Will Bangladesh ever rise to the same level as Australia??

[nasifkhan]

yeah...Bangladesh will definetly one of the top fighting team in the next 3-4 yrs.

But equalling Australia will take 99 yrs for BD...

[Warlock]

Originally posted by tiger_man
one thing I notice in them is their high level of confidence and a strong NO to defeat....our bangladeshi players dont have the same confidence...not on the same level atleast....

True our players don't show the confidence like Lee & friends- may be one reason for that is BD people are usually humble and meek. It is valued in our society not to beat your own drums in front of the others. Our players are confident- they wouldn't have won the recent series without it- but they keep it under the surface.
The people who have seen the second ODI against India will remember the body language of our players. Bd players moved around the field like champions in that match. The Indians players were the ones who were frightened to lose and mostly had their tails between their legs. So when it matters our players know how to fight!
Md. Ashraful has said something recently like we are going to be in the top four in the next 4/5 years. 4/5 years or not- we will be there, the players have that confidence and we the fans have the faith in them. We have a very young team- but they are going to be big stars in the future. And the future is bright!

[Ahmed_B]

But why is everyone comparing the 'Current BD' with the 'Current AUS' ??

And also... I myself will not be highly disappointed if BD doesnt reach the AUS standard in the next 20-30 years or so!Coz frankly speaking...to get to that standard,some sort of 'inhuman professionalism'
(almost like a robot.. who doesnt have any emotions!) is required!

But surely I believe BD can be very near to the TOP of the chart within next 10 years or so..! and trust me, I will be very happy with that! And even from that positions... we will BEAT the Aussies on frequent occations!

So my counter-query to the Prime-ask of this thread:

"Is it Utterly Important that we must get to the standard of the Aussies?!"

if it is... then we will try for it when we are only a few steps behind that 'Final Level' .. otherwise its totally useless to talk about it now!


Edited on, February 4, 2005, 5:43 PM GMT, by crickethorizon.

[Fazal]

"Is it Utterly Important that we must get to the standard of the Aussies?!"

When in almost every aspect fo life we are closer to the bottom than top, BD cricket have given us much more that I could have imagined 10 years ago. They are the one who are moving forward, not backward.

So to answer your question, it would be nice, but not necessary for me that BD team nead to get to the standard of the Aussies.



Edited on, February 4, 2005, 4:04 PM GMT, by Fazal.
Reason: My initial comment was confusing

[CTazim]

Originally posted by tiger_man

man you listen to the tabloid news too much. and i dont think you follow much of cricket news or what goes around the world....

how can you say that Bd has beaten a 'full stength' ZM team??? first of all and like i said before ZM team has been cleaned inside out...the old cricketers like heath streak, andy flower etc are GONE!!! i would like to see aftab hit sixes and fours in streak's ball or enamul getting top wickets against andy flower...not that it's impossible but if those players were back....we would have seen a totally different stats as we see now....

so BD hasnt beaten a 'full strength' team but rather a minnow team whose quality of game has dropped well below BD players. many of the Zimb players falls in the 16-19 age group similar to bangladesh....

and dont forget that zimb team came from a long period of suspension.....therefore, i hope i have done my "research" properly

Edited on, February 4, 2005, 12:31 AM GMT, by tiger_man.

Actually, you have not done your research. Had you done so, you would not have start attacking me the way you did in your response. Which part of the plain English "BD had beaten a full strength Zimbabwe team in their own back yard" didn't you understand?

BD team defeated Zimbabwe team in ODI when they were in Zimbabwe and Heath Streak and the rebel players were playing in the Zimbabwe team. As a matter of fact BD would have won the ODI series, IMHO, had Rafiq played in the last ODI. Now, you can scream all you want and personally attack me.. but you need to do your research. This team may be a weak Zimbabwe team but in the clinical fashion in which we beat them in the last ODI tells a lot about our potential.

Again Tiger_man! Please do your research before yelling about how we beat a minnow team. Please note we had also beaten India also in one of the ODIS (you can also scream again about how weak the Indian team was at that time).

Since you started the thread. I want to make sure I understand your agenda here. Is it to insult Bangladesh? It seems by insulting me who is trying objectively to defend BD cricket you are doing exactly that. Again think before you type your response. May be taking 10 steps away from the computer before hitting the Post Reply button may help. Also, you may want to try some breathing exercise to cool yourself off before sending another reply. I know for a fact I will not reply if you will continue to insult me as I may not be able to win the argument with you as you will beat me with your experience in you know what.

[brikonwall]

Originally posted by CTazim
Actually, you have not done your research. Had you done so, you would not have start attacking me the way you did in your response. Which part of the plain English "BD had beaten a full strength Zimbabwe team in their own back yard" didn't you understand?

BD team defeated Zimbabwe team in ODI when they were in Zimbabwe and Heath Streak and the rebel players were playing in the Zimbabwe team. As a matter of fact BD would have won the ODI series, IMHO, had Rafiq played in the last ODI. Now, you can scream all you want and personally attack me.. but you need to do your research. This team may be a weak Zimbabwe team but in the clinical fashion in which we beat them in the last ODI tells a lot about our potential.

Again Tiger_man! Please do your research before yelling about how we beat a minnow team. Please note we had also beaten India also in one of the ODIS (you can also scream again about how weak the Indian team was at that time).

Since you started the thread. I want to make sure I understand your agenda here. Is it to insult Bangladesh? It seems by insulting me who is trying objectively to defend BD cricket you are doing exactly that. Again think before you type your response. May be taking 10 steps away from the computer before hitting the Post Reply button may help. Also, you may want to try some breathing exercise to cool yourself off before sending another reply. I know for a fact I will not reply if you will continue to insult me as I may not be able to win the argument with you as you will beat me with your experience in you know what.

HAIL TO YOU, MAN....I am feeling like putting you in front of Arun Lal and rip him apart with your words....good job in this response...hopefully no one is gonna argue with you that the Indian team BD beat was a horrible team...good suggestions...

[banglafan]

By the time BD gets good with the game, cricket would be extinct.
How many years do you think this game is gonna sustain with just 10 Test playing nations (8 actually)?
Even in Australia, which you guys have as the benchmark, people are not mad about cricket, like we guys are.
My personal opinion is, to make too much out of this series win is a huge delusion. I have made this mistake too. We are just getting to play some games. Will it be possible to sustain the same enthusiasm, when England kick us on our backside in between the back pockets?
Supporting our team is good, but being illogical fanatics is not the way to show patriotism.
Lets just enjoy the game, as long as we get to do it.

[brikonwall]

Originally posted by banglafan
By the time BD gets good with the game, cricket would be extinct.
How many years do you think this game is gonna sustain with just 10 Test playing nations (8 actually)?
Even in Australia, which you guys have as the benchmark, people are not mad about cricket, like we guys are.
My personal opinion is, to make too much out of this series win is a huge delusion. I have made this mistake too. We are just getting to play some games. Will it be possible to sustain the same enthusiasm, when England kick us on our backside in between the back pockets?
Supporting our team is good, but being illogical fanatics is not the way to show patriotism.
Lets just enjoy the game, as long as we get to do it.

Cricket has a better chance of surviving than a human. Because, since the birth of cricket, a LOT of people came to this world and left, but cricket still exists and ever flourishing. After reading your comments, my understanding is that you have 0% optimism about your own life. Because it doesn't sound like that you have ANY personal goal to achieve in this life (don't get mad, I am getting to my point). If you think I am wrong, then I will request you to consider your comments wrong. Because, when a human, whose survival rate is less, can have goals and ambitions, why can't that be for Bangladesh cricket? or cricket in general?

Also, we, the cricket fans, don't this think cricket will be extinct in centuries let alone few years.

Also, do you have any logical base on your following comment "just 10 Test playing nations (8 actually)?"?

[Ahmed_B]

Originally posted by banglafan
By the time BD gets good with the game, cricket would be extinct.

Why do I get a feeling that u r actually faking with ur username... pretending to be a BD fan??

great enthusiasm for the team u support(!)...keep it up!!

[CTazim]

Breathes there the man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.
-- Sir Walter Scott excerpt from the "Lay of the Last Minstrel"

[CTazim]

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 5th ODI, Harare

Zimbabwe edge the series - but Mahmud almost the unlikely hero

The Wisden Bulletin

March 14, 2004



Zimbabwe 185 for 7 (Flower 59, Rogers 54, Mahmud 4-19) beat Bangladesh 183 (Manjural 63, Sarkar 59, Flower 3-36) by three wickets, and won the series 2-1
Scorecard



ZImbabwe celebrate as Bangladesh's batsmen throw away their advantage © AFP



A captain's innings from Heath Streak - and a nervousness from Bangladesh which comes from not being used to winning - enabled Zimbabwe to scrape a three-wicket victory which had seemed highly unlikely when they slumped to 124 for 6 chasing 183 in the fifth and deciding one-day international at Harare. Zimbabwe thus sneaked the series 2-1.

Twice in this match Bangladesh had the upper hand, and both times they let the advantage slip away. When they batted, Hannan Sarkar (59) and Manjural Islam Rana (63) laid a solid foundation with a 105-run opening stand only for the middle order to blow it; then when Bangladesh fielded they had Zimbabwe on the ropes and let them off.

Khaled Mahmud, in recent months usually the villain and never the hero, was almost Bangladesh's unlikely matchwinner. His career-best 4 for 19 in 10 overs ripped through Zimbabwe's innings after Barney Rogers (54) and Grant Flower (54) had taken them to 112 for 0. Mahmud's gentle medium-pace wobblers were ideal for the overcast conditions, and in the space of 31 balls Zimbabwe had been reduced to 124 for 6, with Mahmud taking 4 for 0 in ten balls.

Streak needed someone to stay with him, and Dion Ebrahim rose to the challenge. They stopped the rot, saw off Mahmud, and then took on Bangladesh's other bowlers, who wilted under the counterattack. A moment of madness from Ebrahim, who looked for a second run which was never there and was run out for 11 (154 for 7), briefly gave Bangladesh hope, but the next over from Tapash Baisya went for ten runs and the pressure was off the batsmen again. Streak and Gary Brent had overs in hand, so didn't need to take any undue risks to ease their side home.

But Bangladesh's batsmen should have ensured that they posted a total which would have removed the pressure from their bowlers. Sarkar and Manjural batted with confidence – aided by some loose bowling and a dropped catch or two – and even though Zimbabwe's spinners slowed the run-rate, there was no excuse for the collapse that followed.

Rather strangely, Sarkar decided to try to sweep everything, and there was an inevitability in his dismissal, top-edging Ray Price to Rogers at fine leg. But then the middle order self-destructed in an orgy of inappropriate shots, and from 153 for 3 Bangladesh lost their last seven wickets for 30 runs. Barring the openers, only Rajin Saleh (21) reached double figures, while the two spinners, Price (2 for 38) and Flower (3 for 36), did the damage.

So Zimbabwe came from behind to edge the series 2-1 – the first two matches in Bulawayo were washed out – but they were thoroughly unconvincing against one-day cricket's whipping boys. If Bangladesh had shown more self-belief then they could have won all three games. As it is, they go home beaten, but having made some progress against the side they have to target as the one to which they have the best chance of passing the unwanted title of the world's worst.

© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd

[CTazim]

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Harare

Bangladesh achieve victory at last

The Wisden Bulletin by Andrew Miller

March 10, 2004



Bangladesh 238 for 7 (Habibul 61, Rajin 57) beat Zimbabwe 230 for 9 (Carlisle 71, Tareq 3-38) by 8 runs
Scorecard



Mushfiqur Rahman celebrates as Bangladesh close in on victory © Getty Images



Bangladesh have won their first international fixture since achieving Test status, after inching to an eight-run victory over Zimbabwe in a thrilling finish at Harare.

After batting first on a damp pitch, Bangladesh posted a competitive total of 238 for 7, and then bowled nervelessly under extreme pressure to resist a hard-hitting response from the Zimbabwean batsmen. With 13 runs to defend in the final over, Tareq Aziz bowled Stuart Matsikenyeri and Doug Hondo with consecutive deliveries, to prompt unfettered scenes of joy in the Bangladeshi dressing-room, not to mention among their fans back home.

Bangladesh had not won a match of any description since beating Pakistan in that now-tainted World Cup fixture in May 1999, but now, after their first two matches against Zimbabwe were washed out in Bulawayo, they have a golden opportunity to steal a series victory as well. That prospect is sure to be enhanced by the Zimbabwean weather, which has been inclement to say the least over the past few weeks.

It was with the rain in mind that Heath Streak chose to bowl first, imagining that the damp pitch would dry out over the course of the day and make batting easier in the afternoon. But Bangladesh exceeded Streak's expectations with solid performances all down their batting card. The backbone of their innings was provided by a third-wicket partnership of 114 between Rajin Saleh and Habibul Bashar, before Mohammad Ashraful creamed a 31-ball half-century to complete a satisfactory effort.

Rajin and Habibul both scored half-centuries, although Bashar's was particularly gratifying as it allowed him to forget his disappointing Test series (which included a pair at Harare) and record his first innings of note as Bangladesh captain. They came together at 20 for 2, after the early losses of Shahriar Hossain and Alok Kapali, and scored their runs at a steady pace over 28 overs. That provided the perfect platform for a late barrage of runs, and Ashraful and the two Khaleds - Mahmud and Mashud - duly obliged.

Ashraful, now firmly restored to favour after a spell on the sidelines, completed his fifty in the final over of the innings. He received excellent support from Mahmud, the recently deposed captain, who made 22 from 16 balls with two fours and six over midwicket off Doug Hondo, before being run out by a direct hit from Ray Price. It was one of three such dismissals to hamper Bangladesh's progress in the closing overs, but with Ashraful seeing the ball like a football, it made little impact on their run-rate.

In reply, Bangladesh made an excellent start as Grant Flower was trapped lbw for 2 in Tareq's second over, but it was one-way traffic thereafter as Barney Rogers and Stuart Carlisle added 109 for the second wicket. But when Mushfiqur Rahman returned to the attack, the innings was transformed. Rogers and Tatenda Taibu fell in the space of four overs, and Carlisle and Sean Ervine followed shortly afterwards (140 for 5).

Heath Streak and Dion Ebrahim fashioned a recovery of sorts, but when Ebrahim was bowled by Mohammad Rafique for 13, Zimbabwe still needed 70 runs with four wickets remaining. Streak responded with a cut for four off Kapali, and Matsikenyeri clobbered Tapash Baisya for six over square leg, but Zimbabwe were forever a boundary behind the asking rate, with overs and wickets slipping away.

The big dismissal was that of Streak, caught off a leading edge as he attempted to flick a legside full-toss from Tapash to the boundary (199 for 7). Price entered the fray and gave Bangladesh a major dose of the heebie-jeebies as he belted Mahmud for six, but they could only manage six runs from Tapash's final over. It was asking too much of Zimbabwe to recover from there, and Tareq effectively sealed the game with his final-over brace.

Zimbabwe 1 Heath Streak (capt), 2 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 3 Barney Rogers, 4 Dion Ebrahim, 5 Blessing Mahwire, 6 Stuart Carlisle, 7 Douglas Hondo, 8 Sean Ervine, 9 Raymond Price, 10 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 11 Grant Flower.

Bangladesh 1 Habibul Bashar (capt), 2 Shahriar Hossain, 3 Alok Kapali, 4 Rajin Saleh, 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Mushfiqur Rahman, 7 Khaled Mahmud, 8 Khaled Mashud (wk), 9 Mohammad Rafique, 10 Tapas Baisya, 11 Tareq Aziz.

© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd

[CTazim]

BTW there were 20 fours and 2 sixes in that Bangladesh innings against Zimbabwe and Heath Streak bowled 10 overs 2 maiden and 34 runs.. So in his other 8 overs BD did score 34 runs at a rate of 4.25.

[tiger_man]

[edit]

thanks for pointing it out....btw, two world cups ago, kenya beat west indies, (so kenya is now a roaring african tiger is it??), we got thrashed by canada and namibia in the last world cup and that was bloody embarrasing......not mentioning chaminda Vass' first over where he took 4 wickets.....

sure we beat India and zimbos this time....but thats after how many matches??? i read the stats somewhere probably in cricinfo saying bangladesh won 5 out of 100 ODI matches, [edit]?

Fine, we did beat zimbabwe (the old team) and india that did escape my head for a while, but doesnt mean that we have conquered the world....we still have a long way to go...
beating a strong team once in a while doesnt prove you anything, kenya has already proven that to us....here we have a team that doesnt even has test status but thrashed us before as if we are some prisoners or sth.....

and please dont assume that i am attacking you....when i started this thread, i merely pointed out some question regarding the future of our team...surely i can do that without having people criticizing me?? i dont even know you, so there is no reason for me to attack you, or insult you....besides i got better stuff to to do than pick on you...

as for attacking the bangladesh team....yes i am...because before this series victory they have been a source of embarrasment....and if that makes me a pessimist then i am proud to be one....

and make no mistake, from this victory, i am sure it's a new beginning for us, being pessimist doesnt mean i am over pessimist....i still have some hope and faith in the team...



Edited on, February 5, 2005, 12:04 AM GMT, by tiger_man.

Edited on, February 7, 2005, 7:15 AM GMT, by chinaman.

[AsifTheManRahman]

Originally posted by banglafan
By the time BD gets good with the game, cricket would be extinct.
How many years do you think this game is gonna sustain with just 10 Test playing nations (8 actually)?
Even in Australia, which you guys have as the benchmark, people are not mad about cricket, like we guys are.
My personal opinion is, to make too much out of this series win is a huge delusion. I have made this mistake too. We are just getting to play some games. Will it be possible to sustain the same enthusiasm, when England kick us on our backside in between the back pockets?
Supporting our team is good, but being illogical fanatics is not the way to show patriotism.
Lets just enjoy the game, as long as we get to do it.

Some pretty interesting comments. Honestly, the way things are going at the moment (the ICC's failure to spread cricket on a larger scale), it looks like cricket will in fact be extinct in a matter of a couple of decades. I mean I really don't see full stadii in countries like Australia, England and the West Indies featuring a world cup final or something of equivalent importance in the year 2050. I also think that it will take us quite some time to reach the standards of the top teams, since we have a tendancy of moving backwards a good couple of steps more than we move forward each time.

[Rubu]

to say the least, our expected level has raised a LOT. even a few days ago, our expectation was to take the test matches to 5th day, loosing below 4 wickets in first 5 overs, crossing 180 marks and so on. bangladesh might go to the level of australia, but at this point, its day dreaming. lets be more practical about our dream and target. one at a time. first chase down WI, win an odi tournament of any type and so on. teams like india or england can dream about going to the level of australia, but even that can be considered wishful thinking.............

[BangladeshFan]

[i]

Some pretty interesting comments. Honestly, the way things are going at the moment (the ICC's failure to spread cricket on a larger scale), it looks like cricket will in fact be extinct in a matter of a couple of decades. I mean I really don't see full stadii in countries like Australia, England and the West Indies featuring a world cup final or something of equivalent importance in the year 2050. I also think that it will take us quite some time to reach the standards of the top teams, since we have a tendancy of moving backwards a good couple of steps more than we move forward each time.

interesting, while i was wondering about it....... in future nearly all sports being played in the field will probably struggle surviving against electronic games.

u can play multiplayer games, even with teams of multiplayers so basically they dont need to come up in a field to play, they can sit in different continents and play from their armchairs. Frightening prospect if u think that field games will get lost forever

[Ahmed_B]

[edit]

Maan... u r so very drowned into the Crickinfo-embarracement-pool!:duh:

Probably u better stop reading crickinfo stuff if u can't withstand the moronic level of bashing they usually publish against BD..

Edited on, February 7, 2005, 7:17 AM GMT, by chinaman.

[banglafan]

Cricket has a better chance of surviving than a human. Because, since the birth of cricket, a LOT of people came to this world and left, but cricket still exists and ever flourishing. After reading your comments, my understanding is that you have 0% optimism about your own life. Because it doesn't sound like that you have ANY personal goal to achieve in this life (don't get mad, I am getting to my point). If you think I am wrong, then I will request you to consider your comments wrong. Because, when a human, whose survival rate is less, can have goals and ambitions, why can't that be for Bangladesh cricket? or cricket in general?

Also, we, the cricket fans, don't this think cricket will be extinct in centuries let alone few years.

Also, do you have any logical base on your following comment "just 10 Test playing nations (8 actually)?"? [/quote]

First of all, you need not have brought my personal life or optimism level into the picture. I m not gonna be immature in trying to prove that I have a better life or I m more optimistic than you. Lets stick to cricket.
What I said was my personal opinion about what is happening to the game. Cricket has come from 6-days test to 20-20. I can only laugh when you say that cricket is eternal than human life. And when I say that there are only 8 test playing nations, I meant how many tests do BD and Zim get to play in a year?
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you should also try to understand that people have their own views and they might not be on your side always. If there aren't any differences then what is the point in a forum? If you cant take it, then I m sorry. I dont want to argue any further.

[Ameer]

No teams have ever been at this level that Australia is at right now. Of course Bangladesh can't. Not for a long time anyway.

[tiger_man]

Edited on, February 6, 2005, 12:36 AM GMT, by tiger_man.

[tiger_man]

Originally posted by Ameer
No teams have ever been at this level that Australia is at right now. Of course Bangladesh can't. Not for a long time anyway.

thank you my friend.....finally there is someone who can think like me..

i cant picture kahled masud wicket keeping like gilchrist, ashraful hitting like ponting, OR enamul spinning like warne,

true they have just started but few people can play with the same level as these players i have mentioned....and dont forget Aussie's A-team is also too good for us and maybe their U19 can atleast put up a good fight....

joy bangla
joy bongobondhu

[tiger_man]

[edit]

if you live in overseas, cricinfo and its slow update is the best you can get...."the most comprehensive coverage of cricket" my [edit].

Edited on, February 7, 2005, 7:13 AM GMT, by chinaman.

[cricketboy]

It has been only 4 years and we should give Bangladesh more time and inshallah we will be competitive. It is dissapointing that people like Geoffrey Boycott (who is India's pupet-lolz) telling that bangladesh should be eliminated from test arena.

[Ahmed_B]

Originally posted by tiger_man
if you live in overseas, cricinfo and its slow update is the best you can get...."the most comprehensive coverage of cricket" my [edit].

I can understand man... I can unerstand...

so the reason behind your depression isn't very obscure after all..
after all... you r one die-hard Crickinfo follower.. how much enthusiastic about BD cricket can u be?!
not unexpected at all!

Originally posted by tiger_man

thank you my friend.....finally there is someone who can think like me...

If u look back in this thread with a better attension... u will find quite a few more ppl who thinks the same... that it's almost near to impossible for BD to get to AUS level... atleast in a pretty long future. But hei.. u will also find that no one is really as depressed as you are about it!
Chill out man!!

Originally posted by tiger_man
true they have just started but few people can play with the same level as these players i have mentioned....and dont forget Aussie's A-team is also too good for us and maybe their U19 can atleast put up a good fight....

By the way... r u unaware that BD U-19 defeated the AUS U-19s in the very recent U-19 WORLD CUP Plate final??:duh:
Or r u again in the same kinda 'Research' problem about it as u were about BD beating ZIMs in they backyard?!?


Edited on, February 6, 2005, 9:53 AM GMT, by crickethorizon.

Edited on, February 7, 2005, 7:12 AM GMT, by chinaman.