300 Days Without Cricket
Bangladesh cricket expert Tawhid Qureshi previews the squad picked to face West Indies in 3 ODIs and 2 Tests later this month...
When Bangladesh take the field at Mirpur against the West Indies on 20th January, notwithstanding any last minute hiccups, 315 days will have elapsed since their previous international assignment. The impact of this gap is assessed in light of the West Indies series as well as the state of Bangladesh cricket heading into 2021.
Three Hundred, the triple century; one of the most evocative numbers within the cricketing lexicon, it’s a figure that signifies individual batting genius. Yet those involved with Bangladesh cricket will view the unbeaten 300 day gap since they last played international cricket, a one day game against Zimbabwe on March 11th 2020, with a mixture of frustration and anguish. As with all cricketing nations around the world, Covid-19 has hugely impacted on Bangladesh’s ability to stage matches at home and tour abroad. However, unlike the rest of the cricket world, Bangladesh have seemingly been slow to comprehend the scale of the pandemic and appreciate the new logistical landscape of bio secure bubbles and quarantining.
Undoubtedly opportunities to play international cricket haven’t been taken over the past 9 months, due to a combination of poor planning and at times inept diplomacy at board level. It’s particularly difficult to understand how the chance to tour Sri Lanka was passed up, ostensibly because of the strict quarantine protocols put in place by the Sri Lankan cricket board, but the successful hosting of the Lanka Premier League and nascent England tour to Sri Lanka indicate that more nuanced negotiation could have overcome such issues.
In contrast to the inactivity being experienced during the current hiatus, the strides being made by near neighbours to ensure that cricket remains rooted within respective national consciousness must be galling for Bangladesh cricketers and administrators alike. Pakistan’s commendable 2020 summer tour of England and latterly New Zealand, along with the complete staging of the PSL within Pakistan, has elevated their status within the world game and will certainly bear fruit in terms of full international tours to Pakistan in the near future. Bangladeshi administrators will be wise to take on board the shrewd diplomatic know how and relationship building of the British born Pakistan cricket CEO, Wasim Khan. Understandably because of the financial clout associated with Indian cricket, the lack of home cricket scarcely seems to have done much damage to the Indian cricket brand. The IPL which took place in the UAE along with India’s ongoing tour of Australia has apparently sated the appetite of Indian cricket fans. And finally, the progress of Sri Lankan cricket in terms of matches played rather than results, has also been tangible. Within this geographical context, the West Indies series has already taken on added significance.
Are Bangladesh match fit?
The preparedness or otherwise of Bangladesh’s cricketers in picking up bat and ball in anger once again and perform to an optimal level will be one of the key factors in deciding the series. Despite participation in the two belatedly organised domestic “tournaments” (none of which have received first class or list A status, as far as I’m aware), the step up to international competition following such a significant break, will be steep even for the most experienced players. In this regard the callow nature of the West Indies squad means that they will also face a similar challenge.
As an aside, it’s worth noting that the players involved in the President’s Cup (50 over competition) and the Bangabandhu T20 Cup were overwhelmingly drawn from the centrally contracted national team group and the High Performance squad made up largely of players from the world cup winning U19 team. Bangladesh have never been blessed with an enormous talent pool and while it’s right that resource and focus should be concentrated at the elite level, one unfortunate impact of the enforced break has been the way that cricketers at the opposite end of the food chain have been neglected. It’s often easy to forget the scores of cricketers who are surplus to requirements at national team level and those who have never been quite good enough to make the grade who toil at domestic level. Many of these journeymen rely on cricket as their main source of income, so the disbanding of domestic competitions such as the Dhaka Premier league has had a terrible effect on them. What’s more their neglect has damaged the fabric of Bangladeshi cricketing culture and highlighted the gap between the elite and grassroots cricket.
Squad Selection; The Tried and the Tested
The headlines following the announcement of the Bangladesh Test and ODI squads for the West Indies series centred on the exclusion of their former ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza and the inclusion of the former Test captain Shakib Al Hasan. Neither of these decisions should come as a surprise and in many ways it’s a source of frustration that Bangladesh cricket discourse appears to be on continual loop based on a few personalities rather than more considered discussion about the future progress of the team. Mortaza has without doubt been Bangladesh cricket’s most faithful servant, sacrificing his body and mind for the good of the team. However by not formally announcing his ODI retirement and thereby putting his own interests ahead of the team, Mortaza threatens to tarnish his stellar reputation and his legacy. The coaching staff and team management have been unequivocal about planning for the future and it’s clear that a 37 year old with an injury ravaged body isn’t part of their plans. While retiring from a game that is a way of life will be a bitter pill to swallow, the BCB would be well advised to fastrack Mortaza into a coaching role.
Bangladesh's preliminary squads
ODIs: Tamim Iqbal Khan (c), Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Al Amin Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shoriful Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim, Hasan Mahmud, Md Mithun, Saif Uddin, Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Afif Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain Emon, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Mahadi Hasan, Naim Sheikh, Rubel Hossain.
Tests: Momimul Haque (c), Taskin Ahmed, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Khaled Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Md Mithun, Taijul Islam, Litton Das, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shadman Islam, Saif Hasan, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed Rahi, Ebadot Hossain.
Shakib’s re-integration into international cricket should be a major fillip for Bangladesh but as has previously been the case, things are never quite that simple with Bangladesh’s only genuine world class talent. Serving his ban for failing to report a suspected spot fixing approach will have given him precious time away from the game but his lacklustre form and fitness during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup indicates that his desire and motivation will be the key to a successful series. It would be a real travesty if the 2019 World Cup forever remains as Shakib’s personal peak but it is a possibility, particularly given the dearth of high profile international cricket played by Bangladesh. The obvious lure of the T20 franchise circuit allied to his perpetually acrimonious relationship with the board further raise doubts about his international longevity.
Thankfully the inclusion of 2 members of the U19 World Cup winning team provides a refreshing antidote to the tried and tested nature of the preliminary squads. The aggressive pace bowler Shoriful Islam and left handed batsmen Parvez Hussain Emon have earnt call ups primarily due to their exploits in the recent T20 tournament, as well as future promise. Perhaps the selectors have missed a trick by not including more of the former U19s in the ODI squad, Akbar Ali the wicket keeper batsman who skippered the side can justifiably feel aggrieved at not making the preliminary squad, at the very least. The maturity and wisdom that he’s shown during his fledging career surely indicates a bright future.
The ODI squad is underpinned by the vastly experienced batting fulcrum of Tamim, Mushifiqur and Mahmudullah, they along with the all round talent of Shakib. By adding the consistent run scoring of Liton Das into the mix and a rejuvenated Mustafizur, a formidable line up emerges. Interestingly Mahmudullah has been left out of the Test squad but nonetheless the final XI will have a stronger look than the tourists. Any notions of complacency should be guarded against, a reminder of the shock Test defeat to Afghanistan little over a year ago will make sure of that.
To Tour or Not to Tour
The sacrifices made by the West Indies cricketers since the onset of the pandemic have been well documented, a trailblazing bio bubble tour of England during the initial peak of UK covid infections, allowed the world to watch live cricket once again. In addition, the eloquent and dignified support of the Black Lives Matter protest won the team plaudits and immense goodwill. Therefore, it would be callous to begrudge the players time away from the mentally draining existence of bio bubble life and criticise anyone choosing to miss the Bangladesh tour. The issue has leant itself to confusion however because of the mixed messages coming out of the West Indies camp. On the one hand the team management are satisfied with the covid related protocols that the BCB have put in place, while the missing players are said to have pulled out due to “covid-19 related concerns or personal fears”.
By failing to clearly cite bubble fatigue as the key motivation for not travelling to Bangladesh, the players staying at home have opened themselves up to accusations of not wanting to travel because of the destination itself, which in turn encourages speculation. Most of the absentees did tour Bangladesh at the end of 2018 and some have also regularly featured in the BPL (Andre Russell and Chris Gayle played in last year’s addition) so it seems illogical for players to now deem Bangladesh an unattractive proposition. Whatever the reasons are, by not sending the best available players, a potentially dangerous precedent is set, allowing cover for future touring teams to follow suit. This would be damaging to Bangladesh’s cricketing credibility as well as world cricket by exacerbating the already widening gulf between the have’s and the have nots of the global game. After all, a continual slew of matches between Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan benefits no one who genuinely cares about the game of cricket.
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