Latef Jafri: Bangladesh marching ahead (28 Apr 1997)

28 April 199

Bangladesh marching ahead as a cricketing nation

By Latef Jafri

FOOTBALL had been the people's game in what was previously the eastern wing of this country. Crowds thronged the venues to see the artistry, the foot wizardry and mobility of the players; quite a large number of them were imported from Balochistan and Sindh. As the independence heralded in 1947 cricket had a back seat. Even in the streets and alleys of Dhaka, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Barisal and Faridpur the boys played and practised football.

However, from the winter of 1955 when the beautiful and spacious Dhaka Stadium was built and the city was included in the itinerary of the Indian cricketers the fans filled the galleries to show their keenness and interest in this new phenomenon. They applauded the ethical grandeur in the two half-centuries scored by Waqar Hasan and the splendour in the late cuts and hooks of Imtiaz Ahmad, though still not knowing the finer points of the game. The Dhaka onlookers, still not understanding the meaning of 'howzat' enjoyed the second century in Test of Hanif Mohammad made against New Zealanders at a packed house in a thoroughly competent and sound mode and manner.

Bengal had struggled against the British colonialists; so the assemblage at the cricket stadium admired and cheered Hanif's polished century in January 1962 against England.

The crowds danced with the team members when the mighty West Indies were brought down to earth in the second Test of the 1958-59 series. In all seven Tests were staged at Dhaka, with the stadium packed like sardines. The matches were destined to make an impact on the general public, the youth especially. However, it look more than three decades for the enthusiasm and interest in the game to spiral when Bangladesh lifted its cricket from immaturity to an organised level. The country tried hard; they requisitioned the services of foreign coaches, Pakistanis and Indians in particular. Though they had fared poorly in the 1994 ICC Trophy, a qualification competition for the World Cup co-hosted by the South Asian countries, they later showed their advance by playing in the final of the SAARC Gold Cup against India in December of 1994 in their own capital; Sri Lanka and Pakistan having fallen behind the finalists because of inferior run-rate. There was a definite tilt towards the game; cricket had come of age in the country.

Late last year the previously minnows topped 10 regional countries to qualify for the Asia Cup to be held in Colombo the coming August. The world champions, Sri Lanka, and the two former World Cup holders, Pakistan and India, are among the participants in the contest. The test of trial and progression for Bangladesh came in Kuala Lumpur, their venue of success for the ACC Trophy. The Dhaka warriors had missed the 1992 World Cup by the proverbial whisker when Zimbabwe pipped them in the final in the 1990 ICC Trophy, played in Holland.

Gordon Greenidge, the famed opening batsman of the West Indies, booked as a coach, had prepared the Bangladesh team well. But still they were not among the favourites. Kenya, UAE, winners of the last championship, and Holland, a competitor in the last World Cup, were tipped to gain the berth for the 1999 nascent cricket extravaganza in England. Holland did reach the knockout stage of the Kuala Lumpur tournament but Untied Arab Emirate fell by the wayside. The Dutch later had a shock defeat against Ireland and the ultimate winners, Bangladesh.

Both Kenya and the Dhaka cricketers had a spotless record in the round-robin stage of the competition as well as in the knockout round. Bangladesh opened with an emphatic victory over Argentina. Later they not only lowered the colours of Denmark but settled the pretensions of UAE, winners of last ICC Trophy, who collapsed for a paltry 95 in the 35th over. Bangladesh removed Holland from their way to earn a berth for the penultimate round of the trophy, where Scotland were no match to their vigour, skill and alacrity on the field. The Bangladeshis came out in thousands in the streets of Dhaka to celebrate their success in the semi-final which gave them a passage to England for the next World Cup, a tremendous onward march from the days when their youngsters only watched the game from the sidelines and enclosures of the Dhaka Stadium, now known as the National Stadium. People blasting crackers, firing in the air and beating drums poured into the roads to wildly celebrate the cricket success which left many injured and reportedly a few dead.

Still the country had to wait for five more days for the ultimate accolade when they humbled Kenya, a surprise winner over the redoubtable West Indies in the last World Cup at Pune.

Rain intervened to extend the final to two days. Kenya knocked up 241 in 50 overs, quite a challenging aggregate, which the critics thought was beyond the Bangladesh capacity to attain. The umpires cut the overs and gave the Dhaka side 166 to make in 25 overs, quite a daunting task to be performed for the batting had to be done at the crashing speed of 6.64 per over. The outfield was slow and handling of the spinners on the astroturf wicket was problematical.

However, as fortune favours the brave the Bangladeshis, with proper guidance from the legendary Greenidge, went on batting valiantly and courageously. With a leg-bye in the last ball they sauntered home in what turned out to be a thrilling and dramatic final. Bangladesh were the champions among 22 associate members and had qualified for the World Cup. They were now being euphemistically called the 'Bengal Tigers'. Dhaka again exploded with joy as traffic came to a standstill and shops and offices were shut with millions marching onto the roads singing hyms in praise of the cricketers. There was a big mass reception on the team's return and Prime Minister Hasina Wajed was herself at the airport to receive and acclaim the cricketers. Cash prizes were announced and even the coach, Gordon Greenidge, was given an honorary citizenship. It was Bangladesh's new year and Prime Minister Hasina Wajed said: "There could not have been a better gift for the new year than what our golden boys have given." She ordered construction of a new stadium, specifically for cricket. Certainly more facilities will be needed to boost cricket. But if at all the cricketers of the country have to meet the challenge of the region ÷ and also the world ÷ turf strips will be required. Cricketing skill cannot be honed on the artificial wickets, particularly on the astroturf on which a new technology has to be developed both for batting and bowling.

Could Bangladesh have beaten Kenya in normal conditions with a score of 241 for seven wickets? It was a difficult target with the Kenyans more experienced and skilful. However, the Bangaldeshis were bold enough to canter home and beat Kenya by a head.

One finds that whatever may be their strength in batting they have to produce a more penetrating pace attack in the tussle for supremacy in the one-day internationals.

Source:: Dawn (https://xiber.com/dawn/)