KOLKATA: Bangladesh fans are known to be a noisy bunch. No matter where their team plays, one will always find the green shirts waving a green flag with a red circle in the middle. They call their team Tigers and often turn up in masks or costumes made to resemble the magnificent beast. They were at Eden Gardens too, vocal and causing quite a din before the start.
The Indian bowlers didn’t take long to force them into silence. The first wicket fell in the sixth over, third in the 11th and by the 15th over, half the side was gone. Blame it on grass on the pitch, a lack of fire in the belly or consistently probing and at times hostile bowling, the innings lasted 30.3 overs. Test teams bat longer and those who can’t are not expected to compete at this level.
They are not newcomers anymore. Other than almost 20 years of experience in the Test circuit, they have funds, foreign coaches and a passionate fan base. Cricket is their No 1 sport and cricketers are heroes. Long before the BCCI set up its own headquarters in Mumbai, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had a swanky office in Dhaka. But the ingredients needed to boost performance have not changed the team’s fortunes. As their record of four wins and 47 losses in 55 away Tests shows, Bangladesh remain minnows away from home and their batting continues to show signs of immaturity. They choose to live and die by the sword instead of showing patience or perseverance.
“I don’t think this has got to do with infrastructure or ability,” said former captain Habibul Bashar. “There is sufficient encouragement and incentives for players to do better in Tests. There are enough first-class games. Some of them have scored big centuries and double centuries, which shows skill is not the problem. I think they are low on confidence at the moment. Coming off a defeat against Afghanistan, they are facing a formidable Indian attack. I’d say the problem is with individual mindset rather than the system.”
Having found a spin-based formula to compete against top sides at home, Bangladesh have won Tests against England and Australia in known confines. But the game changes almost as soon as they board the plane. Other than an abysmal record playing away from home, averages of most of their batsmen dip when they travel. Barring exceptions like Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, who have decent records in other countries, most of them struggle overseas.
This is in contrast with their performance graph in limited-overs. Not that they have reached semifinals or finals in big events, but they have beaten stronger teams in shorter formats. The Bangladesh Premier League has become a hit and it’s possible that the instant success and recognition in these versions have shifted the focus from the longer game. It’s a paradox of sorts that a team with ODI series wins against India, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand loses to Afghanistan in Tests.
“We are spending money on development, hiring foreign coaches and ticking popular boxes. But there is a problem in planning and also a lack of vision,” said Khaled Mashud, another former Bangladesh captain. “It’s no use spending if it’s not on what we actually need. The emphasis has to be on better pitches and junior programmes. Our 14-year-olds need better coaches more than those playing for the senior national team. It’s a question of prioritising and building a strong base rather than an impressive building.”
Their Eden Gardens experience seems headed in a known direction. The green look of the pitch notwithstanding, the Indians look good to get a total that would mean they don’t have to bat again. Unless the Bangladesh cricket establishment addresses the problems, chances are high they would meet the same fate again and again, be it with a pink or red ball.