Embarrassment avoided
On Saturday, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza talked about the culture in Bangladesh cricket of not taking defeat very easily, even if the odd defeat comes as a by-product of a bit of experimentation for the long-term benefit. Keeping in mind that that culture needs to change, to say that Imrul Kayes's 144 helped Bangladesh avoid embarrassment is not to say that the embarrassment being spoken of is losing to Zimbabwe. In stumbling to 139 for six on a fairly typical Mirpur wicket against a group of disciplined bowlers was the root of the potential embarrassment.
It was not the absence of the injured Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal that caused the collapse; there have been collapses with the full complement of stalwarts before. The disheartening aspect that will surely be swept under the carpet in the wake of a 28-run win is that on a home pitch against a side widely believed to be rungs below them in quality, the same problems surfaced to hound the Tigers.
Zimbabwe seamers Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara and Donald Tiripano did little more than bowl an off-stump line on a pitch that was slightly double-paced, with the odd ball moving a bit. That was enough. Five of the top seven batsmen were caught behind, four of them to seamers, three of whom -- Mohammad Mithun, senior batsman Mahmudullah Riyad and Mehedi Hasan Miraz -- offered nothing shots with minimal feet movement, a long-time failing.
On the other hand, for the right-handers the sight of a leg-spinner -- a longstanding bogeyman -- in Brandon Mavuta was also enough. When the youngster's ball pitched on a good length on middle and leg, both Mohammad Mithun and the team's best batsman Mushfiqur Rahim floundered. An uncertain Mushfiqur was eventually strangled down the leg side by the wrist-spinner who, unlike their recent nemesis in Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, did not even seem to have the googly.
Mashrafe was half right -- it is true that defeats are not taken well, but it is as much a problem that wins forgive all. Yesterday's batting debacle did not have anything to do with missing out on two key players and experimentation because Imrul was replacing Tamim at the top and Saifuddin was the 'experiment' and they were the ones who averted disaster. If indeed the culture is a healthy one, questions have to be asked of those in charge of batting, not least batting coach Neil McKenzie, about why such long-standing problems cannot be rectified, even when against a weaker team and on a familiar pitch.
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