The persisting thoery
I know may sound a lot like Jamie Siddons, but this is perhaps the only way to save the future and current bunch of cricketer. Lets just persist with thus current set of cricketers.
Over the past 6 months Bangladesh cricket is going through a relatively low phase, and these are times when either we can hit the panic button or stick to these guys who sometime or the other have seen success.
Also it means not bringing in new faces constantly into the setup. Bringing in new players will not only hurt the player he is replacing but also the new kid when he is dropped two years down the line when would go through a rough phase. It has happened before. Infact it is the only thing consistently happening over the last decade. A player performs a couple of years in under 19 level, tours a bit with the academy, shows some talent for 3/4 years and is fast tracked into the national team. He comes in, charms us with his strokes, spin, swing, pace (only recently), rescues the team from hopeless situations (which were courtesy of still young promising players who replaced a bunch of young promising players couple of years earlier), and becomes the next big thing. Couple of years later when he goes through his loss of form, or oppostions have found his technical faults he is dropped from the national team. And then starts a long and lost vigil of playing in second/third team games which concludes with him persihing in the doldrums forever all because he has no one besides him to identify, rectify his faults, something which had to be done pre-fast track stage by playing first class cricket .
When he does comeback, he is tried out at various positions and given various roles as if its a lottery ticket being tried out to see whether it brings the jackpot or not. If it does he survives to be tried at positions which have by now become problematic. Then if he fails he is dropped again.
There are endless names which pop up. In fact almost every single name in the history of Bangladesh cricket has gone through this. But now lets put an end to this. I am not saying this because this is best we have got but because whatever we have lets utlilize them the best.
This is unfortunatle their learning ground. So let them fail, slump learn and then rise. These guys will then be able to pass on their exoerience to the next generations. Something that just hasn't happen.
Back in 2007 we had a very promising bowling attack. In ODIs Mashrafee, Rasel, Rafique, Razzaq, Shakib and Nazmul and add Shahadat and Enam jnr in tests made a decent attack. All were young and here two stay. The only concern was Rafique's departature. But Shakib's rise as a bowler completed that gap. 4 years later, only two of them are consistenly playing the BD shirt. Mash is now not regarded as fit and has been hurt with caotaincy issues, Rasel is down on confidence, Shahadat blows hot and cold in test and enamul's fault was that he picked up 6 wickets in a victrious test against the Wi which is why he was replaced by someone who is a very successfull ODI bowler with a test avearge of over 70 (bowling). During this time Mahbubul Alam, Sajidul Islan came in showed promise as third seamers in test who had swing and reverse awing but wasn't persisted because the selectors had found two rookies. One a genuine pacer and the other a club level (DPL) perfomer. Both have promise, but I doubt whether I would see them in the team a couple of years later when selecters find a few other rookies who are percieved as good phast bowling prospects. I must have missed a few also.
The same goes for batting. There has been respite here because of JS's stubborness, but even then not too much. The departure of Javed Omar, Bashar saw Imrul, Junaid and Mahmudullah.come in. And had it not been for Jamie Siddons we would have lost both of them by now. Siddons not only stuck by them but also taught them how to bat at int level.
And now when they are struggling there is a chance that we might see the end of them too in the hands of Shuvgoto or someone else. Classis example of how badlly players are treated is the way Mahmudullah has been moved up and down the line up in order to accmadate Ashraful. The guy score 60 odd against Aussie batting at 4 and toady he comes in at six because Ash is in the line up. What was Alok's fault after the third ODI to be dropped for the next series. With such a brittle batting line up in tests where is Rajin Saleh (although a flat track bully) who has got a better test average then Ashraful and Imrul.
I really dont know whether I have been able to put my point forward appropiately but Bangladeh cricket currently is better off without bringing more new players into the setup. Groom them perhaps create a player pool out of them a make them play as a team against first class teams of various countries and also local ones. Make them play against the national team and beat them man for man. If needed educate them. Turn them into men from boys so that when they come in to the setup they are performers and also value that position.
As for the current bunch grind them as much as possible. Ian Pont made a point that some superstars don't train much. Make them train hard, give them the coaches (bowling? feilding?), make them beleive in themselves, treat and support them in a professional way, give them more matches to play in together even if it be inter-group games. Turn these gems into mentors which the future would look at.
My list of current cricketers:
TEST CRICKET:
Openers: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and ???????
Middle Order: Shariar Nafees, Junaid Siddique, Mohammed Ashraful, Mahmudullah, Raqibul Hasan, Rajin Saleh, Mehrab jnr and Naeem Islam
Wicket Keeper: Mushfiq Rahim and ??????????
Fast Bowlers: Mashrafee bin Mortaza, Shahadat Hussain, Mahbubul Alam, Rubel Hussain, Nazmul Hussain
Spinners: Shakib Al Hasan, Shorwardi Shuvo, Enamul Haq
ODI and T20 Cricket:
Openers: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique
Middle Order: Shariar Nafees, Junaid Siddique, Mohammed Ashraful, Mahmudullah, Alok Kapali, Shakib AL Hasan and Naeem Islam
Wicket Keeper: Mushfiq Rahim and ??????????
Fast Bowlers: Mashrafee bin Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Nazmul Hussain and Rubel Hussain
Spinners: Shakib Al Hasan, Shorwardi Shuvo, Razzaq (although his days are now counted)
Last edited by safaat; August 12, 2011 at 01:07 PM..
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