No more just mere bystanders
"If your dream isn't big, you cannot progress. Our dream is big. We want to win away series as we win series at home. We want to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. How to become the champions of the world, that's what we are after now," Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz had said before the second ODI against South Africa.
Not that such words of optimism did not come earlier from the Tigers' camp prior to a series or tournament. But oftentimes, it was a sort of charade put forth in front of the press which resulted in nothing more than a cheeky headline and ensuing taunts on social media from the masses for the temerity of such statements.
However, that was not the case this time. When Miraz had said that the Tigers are aiming to conquer the world, it was not just for a show. It had a much more purposeful ring to it. And it was because Bangladesh had just sealed their first-ever win away to South Africa in any format with their 38-run victory in the first ODI and that they had already broken the New Zealand barrier with a maiden Test win on Kiwi soil in January.
Bangladesh did succumb to a heavy thumping in the second ODI against South Africa but the statement made by another youngster in Afif Hossain in that game went on to show that Bangladesh are ready to put the effort in to see their dream materialise.
Afif's resilience, which saw him score an inspiring 72 and stitch crucial stands with Mahmudullah Riyad and Miraz, not only helped Bangladesh sail to a respectable total after a top-order meltdown but it also made an assertion that the Tigers are not to be stymied in face of any adversity.
The South Africa ODI series triumph was all the more remarkable as, after years of yearning for a yielding pipeline, it finally showed that Bangladesh cricket now stands on a firm base.
While it was undoubtedly the most clinical and dominant showing by the Tigers in a series away from home, its significance in regard to having a prosperous Bangladesh magnifies when one considers that it was one of the rarest occasions that the Tigers achieved something monumental with many players from outside the big four rising to the occasion.
Shakib Al Hasan was deservedly the hero of Bangladesh for his 77 in the first win of the series. But the win would not have yielded without the roles played by young Yasir Ali, who raced fluently to his maiden fifty in the format while playing just in his fourth ODI, or the one played by Taskin or Shoriful Islam with the ball at crucial junctures of the game that swayed the momentum towards Bangladesh every time the Proteas threatened to take the game away.
Bangladesh now await the challenge of conquering the South Africa terrain in Tests as well. Even with Shakib forced to leave the troops midway through the series due to a family emergency, Bangladesh will definitely not be as worried as they once had been in such situations previously. Also, South Africa, or any other side in the world, will now chalk plans differently for Bangladesh.
Most importantly, the team management also now knows that there are players in the Tigers' ranks who have now started to turn themselves into performers from cricketers with just talent for it. And that's what Bangladesh cricket has been craving for many years.