January 16, 2005

BANGLADESH finally registered their first historic Test victory, against Zimbabwe at Chittagong, handing the visitors a crushing defeat. The winning margin of 226 runs itself speaks volumes about the convincing manner in which the Bangladeshi team played, handing them their maiden success story.

Bangladesh took a long time in winning their first Test match; it was their 35th. Bangladesh joined the cricket fraternity little over four years back and had ever since been trying to achieve the long awaited triumph that had remained so far elusive.

Zimbabwe, comparatively inexperienced, tried but could not match the Bangladeshi attack and spirit. Except some resistance here and there, like in the first innings when Chigumbura and Masakadza posted 71 and 56 runs respectively, and a resolute and defiant batting by Taibu who missed his century by eight runs, there was nothing much to write home about Zimbabwe. In fact there was no concerted effort to frustrate the Bangladeshi design that was so obvious and clear.

From day one, Bangladesh took the charge and remained in total command throughout the game. Though he missed his century, Habibul Bashar must be a very satisfied and happy captain. As an imaginative leader he led his team with solid planning, perseverance, determination and of course, a will to win. He himself played a magnificent captain’s knock of 94 and 55, made quick and effective bowling changes, took correct decisions and kept the noose tight on Zimbabweans. They played with a purpose and kept the score moving, in the process accumulating a substantial lead. They did lose wickets quickly enough, yet decided not to stop. The planning paid off dividends. Mindful of the time limitations, Bashar declared the second innings, confronting Zimbabwe with a daunting lead of 381 runs. It was too much and enormous for the visitors.

Then the bowlers took over and they did their job. In the first innings, Mohammad Rafique, economical, always threatening and difficult to play, had stolen the show by grabbing five wickets. Though, he lacked the same precision and penetration in the second innings, he was well backed by Mosharafe Mortaza and others. If the first day belonged to Habibul Bashar, the second went to Mohammad Rafique. But the last day of the match definitely and entirely belonged to the young, 18-year-old, Enamul Haque Jr. He bagged six Zimbabwe scalps in his 22 overs, in exchange for just 45 runs. The young man is promising and shows considerable talent and potential.

For the ICC it was just another Test match. But for Bangladesh it was a great historic triumph. I believe in healthy criticism. The very essence and motto of my writing, whatever the jargon, I have always tried to bring into light the weaker points of the Pakistani team. Mostly I try not to put the blame on a single player for the loss of a match. It’s a team game.

Full of suspense and thrill and ups and downs, ODI’s are definitely an entertaining, result-oriented format. There can’t be two opinions about that. However, technically, it does not seem to be the scale to weigh the prowess and performance of a team — it’s a Test match that has all the ingredients of research, observation, planning and strategies of a game spread over five days, truly testing a team’s skill.

Since taking over the reins of the Pakistani team, Bob Woolmer has coached them to twelve wins in seventeen ODIs. That’s a big achievement. However, the story of Test matches is altogether different and at complete variance from the One-Day game results. Pakistan played five Test matches and lost four of them, including the recent series whitewash in Australia. That’s where the officials, the Coach, the Captain and the players need to ponder. They need to fill the holes and gaps and there are many. They need to act and act fast, if Pakistan is to live up to the expectations of all the hungry fans and emerge as a serious player in the Test arena.

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)