It has been 14 years since Bangladesh played their inaugural Test match against India at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The Tigers lost that match by nine wickets and since then, there has been a paucity of good memories for the Bangladesh cricketers. And if the recent two-match Test series against the West Indies away from home is anything to go by, it is clear that the Tigers have struggled to acclimatise themselves to the five-day game. Following a convincing 10-wicket humbling in the first Test, Bangladesh succumbed to another humiliating 296-run defeat in the second and final Test.
Bangladesh’s travails in Test cricket have been well-documented over the years. Including the second Test in the Caribbean, the Tigers have so far played 85 matches winning only four. Bangladesh have suffered the ignominy of losing 70 times among which they went down to innings defeats 34 times. The rest of the matches - 11- were drawn.
Most of the times it was observed that Bangladesh fared well in one innings only to play horribly in the next. Along with displaying a poor level of patience, the Bangladesh batsmen played unusual shots that often proved to be their undoing.
To sustain and succeed in the five-day game, it is absolutely necessary for the batsmen to be patient and apply themselves according to the situation. However, despite two or three Bangladesh batsmen possessing the required qualities, they are found to be highly inconsistent most of the times.
The latest example was clearly evident in the second Test against the West Indies in which the Bangladesh batsmen capitulated like a house of cards, whereas, on the same pitch, the hosts showed it is possible to score 380 and 269/4 (declared) provided the batters abided their time at the crease. The Tigers, however, failed to learn from their past mistakes as they were dismissed for 161 and 192 respectively.
It was painful to watch one Bangladesh batsman after another perishing after playing rash and unnecessary strokes. The main job of a batsman is to occupy the wicket for a long time and one of the best examples came in the form of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose patient, unbeaten knock of 84 from 198 balls in the first innings was followed by another undefeated century in the second innings.
Tamim Iqbal, on the other hand, exhibited quite the opposite qualities. The opener appeared well-set in both the innings after scoring 48 and 64 but throwing away his wickets hardly helped matters as the visitors suffered batting collapses when they looked good to kick on and make substantial totals.
Tamim’s example is just one among the many comedy of errors committed by different Bangladesh batsmen in their 14-year journey in Test cricket. And the most shameful aspect of the ongoing Test match were the laughters and chuckles of the West Indian fielders after the quick departures of the Bangladesh batsmen. Surely, it did not make for pleasant viewing for a Bangladeshi cricket fan following their beloved team on television.
