Following the Tigers’ brilliant display in the 2015 ICC World Cup where they reached the quarter-final for the very first time in the history of the flagship event, many thought the fearless Bangladesh side would be unable to sustain their superb run or their attacking brand of cricket in the ensuing series.
Even ODI captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza mentioned after their World Cup triumph that their main challenge would be to continue their streak of consistency and prove that their appearance in the last eight was no fluke.
The Tigers have beaten the established powers several times in the near and distant past but the main area of concern was still their inconsistency. The cricketers somewhat put paid to all the doubts as they swept Pakistan 3-0 in the three-ODI series. However, the reason why the cricketing fraternity did not sit up and take notice was due to the transitional phase that the Pakistan side were going through.
One party that did pay attention to Bangladesh’s recent run of impressive results was the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCCI might have sent a second-string side to Bangladesh last year but they committed no such mistake this time around as they named a full-strength team for the solitary Test and three ODIs against their neighbours.
However, it made no difference as the Tigers thumped the visitors in the first two ODIs and sealed the series. This time, the cricket pundits all over the globe paid heed to their clinical displays and praised the whole-hearted commitment exhibited by the Bangladesh cricketers.
Chief among them is youngster Mustafizur Rahman, who has been the find of the series for the Tigers. The 19-year old announced himself in a grand manner, picking up 13 wickets in three ODIs and registering a host of records. In a country dominated by right-arm pacemen, Mustafizur’s arrival has been a breath of fresh air.
Besides Mustafizur, the rest of the pace-bowling department have also played their part and put their hands up when the going got tough. Usually a spin-dependent nation, Bangladesh surprised everyone by naming four seamers in their line-up in the first two ODIs with Mashrafe, Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed lending valuable support to Mustafizur.
In contrast, the Tigers’ batting department has been a relative let-down. Soumya Sarkar and Shakib al Hasan are perhaps the only exceptions, having totalled 128 and 123 runs respectively in the three-ODI series.
Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had a great time with the bat in the Pakistan series, disappointed the home crowd, having scored only 78 and 69 runs respectively.
The positive and attacking intent might have been expected from seniors like Tamim and Shakib but they were instead provided by promising youngsters Soumya, Sabbir Rahman, Liton Kumar Das and Nasir Hossain as they added a new dimension to the Tigers’ set-up.
However, there is still room for improvement ahead of the bilateral home series against South Africa comprising two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs. The Tigers faithful though can rest assured knowing that the Bangladesh cricketers will leave no stone unturned in their preparation for the South Africa series.