<b><i>Calling</i> right, <i>deciding </i>wrong</b>

WHAT HAVE I DONE?: Despair is written across Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan's face as he appears to ponder his decision to field first in the World Cup opener. Photo: Anisur Rahman

There are many theories about the toss but cricket teams usually have two sets of plans to counter its aura. The captain of the weaker side would ideally like to attack with his strength and use that momentum to bring home the win. Through cricket history, the enigma of the toss has on very few occasions been redundant. Some captains even want to lose the damn thing just to avoid the responsibility.
Of course the Tigers' think-tank had two plans and one can say with a lot of certainty that the call to bowl first on a flat Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium wicket was the result of depending too much on statistics and the team's history at the ground. With every Virender Sehwag whip to leg, slap to the covers, or his smack down the ground, Shakib Al Hasan felt the pinch (if not a firm whack to his cricketing nous).
There have been a few instances highlighted over the last two decades when captains, even the smart ones, have made a huge blunder after calling correctly in the biggest of stages. Saurav Ganguly's call to field first in the 2003 World Cup final comes to mind, his opposite number smiling all the way to the bank. Others like Mohammad Azharuddin's decision to field first on a flat track at Lord's (setting up Graham Gooch's epic 333 and 123) and Nasser Hussain's blunder to put Australia in at the Gabba in 2002 also spring to mind.
Though one can argue that this wasn't any World Cup final or the opening day of an Ashes series or even a Lord's Test, but the opening match of a World Cup, that too with so much hype, must be considered a big stage and Shakib's blunder now even bigger.
In his disposal is an excellent opening pair, an average middle-order (which he holds together) and a dodgy lower order alongside a strong spin attack and two young fast bowlers. Backed up by a fielding unit that is good in patches, it was paramount that in a game where Bangladesh have little to lose, they gather as much confidence if they have such little to do with the victory.
Without putting up his most dominant and perhaps his best resource up front, Shakib decided to give Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain a chance to rescue a lost cause. Shafiul's flight from his usual length was a surprise though slightly expected since this was his first big game and it obviously got the better of him.
Shakib told Ravi Shastri at the toss that dew was the deciding factor, but can that be the clincher? The captain put India into bat, considered the best batting line-up in the world because they have batted well in all conditions, be it a turner at Mumbai or the green strips in South Africa. And at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Shakib opened the floodgates and gave the No 1 batting team in the world an all-access pass (something for the privileged few at the Mirpur venue).
The decision also did not reflect upon what Shakib and the rest of the team have been talking about over the past few weeks.
Of course the pressure they faced was due to the opponent and that match at the Queen's Park Oval. But if Bangladesh had planned to win the game, fielding first was not the right way and if Shakib wanted to play their natural game, they should have let their strength dictate terms.