Off the field, the picture of Bangladesh cricket is very
lugubrious while on the field there is hardly any cricket. Sports
journalists in Bangladesh are irked because of continuous reporting
about the off-field sagas. They wish to write reports about the on-field
actions.
There was an
opportunity for the Tigers to brush away this dull situation of
Bangladesh cricket with a spirit-lifting performance. The Bangladesh
Under-19, Under-23 and A teams were touring England and Singapore
respectively and it was expected that each would dole out a fair show,
but sadly it was not to be. The pens of our sports journalists couldn't
break the monotony of essaying dull reports.
The
summer in England and Singapore had turned out to be an absolute
disaster as the Bangladeshis hardly could relish any triumphs. Much was
expected from the A team of whom 13 from the 15-man squad had
international experience. Rather than demonstrating any sort of fight,
let alone victories, they lost seven of the eight matches they played.
The county teams mesmerised them at will and the Tigers were as helpless
as timid kittens. In the last one-dayer against the England Lions, they
dished out a consolation win but it wasn't enough to hide the miseries
of such a pathetic summer.
Like
the A team, the U-19 and U-23 teams too were impecunious. In the U-19
tri-nation tournament in England, our young guns found it tough against
England and Pakistan while in the U-23 Asian Cricket Council Emerging
Teams tournament in Singapore, a less professional like UAE side
thrashed the team.
But is such a
shoddy performance surprising? Before such tours, our players did
undergo some conditioning camp but how effective such conditioning camps
can be if you don't play active cricket? Our cricketers have hardly
played any form of active cricket since the last Zimbabwe tour. You
remain focused and in a rhythm by playing domestic cricket at home and
it always keeps you well prepared. Now, if there is no first-class
cricket at home then how can you expect the boys to fare well in England
after undergoing some conditioning camp? No matter how many national
cricketers you include in the A team they will never bring the best of
results if these players are not in the perfect rhythm.
From
many sections of the press and cricket experts there is a hue and cry
regarding this dismal summer. But in my opinion, the world has not ended
for Bangladesh but it has brought some crude facts into light - rather
than the poor show of our boys, it's the less professional approach of
our cricket officials which has led to such a bemused outcome. Our
officials should've never left our domestic cricket jet-logged.
Its
better to think about the bright side of the scenario. There have been
some good performances by some of the U-19 boys. Musaddek Hossain and
Sadman Islam are two youngsters who have been highly impressive during
the tri-nation U-19 tournament in England. They coped well under adverse
situations and certainly are bright prospects for the future if
nurtured carefully. At the other end, from the U-23 team, Soumaya Sarker
looked very impressive while from the A team Anamul Haque junior and
Elias Sunny were consistent amid an absolute rut.
Moreover,
these tours, especially the England tour, should be a big learning
curve for our boys. Such away tours are always helpful in discovering
self-deficiencies and developing a rock solid temperament. Even if this
summer was a disaster for the Tigers but it had been a good education
for the young boys and it might prove productive if the young boys learn
from these tours.