Remember when Indian opener Virender Sehwag termed the Bangladesh Test side “ordinary” ahead of their first Test in Chittagong back in 2010? Sehwag said this in the pre-match press conference during their Bangladesh tour. Such remarks ahead of the Test series made the Tigers fans angry and agitated.
Despite the wrath of the avid supporters, Bangladesh were not a good Test side back then, and to make it even worse, the team failed to improve very little in the next eight years. Albeit some home wins, the level of Bangladesh’s performance in the longest format is still abysmal in reality. More than the ability, the lack of adaptability and sheer inconsistency is keeping them right at the bottom in the most respectable format of the game.
Bangladesh cricket has now transformed into a new level in the 50-over format as they have beaten stronger oppositions in the last few years at home and away in ODIs quite frequently. But the Test arena seems like a zone of discomfort for the Tigers and they have been proving themselves as callow in this trade time and time again.
Fans tend to be emotional and enthusiastic with the team but statistics are cold and numb and those hard, blunt numbers puncture the fans’ enthusiasm by showing the bleak state of the country’s Test record. The latest example is perhaps most eminent.
In a home series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh crumbled against the visitor and gave their wickets away cheaply on a relatively good batting wicket Sunday at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Zimbabwe scored 282 in their first innings and Bangladesh were bundled out for a paltry 143 after being reduced to 19/4 at one stage.
The fact that this very Zimbabwean attack faced the battering of the Tigers batsmen very recently in ODIs clearly proves Bangladesh failed to cope up in Tests more than anything. The ability of the Bangladesh batsmen is evident not only in ODIs, where they score tons of runs, but they also showed glimpses of that in the conducive conditions in Tests as well.
At the start of the year, they scored 513 and 307/5 in two innings against Sri Lanka in Chittagong but they lost their way in the second and final Test in Dhaka, getting all out for 110 and 123 in two innings there.
That lack of consistency continued abroad, where Bangladesh’s record is shambolic, as they failed to surpass even 170 in four innings during the West Indies series. Bangladesh scored 43 and 144 in the Antigua Test and 149 and 168 in the Kingston Test against the West Indies.
And now they only managed to score 143 against Zimbabwe on their home soil, Sylhet.
So Bangladesh scored 150-plus only once in their last seven innings in Test cricket.
Roach - 5/8
— ICC (@ICC) July 4, 2018
Cummins - 3/11
Holder - 2/10
Bangladesh - 43 all out! ?
Windies' pace attack batters the visitors to bowl them out for their lowest ever Test total!#WIvBAN LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/qlRpcfLorG pic.twitter.com/10FYszROJZ
If one gets back further, it will be found that Bangladesh scored 320 and 90 in Potchefstroom and 147 and 172 in Bloemfontein against the South Africans during the latter stage of 2017.
The fans may argue that the wickets and conditions in those away matches were not conducive for batting. Their logic however, will be overturned as the opponents made big scores in those aforementioned games.
Another issue may be raised that South Africa are a strong side, but the unimpressive performances against struggling Sri Lanka and fallen Zimbabwe clearly show Bangladesh’s state in Test cricket.
For that reason, the wins against Australia and England at home and against Sri Lanka away in the last couple of years proved to be exceptions, rather than achievements through continuous progress.
The country’s cricket, unfortunately, fails to become mature despite reaching almost 18 years.
Chatara: ODI batting style led to their downfall https://t.co/Jgt2FldUcH#Zimbabwe pacer Tendai #Chatara believes #Bangladesh’s ODI style batting helped Zimbabwe inflict damage in the ongoing first #Test of the two-match series at the #Sylhet International Stadium (SIS).
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) November 4, 2018
And thus Sunday, in the live commentary section of the Bangladesh v Zimbabwe Test in popular web portal ESPNcricinfo, a comment appeared in the name of Sehwag.
It said, “V Sehwag: "I would still call Bangladesh an ordinary team. They do win here and there, but that needs a lot of factors to go into their favour including toss, quality of opposition & venue, pitch. Still an ordinary team, IMHO”. After the comment, Cricinfo hyperlinked the story of Sehwag leveling Bangladesh “ordinary” back in 2010.
The recent comment may sound harsh to some fans, but Bangladesh's recent performance in Test cricket cannot stop cricketing pundits from calling it in that way.
