Spin has always been the main weapon for Bangladesh in the international cricket arena. The dependency over the spinners becomes quite evident when one takes a look at the Tigers’ performance graph in the last few years.
Whenever a captain was desperate for wickets in a crucial moment of a game, it was a well-known trick to introduce a spinner, to be more precise, a left-arm spinner. In that respect, Bangladesh have a bucket-load of options – Shakib al Hasan, Arafat Sunny, Taijul Islam and Saqlain Sajib to name just a few.
But the year 2015 has been a breath of fresh air for Bangladesh cricket in that the pace-bowling department has overtaken the dominance of the spinners. The seamers are now playing a vital role for the side and more often than not, it is the pacers who are initiating most of the breakthroughs.
Not so long ago, there were concerns with regards to the Tigers’ pace-bowling stock. Many thought the men in red and green lacked a genuine quickie but under the captaincy of veteran pace bowler Mashrafe bin Mortaza, there are no such problems. The Tigers’ fast-bowling line-up was on song throughout last year and they are now a force to be reckoned with.
From speedster Taskin Ahmed to pace bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman, and from the indomitable Rubel Hossain to a more matured Al Amin Hossain, the Tigers have a lot of variety up their sleeve.
Bangladesh picked four pacers – Mashrafe, Rubel, Taskin and Al Amin – in their touring party for the 2015 ICC World Cup down under and initially there were slight doubts as to whether the quartet can prove their mettle against the established teams. The Tigers pacemen however, came up trumps and surprised the cricket world with their heroics.
Not only a tight line or length, the Tigers fast bowlers produced some quickfire deliveries in the global showpiece event with Rubel leading the way against Sri Lanka in the group stage. One of Rubel’s deliveries clocked 143.9 km/h as the critics were forced to sit up and take notice.
Youngster Taskin (142.8) was not far behind against the Lankans but it was Mashrafe (140.7) who caught everyone’s attention with his hunger and enthusiasm at the age of 32.
Last year, the Bangladesh bowlers picked up 136 wickets in 18 matches with the pacemen leading the chart with 84 scalps, nearly 62 percent of the total number of dismissals. And the chief architect among all the Bangladesh fast bowlers last year was undoubtedly cutter-specialist Mustafiz.
The left-arm paceman picked up a whopping 26 wickets in nine ODIs, including a five-for and a six-for in his first two appearances in 50-over cricket. In the process, the Satkhira cricketer became the first bowler in ODI history to scalp 11 wickets in his first two matches. He was duly rewarded for his brilliant form when the International Cricket Council named him in the ODI team of the year in 2015.
In order for a pack to fire from all cylinders, the leader has to show the way and Mashrafe did exactly that this year. The “Narail Express” bagged 21 wickets in 16 ODIs last year, thus showing the cricketing fraternity that age is just a number.
Rubel and Taskin, on the other hand, have fallen prey to injuries throughout the year but when the duo did play, they made their presence felt, and how!
Rubel perhaps bowled the spell of his life against England in the World Cup to help his side qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in history. His two scorching deliveries that accounted for the departures of Stuart Board and Jimmy Anderson are already the stuff of folklore.
Taskin in contrast emerged as one of the fast bowlers of the World Cup, let alone Bangladesh. His toe-crushing yorker that shattered Rohit Sharma’s timber in the quarter-final was, according to many, one of the deliveries of the tournament.
And just before the end of last year, Bangladesh discovered yet another young fast bowling talent; Comilla Victorians left-armer Abu Haider Rony. The youngster grabbed 21 wickets in 12 matches in the recently concluded third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 and thanks to his regular wicket-taking exploits, the Victorians clinched the title.
Meanwhile, the likes of Mohammad Shahid and Shafiul Islam might have been out of the limelight but one can hardly write them off, especially the former who bowled several probing spells in Tests last year.
Along with Shahid and Shafiul, there are several other fast bowlers who are currently waiting patiently for their opportunity to don the red and green jersey. Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Abul Hasan and Abu Jayed are some of the pipeline bowlers biding their time and when there are so many options available, one cannot help but feel optimistic with the future To put it in a nutshell, the Bangladesh fast bowlers were on fire last year and the Tigers fans will be hoping for more of the same this year when they take part in the ICC World T20 and Asia Cup T20, among other tournaments.