Cautious Optimism and Sudden Light at the End of the Tunnel?

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by ammark
Why is Riyad in the team again? I cant yet see why he's so persisted with in our games.

Dekhte bhalo-je ...

[Zeeshan]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Dekhte bhalo-je ...

WaaaaaWeeeeeWaaaaaa!

[ammark]

The Riyads and Roqibuls are totally flashes in the pan. The next generation of Tushar Imrans, Rokons and Rajin Salehs. It'll be better to relegate these two to the A Team and send them touring in the UK, WI and NZ to get their act right.

their domestic records arent worth jack in the real world! Lets not destroy them and the National Team already!

[Zunaid]

Last edited by ammark; Today at 10:00 PM. Reason: I'm being too pissy

We've all earned the right. Especially me. Been rooting too long.

That was from 1990.

[Rabz]

My epiphany of the day:

Mohammad Ashraful is just an upgraded version of Tushar Imran.
In other words, he is a 3rd generation Rokon.

eh, i think i'm 3 years too late to realise that.
(read tube light)

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by Rabz
My epiphany of the day:

Mohammad Ashraful is just an upgraded version of Tushar Imran.
In other words, he is a 3rd generation Rokon.

eh, i think i'm 3 years too late to realise that.
(read tube light)

He is an upgraded version of all time toporder BD batsman, but still fails to meet the minimum required standards to be called a genuine toporder batsman by international standards.

There we stand as a team

[Rabz]

Originally Posted by BANFAN
He is an upgraded version of all time toporder BD batsman,

Now you are really insulting the likes of Bulbul,Akram and Nannu.
They might have had limited techniques and abilities, but if they enjoyed the facility and
exposure as these idiots do, at least, Bulbul would have been a much better player than he finished his career.

The temperment and determination he showed in that inaugural test to score the first test century for our country was something truely remarkable, given they had very limited experience of playing first class cricket prior to that.

They had to go on strike for the right to play cricket in the Bongobondhu stadium and shared the stage with football throughout their career. Whereas, this "shonar chelera" gets a full fledged "Home of Cricket" with gym,trainer,physio, pa malish kari, hat malish kari, bogol tola malish kari, groin masseur only to enrich their " haash murgi'r khamar".

The thing is, there is no tunnel, there is only canel.
But we managed to fill them up too, tai dub diya morar-o jaiga rakhinai amra.

[Nasif]

I am afraid we have seen that light quite too often, and every time that turned into utter darkness.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Nasif
I am afraid we have seen that light quite too often, and every time that turned into utter darkness.

মাগার...

[Nasif]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
মাগার...

Thanks for the song.
In all honesty, deep down there is always optimistic hope; otherwise none of us would be here. For now, I guess I will keep it there

[Sohel]

End of day 3 in our rain truncated test match and thank GOD MaMu is OK. It was scary to see him carried off like that after he fell bowling a full toss. Some of us feared the worst and thank GOD our fears did not come true. Looking forward to seeing him back in action. Shorter, more aggressive spells in the second inning please ...

The day started off annoyingly. MaMu looked pedestrian and in his second over decided to go with just 1 slip and the familiar defensive field setting when the cherry was still new! Seems like the HaBa-esque gutless confusion between test and those shorter forms of the sport have become somewhat standard in the minds of our captains since then, no matter who has that honor at the moment. We also saw former skipper Ash revert back to that idiocy on more than a few occasions after showing short-lived aggression and innovation early in his alleged captaincy.

Shakib's field settings were better in comparison, especially during his own overs. He followed standard presets and made little adjustments according to the situation in the middle when he had too. But his bowler management was questionable in the beginning. Persisting with Riyad without success, introducing RBX a few overs too late, and bringing Riyad and Shahadat back into the alleged "attack" when Ash was generating huge turns, and RBX, thanks to Ash, started to hit the right length, was a baffling move.

Enam would have provided him with the option he needed and will need, and Nayeem continues to be missed with both bat and ball. He's no Mohammad Rafiq with ball in hand, but definitely smarter and a bit more threatening than Riyad, who continues to rely on fate and the odd unforced batting error to try and get wickets. But to Riyad's credit, he did have a few good overs where he generated the sort of troubling bounce that surprised even him. That made him more aggressive and put their batters on the backfoot. 3 important wickets and a hattrick ball to boot, can't ask this handsome young man for more than that. He pushed his limited abilities as much as he could and rewarded everyone with that effort. Hats off to Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad ...

Things worked out in the end, and we're halfway to getting 20 wickets needed to win a test match. RBX's 3 wickets showed a glimpse of the fact that he's much more than the latest hype doomed from the start. That said, our unacceptable errors, especially all those no balls, added to the Windies lead which should have been less than what it became. Champaka looked pissed.

In the end, Shakib was the pick of the bowlers for me followed by Ash. Good to see them getting turn and use some of the drift offered by the steady sea breeze. Shahadat did better than expected in general, and had quite a few decent test match deliveries, hitting mid to late 70s (mph), and 80mph a couple of times. RBX didn't generate the type of lethal good swing and reverse swing we expected but that may begin change in the second innings of his test "career". He bowled at a steady range from early to mid 80s (mph) and hit 86-mph a few times. We expect both of our quickies to watch the no ball when they bowl again.

Denying Phillips his maiden test 100 on debut was and should be a boost for us. It should also be a niggle capable of constricting the Windies psyche a little bit. We can build on that by NOT throwing our wicket away the way we did in the first innings. Batting patiently and treating each delivery according to its merit can demoralize them enough for us to defend a good lead and try to bowl them out.

NOT easy tasks.

These guys, as hastily put together as they may be, are still first class cricketers from the land of the 3 Ws, Sobers-Richards-Lara, Hall-Holding-Marshall-Walsh-Ambrose and a proud tradition with its own strengths that can never be taken for granted. We have seen that in their unit cohesion already.

The short, powerfully built and weirdly underrated Roach is accurate and bowls at steady mid 80s (mph), occasionally hitting 90 mph. CarckInfo is once again wrong in its classification. Tino "Wild Thing" Best is neither as wild nor pacy as he was but can still trouble our batters with his quality and flamboyance. Sammy is always effective when you least expect it. As the VC of this "strike breaking" unit, he has a point to prove. Austin is similar to some of our slow bowlers and can lull us into those infamous unforced batting errors plaguing us since day 1. If it is a contest between his patience and that of our batters as a unit, he is likely to win 7 out of 10 times.

Phillips, Bernard and Sammy can easily find a place in the BD batting lineup and stay there. So getting 10 more in the second won't be easy.

This has been an interestingly poised, competitive test match building up to a great finale on day 5 if all goes well. A great test for our guys overcome their technical and character flaws as International cricketers and pass the test for once. This Windies team will push us to the limit.

[Sohel]

CRICINFO REPORT ON THE WICKETS.

Always good to revisit the quality of those wicket taking deliveries.

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by Rabz
Now you are really insulting the likes of Bulbul,Akram and Nannu.
They might have had limited techniques and abilities, but if they enjoyed the facility and
exposure as these idiots do, at least, Bulbul would have been a much better player than he finished his career.

The temperment and determination he showed in that inaugural test to score the first test century for our country was something truely remarkable, given they had very limited experience of playing first class cricket prior to that.

They had to go on strike for the right to play cricket in the Bongobondhu stadium and shared the stage with football throughout their career. Whereas, this "shonar chelera" gets a full fledged "Home of Cricket" with gym,trainer,physio, pa malish kari, hat malish kari, bogol tola malish kari, groin masseur only to enrich their " haash murgi'r khamar".

The thing is, there is no tunnel, there is only canel.
But we managed to fill them up too, tai dub diya morar-o jaiga rakhinai amra.

I was talking only statistically.

You are absolutely right; even the entire current lot of players don't match those you named in their commitment, dedication & passion for the game.

[Sohel]

Day four of the rain truncated first test against the West Indies at Kingstown. The second consecutive day of test cricket without rain in an interestingly poised test match where the combination of time and the possible return of bad weather is unlikely to deliver a result. Then again, cricket is a game of uncertainties, and certainly the reputation of the Bangladeshi team is a dramatic embodiment of that well-worn but always valid cliché.

During course of play so far, Bangladeshi players and fans discovered to their collective relief that this Windies replacement team, though hastily put together and not the class of the genuine article, is no pushover to be toyed with. They are after all, first class cricketers from the formidable cricket culture of the Three Ws, Sobers-Richards-Lara, Hall-Holding-Walsh and countless other cricket immortals. So we have a competitive test match in our hands. A match that presents an opportunity for players on both sides to play some memorable cricket while the balance between their skill and character is tested over five days, give or take a few.

Day four began with Bangladesh only 43 runs behind the Windies first inning total, thanks to some clutch bowling from debutants Mohammad Mahmudullah and Rubel Hossain led by acting Skipper Shakib Al Hasan -- followed by the opening pair Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes surviving day three with bat in hand. Before we knew it, the day quickly developed into a discomforting war of attrition occasionally mitigated by some quality strokes and deliveries.

Tamim Iqbal, the young man providing the only occasional entertainment with his bat, also provided the bulk of Bangladeshi runs as he pushed, scratched, clawed and edged his way to survival on borrowed time and a half. His partner Imrul Kayes, rightly reputed to be the more patient and compact of the two, left his often safe stroke-making ability back in the dressing room with disastrous consequences. Unable to rotate the strike, he came undone trying to release some of the pressure of his own making.

Ryan Austin teasingly tossed one up outside off for him to drive, and Kayes’ hard drive was caught at cover. He departed after making just 24 from 96 deliveries. A soft second innings dismissal after all that hard work, especially after being victimized by yet another classic EAR de Silva dismissal in the more comfortable first, was not a total waste under the circumstances. Bangladesh lost their first wicket at 82, almost cause for a mini celebration, and former opener Junaid Siddique, having found a new way to spell his first name, came in join Iqbal in the middle.

Siddique, growing in notoriety for his oft-seen-yet-to-be-rectified technique, had an easier but definitely not smooth time with the older cherry. Lady Luck, perhaps due to her displeasure over A Shocka’s tragic return to test cricket, kept on gracing Bangladesh with her presence. Darren Sammy seemed cursed as Siddique continued to commit his front foot early, an ugly and presumptuous fetish typical of many Bangladeshi batters who actually try to move their feet every now and then. Players playing on zombie pitches back home. But he continued to survive for once and score at a better rate than his close friend Kayes. He was being a little more cautious in his lethal misjudgments and with that heavy bottom hand, and that paid streaky dividends for country, team and his stats.

Iqbal and Siddique put together a 146 run partnership, almost shockingly rare for Bangladesh, as Iqbal labored on to his maiden test hundred despite occasional flashes of fatalism, dehydration, and cramps before the mandated break in action.

The mandated respite rejuvenated Iqbal and he resumed his batting in a typically belligerent, nihilistic mood, especially with the new ball. That added valuable runs to the Bangladeshi lead but also led to his inevitable demise. After battering him for four consecutive boundaries, one of them edged over the slip cordon, another hit-me delivery from a rattled Bernard tempted him into an unnecessary pull shot. He mistimed it enough to be caught at mid-on, weirdly eager to deny himself the bigger hundred just around the corner. He could have, should have gone on to build on his achievement but didn’t this time. But his 128 from 243 balls left Bangladesh at a commanding 228-2.

Raquibul Hasan, with a domestic triple-hundred under his belt, came in next to build on that position with a well-set Siddique, as well-set as Siddique can be, eyeing a maiden century of his own. They did alright before Siddique reached the cursed 70s, and after passing his previous highest in test cricket, inexplicably reverted back to the sport of front foot spear-fishing and edged what seemed to be a defensive stroke straight to an alert Richards at gully. A good delivery from Sammy did the trick as Siddique committed his front foot a tad too early. Surprise, surprise. He was gone at 78 from 160 balls, and Sammy finally got the break he deserved. Better late than never.

Mohammad Ashraful, the once talismanic and now disgraced skipper of the side, came in with a point to prove with Bangladesh sitting reasonably pretty at 258-3, and failed once more. This time blindly swinging across the line and caught plumb in front after scoring 3 from 4 deliveries, 3 less than his first innings feat. A 100% fall in performance, even for someone as consistently inconsistent as he is, was unexpected as Bangladesh gifted a totally demoralized Windies side the glimmer of hope they perhaps deserved. Bangladesh were suddenly 261-4 with the momentum loosened from its moorings. Raquibul Hasan, the alleged anchor of the Bangladeshi test side, was surely going to put an end to that alarming development.

Sadly Hasan, somewhat prematurely named Da Rock by his fans, continued to painfully gamble with his young career the way his strengths and limitations should not allow him to do. Although he didn’t play as many loose drives as he did in the first, he departed after trying to pull but inevitably dragging an ill-sighted short delivery from Sammy on to his stumps. Da Rock scored 18 from 35 balls, 4 four than his first innings cameo, leaving Bangladesh in early trouble at 267-5. Sammy, just freed of what seemed at times to be an endless curse, was ecstatic like a man possessed. His joy was matched only by the dark cloud looming over the heads of Bangladeshi fans everywhere. Time and again hardened by countless déjà vu, they prepared themselves for yet another batting collapse.

Thankfully, the acting Skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, his gritty, Hobbit-like partner in the middle, prevented history from repeating itself and Bangladesh survived the day well in the end. Bangladesh were 321-5 at stumps after 105 overs with Al Hasan on 26 and Rahim on 28 not out.

Going into day five, Bangladesh will have to build on their lead of 252 without losing the 5 remaining wickets. That effort must be perfectly balanced because that balance must prevent a possible loss while giving Bangladesh the chance to win their first test match abroad. No doubt it is a tough task ahead with Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, already a survivor of four surgeries, nursing a pulled ligament and taking himself out of the attack. But as the saying goes, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and anything can happen, especially when least expected.

[PoorFan]

Nice read Sohel, I suggest this one should be added in front page bulletin.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by PoorFan
Nice read Sohel, I suggest this one should be added in front page bulletin.

Thanks bro ...

Dr. Z asked to me write it as such yesterday. Sadly, I don't have the time to write and submit this before noonish BDST because of the need for sleep and I told him that. The bulletin needs to go in before that. An additional story can follow, maybe.

[PoorFan]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Thanks bro ...

Dr. asked to me write it as such yesterday. Sadly, I don't have the time to write and submit this before noonish BDST because of the need for sleep and I told him that. The bulletin needs to go in before that. An additional story can follow, maybe.

Ok, now I got it. Damn I missed all the fun not being here on BC yesterday. And a big thank you for taking your valuable time and finish it up so nicely. Wish God allow us to enjoy final day bulletin from you.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by PoorFan
Ok, now I got it. Damn I missed all the fun not being here on BC yesterday. And a big thank you for taking your valuable time and finish it up so nicely. Wish God allow us to enjoy final day bulletin from you.

Lol, I wasn't here either. Watched the match without my laptop. Will do the same tonight ...

[al Furqaan]

just one suggestion...i find the use of the term "hobbit" to describe mushy offensive, especially given he's our best performer over the last several tests. he can't help his height, and i'm sure Sohel bhai doesn't mean it in a derogatory way, but i feel its even worse than "village idiot" and "village gangsta".

Sohel bhai, could you please refrain from using that term for Mushy and edit the post?

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by al Furqaan
just one suggestion...i find the use of the term "hobbit" to describe mushy offensive, especially given he's our best performer over the last several tests. he can't help his height, and i'm sure Sohel bhai doesn't mean it in a derogatory way, but i feel its even worse than "village idiot" and "village gangsta".

Sohel bhai, could you please refrain from using that term for Mushy and edit the post?

Bro, as lifetime Tolkien fan, the term "Hobbit" in my mind is at once affectionate and hints of serious heroism against all odds. That's how I see his batting.

Anyone familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy ought to see it that way ...

Keeping-wise, I dis him as a "midget" from time to time. Huge difference between the terms and his skills behind and in front of the stumps. Maybe "Dwarf" is better but I won't publish either one. No use getting carried away.

[al Furqaan]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Bro, as lifetime Tolkien fan, the term "Hobbit" in my mind is at once affectionate and hints of serious heroism against all odds. That's how I see his batting.

Anyone familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy ought to see it that way ...

Keeping-wise, I dis him as a "midget" from time to time. Huge difference between the terms and his skills behind and in front of the stumps. Maybe "Dwarf" is better but I won't publish either one. No use getting carried away.

no worries then...carry on

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by MohammedC
I can't see no light.

Originally Posted by MohammedC
Shohel Bhai did you really see Sudden light? are you sure it was not sudden death. just checking

Quouting myself to say. I was so wrong.

[Rifat]

Sohel bro...congrats

i don't care if this was a 2nd string XI...it was still a strong challenge and this Test win is a sign of our boys improvement over the course of years. due to difffculty in the opposition and unexpected circumstances we came unlucky many a times, we came short a few times in past!... this win also showed no matter how much gali galaz we spit behind their back they have always fought and tried...

Hoping for a new era we have been waiting for since God only knows when...

[Sohel]

The last team to take 10 wickets in an innings wins a test match, and that is precisely what Bangladeshi slow bowlers did at Arnos Vale Ground in West Indies on day five of their first of two tests in the series. This was the Tigers’ second test victory in 60 matches since their induction into the circle of elite, and their first outside Bangladesh. It was also their first against a major test playing nation, replacement squad or not.

The Windies batsmen exposed their vulnerability to quality spin in the process, and the desirable inclusion of Enamul Haque for Bangladesh in the next test match would add to that vulnerability. Haque, a young man with several points to prove, will put his gracious hosts at the wrong end of a series sweep. Not a good prognosis for West Indian cricket, but a great one for its unheralded guests from Bangladesh, especially under the leadership of their accidental new Skipper.

Shakib Al Hasan had his baptism by fire after Captain and pace spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was sidelined nursing an alarming injury. Assisted by Mohammad Ashraful, the former skipper, during the initially difficult moments, he found his depth quickly, and generated the sort of unit cohesion needed to bowl West Indies out in the second innings to win the match.

The smiling assassin from Magura in Southern Bangladesh led from the front with aggressive field setting and even more aggressive, focused, and well-scripted deliveries over an epic spell. As a direct consequence of Al Hasan’s actions, his bowlers, the slow bowlers in particular, found the inspiration to match his quality and intent. Their combined ability to bowl in the right areas using the good-enough turn and drift offered by the conditions in the day of days, proved simply too lethal for West Indian batters.

The tireless Al Hasan’s persistent pressure from one end generated equally positive opportunities at the other, in particular for an eager and lethal Mohammad Mahmudullah, and after Mohammad Ashraful provided another breakthrough in his effective cameo, the last pack of Windies batters returned to their dressing room until nobody could come out of there.

Al Hasan’s 3 for 39 from 28.1 overs in the innings, and 2 for 76 from 36 overs in the first, do not do justice to his remarkable performance as acting Skipper and strike bowler, or his phenomenal ability to learn quickly and apply what he has learned with decisive precision. Improvising when necessary with artful subtlety, all for the sake of the team he must lead at this young age.

So all was right in the world when this unassuming young Tiger with fangs and claws as sharp as his mind took the final West Indian wicket. His sweet and humble presence off the field perfectly compliments his passionate love of the game on it, and conceals his ferocity to his teams benefit.

With his quietly steely resolve, he confronts, he adapts, he overcomes and more often than not he, delivers with unbridled joy. Bangladesh has found its first great captain in Mortaza’s unfortunate absence. Just watch and marvel as he grows into the role ordained for him from above.

Mohammad Mahmudullah, in the team more for his batting, found his inner warrior and scalped the first five-wicket haul of his career on debut. He also took three in the first to leash West Indies to a manageable first innings total our batters could surpass, and throw down the gauntlet for an exciting finish in the process. Although he failed with the bat completely, his new found identity as a strike bowler must be nurtured an added as an important feature of the still young Tigers. He was my Man of the Match with a combined booty of 8 for 110, 5 for 51 in his match winning second.

The stage was set for a captivating day five in the rain truncated match when eventual Man of the Match Tamim Iqbal’s scrappy maiden test hundred in the second innings created the critical foundation Junaid Siddique managed to build on. But after Siddique departed in the cursed seventies once more in his young career, a batting collapse looked inevitable, thanks to horrific displays from Raquibul Hasan and the once iconic Mohammad Ashraful. Mahmudullah’s continued disappointment with the bat and added darker shades to that fear. Hasan, the alleged anchor of Bangladesh batting was out at 18, 4 more than his first innings recital, and Ashraful gave it away at 3, exactly halving his score from his earlier heroics.

But Skipper Shakib Al Hasan managed to steady the ship with his partner Mushfiqur Rahim. Rahim, like the courageous Hobbit hero from Tolkien’s masterpieces, survived the odds and contributed valuable runs after repairing the innings once more. He has been unlucky to miss out on a couple of test fifties in this match, having scored 36 in the first and 37 in the second. Courage for this remarkable young batsman means not an absence of fear, but the will to look fear in the eye and confront it with unexpected gusto. With time firmly on his side, Rahim has a great future ahead as one of the premier specialist batsmen Bangladeshi cricket has ever produced.

Bangladesh were all out at an ambiguous 345 shortly after the necessarily more aggressive Al Hasan ended his partnership with Rahim after scoring 30. Mahmudullah, adding 8 to the 9 from this attempt, and a hobbling Mortaza with a runner, out for a duck, couldn’t strike the form needed to add the runs needed to stifle the West Indian resolve. But this collapse, in retrospect, turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it provided Bangladesh with the time they needed to bowl the opposition out.

Presented with a winning target and a big basket full of overs in hand, Windies fancied their chances for a win. Their openers punished the early indiscipline from a grunting Shahadat Hossain. His seductive array of errant deliveries was hit around the park until those became comical and seemed more like desperate cries of anguish from a severely constipated actor totally out of his element, and a few light years away from the nearest bottle of Pepto-Bismol and the packet of Orsaline in a galaxy next to it. Rubel, the other Hossain with genuine pace, didn’t fare much better as a belligerent Windies scored 20 runs in the first two overs.

Then Richards, at the moment almost as hostile and scary as the cricket god from Antigua, exposed his secret love of women’s tennis in general and Maria Sharapova in particular, and took his eyes of everything except those blonde locks in his mind. His dopey, love-struck, and lazy foray outside the crease after a leg-before appeal failed to move the imperious A. Shocka – had freakishly run him out thanks to some quick thinking from an alert Raquibul Hasan.

After catching this early break Bangladesh needed, Al Hasan came in to step on the gas, and boy, did he ever! He got a deceptively sweepable delivery to straighten, and Phillips found himself trapped in the process. From 20 for 0 in two overs to 33 for two after the fifth, West Indies found themselves in early doubt, having just four specialist batsmen in the side.

That doubt grew at an exponential rate with each delivery from Al Hasan and his band of warriors until the intense pressure from Al Hasan’s end opened the treasure chest for an increasingly aggressive Mahmudullah, growing in confidence and quality with each quality delivery of his own. The duet proved to be the beginning of the end for the hosts.

Mahmudullah scalped the next three wickets with some great deliveries. Some straightened and the others turned in like pouncing snakes from the mangrove forest of Bangladesh, and West Indies found themselves at 82 for 5 halfway through the 28th over.

West Indies were forced to change their goal of a win as they settled in to save the match. As if the last drops of hope evaporated like odd raindrops on scorching asphalt. But the stealth and venom of Bangladeshi slow bowlers, occasionally punctuated by good seam and swing from the recharged Hossains, could only delay the inevitable for the hosts until Al Hasan, the newly appointed Vice Captain filling in for debutant Skipper, applied the proverbial coup de grâce to his West Indian counterpart Darren Sammy.

Al Hasan bogged him down in fear and apprehension before luring him into a bad slice straight to point with a flat delivery between middle and off. With Sammy’s departure, Al Hasan put end to all doubt and the fat lady entered the park, going over the scales silently in her head. The end was near for West Indies as a new beginning beckoned over the Caribbean horizon for Bangladesh. We could smell the sweet fragrance of fine alluvial soil thousands of miles away from the Padma-Jamuna-Meghna-Karnafuli deltas. We could almost hear the Asiatic melody from the green pastures and paddy fields in the cusp of South and Southeast Asia.

But Bernard, ultimately not out at 52 with back to back 50s, fought on and proceeded to build a partnership with Miller. A partnership almost threatening enough to build the vague illusion of a heroic draw for the hosts. Ashraful shattered that halfhearted illusion with a quicker delivery just outside off that found its intended edge straight back to Rahim. Miller was gone and West Indies were 151 for 7 early in the 52nd over.

Mahmudullah took it from there to see Austin and Roach out before the 66th over, and Al Hasan’s sudden full toss surprised and trapped Tino Best to end the test match. After having conducted his team beautifully on the filed, Shakib Al Hasan found himself conducing the fat lady as she broke into the melody the cricket world will increasingly get used to.

Bangladesh had won the first test match by 95 runs, and the bells of jubilation resonated deep inside the collective heart of a nation of 150 million, their tears of joy flooded the universe for an unforgettable instant.

[Sohel]