Able, honest and pragmatic leadership, some help from favourable external conditions, a dash of luck, explain Singapore's remarkable economic development. Warlordism that grew out of years of political instability and economic malaise explains the quagmire in which Somalia is stuck.

Bad decisions and poor performance in cricket only hurt the fans. Bad policies and decisions in politics can lead to serious consequences. The two are surely not comparable in toto; yet the lessons of the rise and fall of the Bangladesh cricket team may provide some lessons for the caretaker or interim government in Bangladesh.

After the success of the Tigers in the cricket World Cup, the team was given so much attention and was lavished with so much praise that it failed to take things into perspective. When a friend of mine in an Internet group discussion quoted a Daily Star analysis of the cricket team after their initial thrashing in Sri Lanka, the patriotic Bangladeshis rose to action.

And predictably, the media was blamed for not portraying our team favourably. Alleged negative media coverage was also the whipping boy of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, who even invented the term "media terrorism." In the end, the corrupt regime that sponsored real terrorism was exposed, and the media were vindicated.

The present government headed by Dr. Fakruddin Ahmed deserves unstinted credit for its indefatigable fight against corruption, and for steering the country towards a fair and free election before the end of 2008. It is no secret that the military is supporting the present government.

I hate to be self-referential, but I wrote -- apart from "cricket as a metaphor" in these pages -- in my blog soon after the new government took office that it should be advised not to pay heed to excessive criticism nor to obsequious flattery. Bangladesh is well-known for both.

It is sickening to see some corrupt politicians on talk-shows praising the "patriotic" military to the sky. General Moeen U. Ahmed should remind them -- in his usual polite manner -- that the "right to freedom of information" is not the same as the "right to flattery." Surely, the military does not need any testimonial from the discredited politicians.

Lessons from the Bangladesh cricket team

• Do not get carried away with success in one-day cricket. Ireland defeated Pakistan in the world cup but did not engage Pakistan in a test series. Bangladesh should have basked in the glory of the world cup success for a while before taking on India and Sri Lanka in quick succession. Failure is demoralizing, and demoralization breeds further failure.
• Playing one-day cricket is qualitatively different from test cricket. Remember, the 100-meter sprinters are not necessarily champion marathon runners.
• Don't fall for excessive praise. Too much praise is never good. Flatterers are not your friends.
• Mouthing good ideas and backing the talk are two different things. Talking less and working hard is better than the reverse.
• · Irresponsible talk must be avoided all the times. Never say: we will win the next match. Remember that chance plays a big role in cricket, but chance also favours the stronger team.
• Good intentions are different from practical actions. Assessing one's limitations is a better strategy than projecting grand ambitions.

Lessons for the Bangladesh government

• Do not fall for flattery nor worry about negative press, but do pay heed to what reasonable people are saying, and what journalists and intellectuals with proven integrity are writing. Dhaka University teachers are reasonable people.
• Do not want to accomplish too many things in one go. Critically assess the limitations and try to rectify the failures before it is too late.
• Restrain some advisers from making irresponsible statements. What did Barrister Moinul Hosein, the adviser in charge of law, mean when he gave two absurd choices: Hasina had to either run away, or get arrested -- what was that? Why should she run away? How? (Sudha Sadan was cordoned off, if not sealed).
• Stop repeating, "no one is above the law". This is a truism. Yet, this truism has a ring of absurdity in the context of Bangladesh. Remember, the murderers of Bangabandhu were given diplomatic assignments. For years, inquires into the murder of Bangabandhu, his family, and important national leaders in jail, were stonewalled. More recently, investigations into the murder of Mr. Kibria are still pending, as are those concerned with the bombings that almost killed Sheikh Hasina in August 2004.
• Like in cricket, chance, too, plays a role in politics. No one predicted that the prices of essentials would remain high after the catching of the crooks. Things will go wrong, for which the government must be prepared, but not contribute to.
• Like the Bangladesh cricket team, which earned a great deal of love and admiration from the fans after its tremendous victory in the world cup, the post 1/11 government earned huge support and tapped the reservoir of public admiration. Just remember the guest-list of the inauguration of the post 1/11 administration. The government must try hard not to squander the invaluable resource of good will and support.

As far as we know, there is only one national cricket team in Bangladesh. It is not entirely clear that there is only one government in power.

The author is a sociologist.