The designer nuts and the fancy bolts are firmly in place, the circus is well and truly in town and the coming of age party for Bangladesh cricket is now about to begin. Notwithstanding the fact that on Thursday the 14 captains in this competition were ferried into the Bangabandhu Stadium on the slowest mode of transport on Dhaka streets, life promises to be frenetic and frantic over the next month and a half. Bangladesh take on India today. The two teams had met only once in the World Cup, back in 2007. As is possible only in cricket, roles were reversed. India the potential champions of that tournament booked early flights home as chastened, dare I say the word, wannabes. Bangladesh, undisputed minnows in that competition, suddenly had its 15 minutes of fame heaped on its team. The Tigers may be endangered in the Sunderbans, but not so anymore in world cricket. And there should this story, chapter and verse end. Granted we have them in our own backyard so to speak, but this is a new day, a new age, a different format. Let’s erase that match from memory, because for sure things will be very different now. Contrasting performances in the lead up practice matches paint interesting pictures. India utilised those two opportunities to look long and hard at its batting and bowling. Against Australia the spinners defended a modest total, while against New Zealand, the mean machine fired on most of its cylinders to post 360 odd on the board in spite of the fact that Sehwag and Tendulkar forgot to get going. Which is somewhat worrying. For Bangladesh that is. Usually payback is on somebody else’s account. The new ball is likely to pose more than a few problems in the hand of Zaheer Khan, while the spin is varied and wily in the likes of Harbhajan, Chawla and Yuvraj, should he get a look in. Wonder of wonders they are even carrying Ashwin and Pathan as offies! On subcontinental wickets men like Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Raina and Dhoni, with the explosive Pathan as back up, are more than a threat for any attack, so runs are there for the asking. What will be interesting are the sort of questions that are posed by the Tigers. The two practice matches for Bangladesh were against diverse opposition and the results inconclusive, aside from the fact that more work remains on the drawing boards. Hopefully, the team had not been too distracted by the Mashrafe saga and has its battle plans ready. In Tamim, the Bangladesh line up has a more than competent counterpoint to the aggression of Sehwag. It is of importance that the rest of the order stands up to be counted. While there may be an agenda to have Mushfiqur at number 4, it escapes me at the moment. With Rakibul, Shakib, Ash (what I won’t give to have this man fire again on the biggest stage of them all), Junaed, and possibly Riyad to follow, it’s a decent batting order. The bowling, while certainly not likely to set the Buriganga on fire, is spin dependent and perhaps a little too predictable. Much is expected of Shafiul and early breakthroughs are the key for the rest of the day. The Tigers are up against a thoroughly professional side who have been around in this kind of rarified atmosphere of the game. More importantly, do they have a point to prove? Not really, they go about their business, not necessarily unobtrusively, but certainly with conviction. And what of the Tigers? In the Sunderbans and where they come from, once a man eater, always a man eater. Wishful thinking perhaps. Not so the fact, teams taking on the Tigers nowadays need to play at their best to get the better of them. Grudging or otherwise, the Tigers have earned the respect of their opponents. Even before the first ball is bowled, this itself is a victory of sorts.
Author : Shakil Kasem