Bangladesh is in ruins, that goes without saying. The political unrest in the country has temporarily paralyzed the country. It seemed like it would take a while for sanity to prevail, it seemed like it would need a miracle to recover from the setbacks, it was hard to find light at the end of the tunnel. Cricket was also not in the best shape after Najmul Hossain Papon, the longest serving BCB president, lost his post.
Just when it seemed that Bangladesh had hit rock bottom, cricket gave them reason to rejoice, and lots of it. Although their cricket has not grown quite as fast as one might have expected, Bangladesh’s sporting joy is largely due to cricket. Sunday, August 25, added a new chapter to their story.
Bangladesh defeated Pakistan for the first time in their 14th Test match since 2001.
Bangladesh’s reparations after 21 years
In 2003, Inzamam-ul-Haq’s epic 138-run knock under pressure had denied the Tigers a historic win in Multan. Mohammad Rafique’s five-wicket haul was not enough for Bangladesh to cross the finish line. 21 years later, they did not waste another chance.
While Bangladesh had the upper hand in Multan for the most part, it had its back against the wall in Rawalpindi. After the country’s deplorable state, coupled with Bangladesh’s poor performance in the T20 World Cupit was difficult to remain optimistic about their success in Pakistan.
But Najmul Shanto’s men have given the country hope that Bangladesh can rise from the woes. If they can win the series, it would arguably be their biggest overseas series win in the history of Test cricket. Although there is still a long way to go, the Tigers can dream and pull off a series win.
Another platform for Bangladesh
In 1999, Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the ODI World Cup. The Tigers, led by Aminul Islam Bulbul, defeated a team that included players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi. Khaled Mahmud Sujon was small in stature but was above average in strength and was named the player of the match.
This was the beginning of their cricket as Bangladesh was given Test status in 2000. Since then, there have been many ups and downs as the senior team has yet to win an ICC trophy. Bangladesh are not considered favourites to win any tournament.
For 2024, the Tigers have created a new platform from which to start. Faruque Ahmed took over as the new BCB President and could not have wished for a better start to his term in office. At the moment, everything seems like a fairytale.
However, what has put the Bangladesh cricket club behind over the years is the fact that they have not been able to build on historic victories and capitalise on the good work. In 2022, they beat Tom Latham’s New Zealand at Mount Maunganui but failed to win another Test in the 2021-23 WTC cycle.
Their cricket has been plagued by a lack of consistency. Bangladesh should not rest on their laurels after their incredible performance in the opening Test. It is high time they lived up to their potential.
