Eating my own words for dinner

[abherath]

It was only a couple of days back I raised the question why Bangladesh should play in a qualifying round in World T20s.

The Tigers' "performance" last night or the lack of it, to be more appropriate, made me wonder if I should eat my own words for dinner but fortuitously ended up having rice and curry. After all, why should I sacrifice my dinner for a bunch of <>s ?

I could still argue that,
1) the Tigers did qualify comfortably, in spite of the loss and it was clear that they would qualify even before the qualifying matches had started (so why ask a question - play qualifying matches - when the answer is known ?)
2) given their definite capabilities as a test playing nation, they still deserve to be in the main draw by default
3) in case of a shock defeat, like last night's, Bangladesh could have been out of Round 1 and that could have affected crowd support for the tournament severely.

I only said I could still argue, but I would not.

What earned Bangladesh the ignominy of losing to the bottom of the table team (no offence to Hong Kong ) last night was nothing but attitudes. Bangladesh could have won that match if they focused on their cricket, abilities and doing the basics right, even after the shocker of two early wickets (one of them to a silly shot). There was no need for banging about in "We're are much superior ! Watch us, you minnows !" style. For example, Anamul did not to have play that enameled shot to get out, losing his head after hammering 3 fours in the same over. Shakib didn't have to keep aiming at that world's most isolated part between the southern tip of Sri Lanka and the Northern tip of Antarctica; he should have focused on resurrecting the innings. Mushfiq should have his head examined. I need not say more.

Another example of these silly attitudes was in the Tigers' match against Nepal. When scores were level, with just 1 run to win with many overs and wickets left, they should have been professional and just taken a single that was there for the taking, to complete victory. Instead of doing that, they tried showmanship, with Anamul again (if I am not mistaken) trying big hits and missing and even playing an exaggerated forward defensive stroke in "I don't want a single" fashion. Though he cleared the fence finally, that was utterly silly and boorish.

Talking of revenge against Afghanistan was another example.

I hope the Tigers would not now focus on "avenging" their defeat to Hong Kong !

Thankfully they are through to Round 1 to play with fellow big boys and they should think and behave as such.

Best of luck Tigers.

[Jadukor]

I am sorry you had to eat your own words like this. This sort of performance was unexpected after the clinical performances we have shown in the last two games.

It is evident to me that we cannot handle pressure. When the weight of expectation is on us we start doing weird things. I think at the back of their minds the cricketers must have known that if we don't lose too badly we are through and that in itself manifested into this pathetic performance where we played bad enough to actually get kicked out.

I think right now we do have a good set of talented players. I think what is really lacking is the coaching and planning that goes hand in hand with playing the game. We are making inexplicable choices in the field and we are failing to react to match situations. Even Nepal knows how to play if early wickets fall and yet we don't. Our bowling in general has fallen apart, the individual improvement is not there. A coach needs to work with Tamim, Ryad, Nasir, Gazi and get them back in form. He needs to speak to Razzak and tell him to alter his line and length. We see the same mistakes keep being repeated by Mushy in his field placements. I wonder if these issues are addressed at the nets/ team meetings. Of-course the strange selections also doesn't help. We had players like Zia, Arafat, Taijul who could have bolstered our bowling.

[abherath]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
I am sorry you had to eat your own words like this. This sort of performance was unexpected after the clinical performances we have shown in the last two games.

It is evident to me that we cannot handle pressure. When the weight of expectation is on us we start doing weird things. I think at the back of their minds the cricketers must have known that if we don't lose too badly we are through and that in itself manifested into this pathetic performance where we played bad enough to actually get kicked out.

I think right now we do have a good set of talented players. I think what is really lacking is the coaching and planning that goes hand in hand with playing the game. We are making inexplicable choices in the field and we are failing to react to match situations. Even Nepal knows how to play if early wickets fall and yet we don't. Our bowling in general has fallen apart, the individual improvement is not there. A coach needs to work with Tamim, Ryad, Nasir, Gazi and get them back in form. He needs to speak to Razzak and tell him to alter his line and length. We see the same mistakes keep being repeated. I wonder if these issues are addressed at the nets. Of-course the strange selections also doesn't help. We had players like Zia, Arafat, Taijul who could have bolstered our bowling.

I agree with your views.

There was a time when Sri Lanka continued to lose badly and some expertise was obtained to handle the mental aspect with them, to get them back to focusing on the basics and the right processes and the results were there to be seen afterwards. In that case, it was not arrogance but something to do with confidence, I guess.

I feel there should be a similar effort on the mental aspect of the Bangladeshi players. Somehow they seem to have wrong attitudes - mainly arrogance and some of them lack discipline too.

If you look at the players' skills, I think most of them could walk into many of the other international sides in the world. (Al-Amin Hossain,one of the latest finds (?) comes to mind. He is capable of bowling a nagging line with threatening lateral movement.)

Captaincy seems a real issue too.

With these issues ironed out Bangladesh will have less hiccups.

[Jadukor]

Yep arrogance and overall work ethic is a real concern. It seems most cricketers are happy to remain in the side. They are not setting bigger goals for themselves than staying in the side. Ryad is a good example of how you can remain in the side without having much impact in the overall outcome of the game. When players are asked about records they say we don't look into those things but in fact every cricketer should look into his own record to identify if he is managing the returns that he is capable of. For example Tamim hit two centuries in England... how many since then? Why is his average in limited overs cricket so poor? What has he done to improve this aspect? Players need to be able to do a bit of introspection without being satisfied with meager returns.

Another problem we have is that our performances tend to fall away rapidly at ages 30+
This is a concern because 15 years of cricket and we still do not have senior figures like Mahela or Sanga or a Hussey to guide the batting. We need to find out why this is happening as we find ourselves saying goodbye to Razzak's career. Why aren't players able to kick on at an older age?

[Gowza]

Players need to have the desire, attitude and work ethic to be the best, they are essential to being a successful international cricketer.

[adamnsu]

Bd players lack a professional attitude. Players don't strive to work on fitness as they look very lathergic and lazy even with so little international cricket they play.

We need someone as tough as whatmore to kick these kids into shape and have a big say in selection.

[Night_wolf]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
Y
Another problem we have is that our performances tend to fall away rapidly at ages 30+

this is a big concern..it needs some attention, what could be the reason(s)?

1. Our players aren't professional or motivated enough playing beyond 30?

2. Eating habit?

[mij]

Basically our player is brainless idiots.

[Sohel]

One must expect the unexpected when it comes to our National Team. Not only do they have issues, but their issues have issues. Makes me think of a particularly watered down version of the Calypso Cricketers before the Australians and later Kerry Packer turned them into arguably the most dominant side in the history of the game. I wonder how far we are from a similarly cathartic moment. Maybe after we get bullied, battered, stripped naked and then emasculated during our first Indian tour would do the trick. Then again, you need basic self-esteem to say "never again" and work hard to make sure it doesn't. I'm not to optimistic at this point. Simply too much celebration of underachievement, mediocrity and false bravado in a generally ignorant cricket culture where pretty much clueless experts make all the decisions. Sure we're passionate, partially because we *REALLY* suck at every other sport, but the parallel ignorance makes that apparent virtue questionable.

[zsayeed]

Thanks for this opening post - I agree with all the points this time. The attitude must be under check for a professional performance focussed on technique, match state and not the ego. Belief is one thing - it is the quiet marrow of ones being be they on the field or off - but ego - run like hell from it!

It seems we were doomed to run towards it. It is the little guys who show it more than the big guys.

[Fazal]

When is the dinner?

[simon]

You guys are over analyzing a bit.
Arrogance or not, complacent or not,professional or not, the main thing is our players are not clever.
They are mostly village idiots.
If they were intelligent they would have thought atleast after Sakib's dismissal of batting all 20 overs, knowing a 130ish should be enough against HK.

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[Fazal]

Originally Posted by simon
They are mostly village idiots.

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Ashraful effect?

[Zeeshan]

I have to be a bit circumspect on this "arrogance" and "lack of hunger" thingy. I mean seriously no one goes out there sayin oh ohh gues what we will underachieve and underperform... and you got journos like what not snickering and leering and what not stampeding Tamims dream of scoring 5000000 runs or what not when being showing up as NO SEARCH lean mean green machines from Google.

So what gives?

STILL it has to be lack of experience. Lack of quality domestic infrastructure. Lack of playing more matches with the big guns. And common sense.

Maybe we can focus on the last one as that can be controlled. Whenever you attend a club or society or even sign up for health reform plan, they ask you what do you want from the sport. It also helps to keep a journo of day to day progress if one's own play.

maybe the experts might help me with this but didnt Tendulkar practice his faulty shots tirelessly after getting out to rectify it? We need some diagnostic tools like that.

ONe thing i appreciate in USA is the THEORETICAL battery of tests one has to go through whether you are a plumber, electrician, military, fighter jet pilot, cosmetologist, and pstar

Finally people thinks being athlete is all about brawn and what not. But a smart athelete has smart muscles reaction from smart neurons firing. Our players are just not good athletes. Diet, smoking, and physical prowess is neglected. One needs mind to be in top notch condition to perform under pressure.

Also as a sidenote they really need to end with the gay ad campaigns. This gives a glimpse of their souls that for easy cash the are ready to sell their soul on line for CHEAP limelight. I feel like throwing up seeing their ads and tv program campaings Are yu ffin kidding me? National players doing thread and knitting on Eid shows....what the hell is wrong with us!!!!

O contraire! When yu listen to Dhoni and Sanga these blokes OOOOOZE oodles of confidence.

Remember: a lot can be said about a man about how he carries himself.

Do you know private investigators tell you to change your body language and if you are a female with bag to strut confidentally without drooping as woman tend to be mugged and raped more if they dont give an aura of swagger

Of course there are some amongst us mortals who are so cool and confident like me orphy simon that we self-deprecate. And that's not saying oohh ohhhh slap us slap us...we are soo emo that we are waiting with blades.

There is saying in bangla: Na ..... ..... Ram ram ram. And i aint talkin computer science.

Remember pride comes before the fall. And i had to iterate this because we have many good members in this forum who adheres to some controlling mass hypnsosis Big brother ibm beliefs that just because THEY represent Bangadeshi we are bound by same epithets of nation, religion, culture,

Live and let live. If our athletes are not given THAT much freedom instead of us having some big brothers doing poddari on how they should live their lives babysitting them and a step away from changing their diapers.... then they cant express their muse.

But it's paradoxical. Cuz I just said they need to end the tv shows. But again that's my point. They should have the balls and Gauls' galls to come up to me point me back my dirty finger and accost ME:

Who the hell am "I" to tell how they should live their lives?

Sadly none does.

[naim519]

^ I've watched a lot of Sanga's interviews, press conferences, and guest appearance videos, wow the way the man carries himself is absolutely amazing.

There's a saying that goes, you are what you eat. Our "professional'' players live in a country that isn't ready to live up to the standards you're putting up for them when you compare them against nations like USA. However, that really makes me wonder - India isn't very different from Bangladesh, yet they can birth the likes of Tendulkar and Dhoni. Sri Lanka is just as poor, if not any poor-er, yet they birth the likes of Jaya and Sanga. You are what you eat, so a third world country will likely to produce third-class players. Unless you get really lucky, a third world country just might once in a blue moon, may give you an athlete with the potential to become first class. Ever heard of the age old nature vs nurture argument? Even if we get a true pro-class player, the environment in which he lives, eats, and breathes will always end up turning him into another what-the-hell-is-he-doing type of cricketer.

And you guys know plenty of players when they first came out to the pitch, showed you the twinkle in their eyes, and you thought, "Masha'Allah! This boy will be our flag bearer and carry our nation to the top of the mountain!" And you were right at thinking that at first. They proved that they were made of gold. But what happened next? The toxins of our nation got the best of them. And that was the end of their legacy. Short lived, like the lifespan of a mayfly.

Confidence and arrogance are two separate things. It's good to have the first, not the latter. If you have both, then good luck to you.

Should an athlete wield the talent to make a name for him/her self, they have no reason to bark at the tree. Let your skill speak for itself.

You point your finger at the player, he shouldn't come and point it back, nor should he accost you. He should rather show you at the end of the TV show, during the game, why you should take your dirty finger and point it back, YOURSELF. He knows he's better than to waste his energy to walk up to you anyway. :-)

(Disclaimer: the analogies are not to be taken personally.)

(And those ads campaigns are... yes.. gay, not just gay, really really gay. I think saying they sold their soul for easy money is making a big assumption. Let's be positive here and give them benefit of the doubt. We don't know if one of their family members have a terminal illness and need to pay for medical care. There are lot of unknown variables here, and if anything, its a personal matter we shouldn't get involved with.)

[RazabQ]

If y'all knew the kind of crap that is going on behind the scenes you'd realize this is about unprofessionalism plain and simple. The rot is everywhere. We win in spite of ourselves.