Mashrafe looks to arrest away slump
It seems that whenever Bangladesh play, they do so with the added burden of turning around past trends. Recently, however, a case could have been made for the scenario being different when the scene turns to ODI cricket, because Bangladesh's record in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup has seen a definite upturn. On the eve of the first match of the three-ODI series starting in Dambulla at 2:30pm (3:00pm Bangladesh time) today, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza hinted that here too Bangladesh will have to change the tides of history.
Mashrafe differentiated from Bangladesh's form at home, where most recently they have had a 2-1 win over Afghanistan and a loss by the same margin against England in September-October last year. Since then, Bangladesh have played three ODIs in New Zealand and lost all three.
"The three ODIs pose a big question since we have been playing this format at home for the last two years. We lost all three away ODIs in New Zealand, so it is a different challenge," said Mashrafe at the pre-match press conference at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium yesterday.
That last sentence provides another hint -- that despite all his pronouncements to the contrary, Mashrafe does think that Bangladesh are slightly ahead in terms of ability and experience. And that is not an unreasonable position given that Bangladesh are a team that have had an enduring core in Mashrafe himself, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad and Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim.
Sri Lanka meanwhile, have three cricketers who have played more than 100 ODIs -- skipper Upul Tharanga leads the way with 198, while Dinesh Chandimal has 122 and Thisara Perera 114. The five aforementioned cricketers from Bangladesh, although not having as many games as Tharanga, have all played substantially more games than Chandimal.
"I never say anything extra. I think Sri Lanka have a more mature squad in the ODIs than the Tests," said Mashrafe when asked whether Bangladesh have the edge. "It is not going to be as easy as people seem to think. Obviously they have some exciting players, which we had too at one point and they are more experienced now. We have to try to execute our plans to the full, or we just have to fight till the end.
"We did well at home, so our challenge started in New Zealand. We couldn't do it there, despite creating a lot of chances. In the second and third ODIs, we gave away good starts. We have to hold on to good starts here, with bat and ball. Home teams have extra advantage. So I think both teams are starting on level terms."
That marked the second time in the 10-minute press conference that he mentioned the reversals against New Zealand, and it seems that what rankled was the wasting of chances and good positions -- a recurring theme in the New Zealand limited-overs leg. Perhaps it worried Mashrafe more because that was the scenario in which he took over the leadership from Mushfiqur Rahim in late 2014, a year that was marred by so many near misses that it seemed to be becoming a habit.
Mashrafe joined the squad for the limited-overs leg in the afterglow of a Test series drawn with a historic win, but also with the lingering gloom over Mahmudullah's exclusion from the squad for that match. Mehedi Hasan Miraz's eleventh-hour inclusion as the 17th member of the ODI squad may have added to the slight uncertainty in the dressing room, but as is well known in Bangladesh cricket, no one quite uplifts his teammates as much as Mashrafe, the senior statesman and cheerleader of the side.
It will now be left to him to ensure that Bangladesh do not relapse into the bad habits that he so painstakingly pulled them out of in 2014, and that New Zealand was an aberration.