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 be 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
of 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.
