Abid, an old-school student teaches ‘Adu bhais’ of Tests a lesson
Even 'Adu bhai' got promoted before his death and one wonders whether the ultimate 'Adu bhai' of Tests will be able to do that
Pakistan opener Abid Ali was named man of the match after their eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong Tuesday AFP
Syed Faiz Ahmed from Chittagong
Publish : 30 Nov 2021, 08:29 PMUpdate : 25 Dec 2021, 11:03 AM
It was the second afternoon of the Test match at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city.
From a vantage point of the cozy press box it was a sort of nostalgic feeling watching cricket being played with red ball and white dresses.
The serenity and the slowness of the game would remind the classic picture of an English game that has been eulogized by romantics over the centuries.
Indeed the inception of white-ball cricket with colorful dresses - first ODI and then T20 - has added colors, speed and different kinds of excitement to the game and has also effected the five-day matches in many aspects.
Yet, the old-school approach, the grittiness and attrition often triumph over the exuberance and flashiness of new era.
It all of a sudden seemed a master of the old school was teaching lessons to some folks who just do not know how to play the longest format of the game.
Abid Ali, the old-fashioned Pakistani opener, has been adjudged man of the match in the first Test against Bangladesh at ZACS and the right-hander not only scored a total of 224 runs (133 and 91) but also consumed 430 balls as the hosts toiled away.
Throughout the final two sessions Abid and his 22-year old rookie partner Abdullah Shafique played with grit, waited for the loose ball and their paramount focus was saving their wickets.
Bangladeshi bowlers felt the direct pain and agony but it was a big lesson for the batsmen, especially the top-order ones who surrendered meekly a day ago to the Pakistani pacers.
But they did not seem to learn at all as it was evident in the next evening.
After a brilliant Taijul Islam show that not only broke the stubborn openers but also wrecked havoc among the Pakistan ranks to earn a vital lead, the Bangladesh top-order once again showed its inability.
It was yet another Test defeat for Bangladesh on a good track despite showcasing some brilliant individual skills, in this certain case from Taijul and Liton Das.
But in the grander perspective, was it only their fault?
Or are they scapegoat of a system that hardly knows how to play Test cricket or having any pragmatic plan of going forward?
For eternity, the cricketing fraternity has been asking to strengthen the domestic circuit but the authorities never seem to pay any heed as they always go for short-term solutions.
For instant, after the end of day’s play the selectors decided to include Mohammad Naim, who has not played any recognized red-ball cricket for almost two years and groomed as a white ball cricketer, in the squad for the Dhaka Test.
The technique and temperament of the likes of Saif Hasan, Shadman Islam and others is not up to the Test mark but they hardly get any opportunity to hone their skills and become hapless sacrifices in the alter of Test cricket where the likes of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi make feast of them.
Going back to Abid, he has been a proven first-class player who has amassed over 6,000 runs in that format before making his international debut at the ripe age of 32.
However, after his late debut he seems to be a man on a mission as he has already scored 1,141 runs from 15 matches including four centuries at an average of almost 50.
And he is clear about his vision.
“I am happy to score the hundred. The credit for my performance goes to my domestic season. I gained confidence by doing well in domestic cricket and came here carrying that confidence,” said Abid after the match on the final day.
The Bangladeshi fans may remember the recent retirement of Tushar Imran, the most prolific run-scorer in first-class circuit of Bangladesh.
Tushar, who last played a Test in his five-match career in 2007, did not ever get any chance for Bangladesh despite scoring around 9,000 runs since then in a career that saw him accumulate around 12,000 runs.
One may argue, the lack of quality in first-class is the reason why players like Tushar did not get chances in Tests, but without improving that, parachuting players like Naim and hoping for good result is, as the saying goes, doing same thing again and again and hoping for different result is insanity.
For the cricket-loving nation it would be ego hurting to see the team still not knowing how to play cricket in over two decades and after every ignominy they utter like a broken record “We are still learning..blah...blah...".
Perhaps it would be more shameful to see a Pakistani batsman teaching the lesson not only to the players but also the whole system.
It seems Bangladesh cricket idolizes Adu bhai, a legendary fictional character in Bangla literature who throughout his life stayed in the same class of the school failing the exams.
But even Adu bhai got promoted before his death and one wonders whether the ultimate Adu bhai of cricket will even be able to do that.
Abid, an old-school student teaches ‘Adu bhais’ of Tests a lesson
It was the second afternoon of the Test match at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city.
From a vantage point of the cozy press box it was a sort of nostalgic feeling watching cricket being played with red ball and white dresses.
The serenity and the slowness of the game would remind the classic picture of an English game that has been eulogized by romantics over the centuries.
Indeed the inception of white-ball cricket with colorful dresses - first ODI and then T20 - has added colors, speed and different kinds of excitement to the game and has also effected the five-day matches in many aspects.
Yet, the old-school approach, the grittiness and attrition often triumph over the exuberance and flashiness of new era.
It all of a sudden seemed a master of the old school was teaching lessons to some folks who just do not know how to play the longest format of the game.
Abid Ali, the old-fashioned Pakistani opener, has been adjudged man of the match in the first Test against Bangladesh at ZACS and the right-hander not only scored a total of 224 runs (133 and 91) but also consumed 430 balls as the hosts toiled away.
Throughout the final two sessions Abid and his 22-year old rookie partner Abdullah Shafique played with grit, waited for the loose ball and their paramount focus was saving their wickets.
Bangladeshi bowlers felt the direct pain and agony but it was a big lesson for the batsmen, especially the top-order ones who surrendered meekly a day ago to the Pakistani pacers.
But they did not seem to learn at all as it was evident in the next evening.
After a brilliant Taijul Islam show that not only broke the stubborn openers but also wrecked havoc among the Pakistan ranks to earn a vital lead, the Bangladesh top-order once again showed its inability.
It was yet another Test defeat for Bangladesh on a good track despite showcasing some brilliant individual skills, in this certain case from Taijul and Liton Das.
But in the grander perspective, was it only their fault?
Or are they scapegoat of a system that hardly knows how to play Test cricket or having any pragmatic plan of going forward?
For eternity, the cricketing fraternity has been asking to strengthen the domestic circuit but the authorities never seem to pay any heed as they always go for short-term solutions.
For instant, after the end of day’s play the selectors decided to include Mohammad Naim, who has not played any recognized red-ball cricket for almost two years and groomed as a white ball cricketer, in the squad for the Dhaka Test.
The technique and temperament of the likes of Saif Hasan, Shadman Islam and others is not up to the Test mark but they hardly get any opportunity to hone their skills and become hapless sacrifices in the alter of Test cricket where the likes of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi make feast of them.
Going back to Abid, he has been a proven first-class player who has amassed over 6,000 runs in that format before making his international debut at the ripe age of 32.
However, after his late debut he seems to be a man on a mission as he has already scored 1,141 runs from 15 matches including four centuries at an average of almost 50.
And he is clear about his vision.
“I am happy to score the hundred. The credit for my performance goes to my domestic season. I gained confidence by doing well in domestic cricket and came here carrying that confidence,” said Abid after the match on the final day.
The Bangladeshi fans may remember the recent retirement of Tushar Imran, the most prolific run-scorer in first-class circuit of Bangladesh.
Tushar, who last played a Test in his five-match career in 2007, did not ever get any chance for Bangladesh despite scoring around 9,000 runs since then in a career that saw him accumulate around 12,000 runs.
One may argue, the lack of quality in first-class is the reason why players like Tushar did not get chances in Tests, but without improving that, parachuting players like Naim and hoping for good result is, as the saying goes, doing same thing again and again and hoping for different result is insanity.
For the cricket-loving nation it would be ego hurting to see the team still not knowing how to play cricket in over two decades and after every ignominy they utter like a broken record “We are still learning..blah...blah...".
Perhaps it would be more shameful to see a Pakistani batsman teaching the lesson not only to the players but also the whole system.
It seems Bangladesh cricket idolizes Adu bhai, a legendary fictional character in Bangla literature who throughout his life stayed in the same class of the school failing the exams.
But even Adu bhai got promoted before his death and one wonders whether the ultimate Adu bhai of cricket will even be able to do that.
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