Eighty-five matches. 4 victories. 11 draws. 70 losses, 36 of those being innings defeats. We’ve crossed 400 in an innings only eleven times. We’ve been dismissed for under 150 some 37 times.
Let those numbers sink in a bit.
Bangladeshis have never been the most patient people, and I don’t believe I’m overstepping my boundaries when I say that Test cricket isn’t exactly worshipped and lauded as the shorter forms of cricket are (unfortunately). However, just about every Bangladeshi citizen remotely interested in cricket must have jumped with joy when, approximately 14 years ago, Bangladesh first gained test status. Why, you ask? Well that’s because this was us getting recognised, part of the “big boys,” the elite, the crème de la crème, etc etc.
Friday, November 10, 2000 saw for the first time our boys going onto the international stage wearing white – the symbolic colour of choice for Test matches. Our opposition – the mighty Indians, with a batting line up that had Ganguly, Dravid, and Tendulkar, and a bowling lineup boasting Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath. We won the toss, chose to bat, and to everyone’s surprise, did brilliantly! Aminul Islam struck a wonderful 145 on his debut as we reached 400 – an impressive debut total for the team.
I remember the headlines lauding and praising the Tigers for their ability and grit, and it seemed that we would take to Test cricket like a fish to water. A good batting pitch meant that India posted an equally impressive 429, but only 29 runs with a six wicket haul for Naimur Rahman was further sign of encouragement for the young side. But that … was the end of it, or rather, the “true” beginning. We were bundled out for 91 in the second innings, with all the Indian bowlers having a field day. We lost the match on the fourth day, by nine wickets.
That was 14 years ago. Our recent abomination on the tour of West Indies is just another chapter in an agonisingly long series of defeat after humiliating defeat. There have been numerous coaches, captains, and sets of players. There have been countless sessions of brainstorming and discussions.
There have been glimpses of positives, instantly raising expectations tenfold in this cricket-crazy nation. Yet, the numbers are there for all to see. Four wins and two series wins in the last 14 years. Clearly, we’re not moving anywhere.
There’s talk of the past, of other teams who have played for more years to get their first win. But this is hardly a viable excuse. Failures shouldn’t be examples to look at. The investment made for cricket isn’t paltry, and there’s no dearth of hunger to succeed. Yet, we continue to languish in mediocrity, really showing no marked sign of improvement.
There’s obviously a ton of things I could say about how we could go about making an improvement. So could most people of this country. But that’s not what this piece is about. This article is simply about our inception, and our subsequent lack of evolution. It’s to boldly state that we’re living a lie that we really are part of the elite. It’s me accusing the general public of not really being interested in the visual aspect of Test cricket at all, just the results and the eventual criticism that follows.
It’s a plea to the masses to not get emotional and teary-eyed when legends such as Shane Warne and Virendar Sehwag criticise our team and say we don’t belong. It’s me launching a tirade against the players who lose their head time and time again from a solid foundation, and crumble faster than a freshly baked cookie.
This is me saying our players need to mature, and mature a lot before we can even think about competing against the other internationals in Test cricket. It’s called Test cricket for a reason, and we’ve come nowhere close to the passing grade.