Tricky Afghan test tomorrow

DELIGHT & DESPAIR: Game over and it's time for the Irish enfant-terribles to celebrate their outstanding 4-wicket win over a crest-fallen West Indies side yesterday at the Saxton Oval in Nelson, where Ireland chased down 304 with more than four overs to spare. The Irish success is something that their neighbours Scotland can draw inspiration from ahead of their today's World Cup fixture against hosts New Zealand at Dunedin. Photo: AFP

By the look of things, it seems as though the Tigers will need to take a huge step out of their comfort zone if they want to achieve anything at all in this World Cup. The first five matches have already witnessed five centuries and teams scoring five totals of 300 or more.

While Bangladesh are yet to begin their campaign, the World Cup already seems daunting. None of Bangladesh's batsmen have scored a century in the mega event and neither have the Tigers ever surpassed the 300-run mark.

Mohammad Ashraful's match-winning 87 against South Africa in 2007 remains the highest ever score by a Bangladeshi which catapulted them to 251, their highest first innings total in the mega event.

When the Tigers take on Afghanistan tomorrow on a presumably flat Manuka Oval pitch in Canberra, they will have to show a lot more than what their previous records in the showpiece event suggests. And then again, that effort may not be enough.

Take for instance yesterday's match in Hamilton where the West Indians were humbled by Ireland's fighting spirit. The Irish chased down a hefty 304 without breaking a sweat. While there's no doubt regarding Bangladesh's ability, the question is, whether they are in the right mode.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza believes the Tigers have the ability to turn things around.

“I think the wicket is fantastic for batting because the bounce is even here [Canberra]. If one can bat properly then scoring 300 runs won't be impossible. The ground may be big but in my opinion if someone can connect well with the ball then playing big shots will be easier,” said Mashrafe.

As coach Chandika Hathurusingha put it, losing all the preparatory matches was 'not ideal' as it 'puts doubts' into the players' minds. Such doubts were commonly seen during the initial stage of 2014 when Bangladesh lost 12 out of their 13 ODIs; some of which they failed to win despite being inches away from the finish line.

The jinx though was broken, or so we thought, after the Tigers squeezed a Test win over Zimbabwe in Mirpur. From then on, it was all uphill.

And that's the reason why the first game against Afghanistan tomorrow is all the more important. Mathematically, the match may not be a decider, but in terms of Bangladesh's confidence levels, it could very well make or break their fate in the competition.

That eerie feeling, in a sense, reverberated during Bangladesh's practice session in Canberra yesterday. The players gave it their all in the three-hour gruelling session. They may be facing one of the relatively easier opponents in the pool, but they know very well that the match against Afghanistan is going to be a juncture that they would want to pass by very quickly.

As Mashrafe put it, “Everybody is looking forward to making a good start. There is no need to think about what happened in the practice matches.”

The two teams have faced just once in the past, during the Asia Cup last year and Afghanistan provided the shock of the tournament, dispatching the hosts at their own backyard. Despite having met in just one ODI, there won't be much too much of a secret between these players.

 A number of Afghanistan cricketers have played in Bangladesh's leagues and they will all know each others' strengths and weaknesses in detail. For the Afghans, tomorrow's match will be an opportunity to prove to the world as to how far they have come. For Bangladesh, on the other hand, it will, in all likelihood, be their only chance to revive themselves mentally after consecutive warm-up defeats.