the positives out of the matches Bangladesh have played but also given back the confidence (i'm being honest here) that i was slowly losing to this beloved team.

You are absolutely right, we are moving in the right direction...and the defeats were not that heavy. Our time is very much round the corner.

Many thanks m8 for this post and I strongly feel this post should be displayed for other fans to observe, so therofore I request to the moderators to help post this on the front page as I feel the messages are simple and clear Bangladesh are on the UP!! and not going down!!!! :flag: