Despite losing to India in the finals of the Asia Cup, Bangladesh’s performance in the tournament has again highlighted just how far the team has come in the international cricket arena. M S Dhoni and his men rose to the occasion and, in a truncated final, lived up to their reputation as leaders in the shortest form of the game. Nonetheless, Bangladesh\'s tedious climb up the ladder cannot be ignored. In the World Twenty20, which starts today (March 8), Bangladesh will one of the contenders for a semi-finals spot if they make it to the Super 10 stage, where two qualifiers will join the top eight ICC full members.The fact that they have to play qualifiers to enter the main round of the competition, tells the other half of the story. This team has still a long way to go, especially in Test cricket where it has a dismal record, to say the least. However, when it comes to limited-overs / one-day cricket, Bangladesh have evolved into genuine world beaters on their day. Last year was truly sensational for the Tigers from Bangladesh as they beat three top teams and also made it to the quarter-finals of the one-day cricket World Cup. They humbled Pakistan, India and South Africa at home after reaching the last-eight stage of the cricket’s premier ODI event held in Australia and New Zealand.
Bangladesh has become familiar with winning ODIs now, especially at home. With their resurgence in limited-overs cricket, the Tigers “ as they are fondly called by the legion of their fanatic fans “ have managed to completely change their opponents\' perception of them. It would be fair to say that they have turned the corner in international cricket. But to imagine this turnaround would have been difficult for the fans as the team was down in the dumps two years back. That was till Mashrafe Mortaza took charge of the limited-overs teams in 2014. Together with their Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusingha, the captain worked to unite a divided dressing room and brought passionate, first-team attitude back into the team. In his third stint as captain, Mortaza has injected his own enthusiasm into even the most dour characters. Hathurusingha on his part has brought in a fresh, honest approach, which has worked well with the players. The Sri Lankan took charge of the team after the last ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 after big names like of Dav Whatmore and Stuart Law failed to deliver. He has done well to change the mindset of the players, who although talented were not used to success.On the field, Mortaza has led the team admirably. He is the leader Bangladesh had always yearned for. A role model for an entire generation cricketers from Bangladesh, the fast bowler has been the pivot for the team with his fiery spells and important cameos with the bat.
Although a larger than life character, Mortaza is a humble man and deflects the accolades that come his way onto the team. However, at 32, Mortaza is nearing the end of his career. With the team settled he can have the luxury of thinking about his swansong. Whenever that happens, it would be a great loss for Bangladesh cricket. The next step up now for Bangladesh is the Test arena. If they are to be counted among the best, they need to beat the best in the most revered format of the game.
