The thumping victory of Bangladesh Tigers in the three ODIs (One Day International) and the T-20 over the much-vaunted Pakistan cricket team has made the nation proud - very proud indeed. It truly mirrors the spectacular achievements made by Bangladesh in terms of economic growth, spread of literacy, delivery of health services and promotion of social welfare.
Unfortunately, Bangladesh has had the misfortune of being at the receiving end of uncharitable comments, often vindictive ones, from all quarters with regard to the standard of cricket it plays. With a few honourable exceptions, commentators and stalwarts in the world of cricket frequently join in the chorus to undermine Bangladesh. Curiously, the chorus is orchestrated by our two neighbours -- Pakistan and India. They do not appear to know a better word than minnows for Bangladesh and are found shedding tears for desecrating the hallowed world of cricket by enlisting it as a test playing nation.
Before Bangladesh got rid of Pakistanis in 1971, they consciously stifled the growth of cricket in what was East Pakistan. I remember that once in a while a Bengali named Daulat or something like that used to be inducted as twelfth man. He spent his charmed life supplying water to the Pakistan team at drinks break or replacing broken bats.
On their first visit to Bangladesh sometimes in the seventies to play a Test match at Chittagong, Miandad, as his wont, made indecent aspersion on Bangladesh's independence. The Chittagong boys, on their part, did not let him go unpunished. The enigmatic and arrogant Imran Khan had once advised Bangladesh to play football instead of cricket. Another Khan, this one from the current crop, Yunus Khan echoed his predecessor to question the quality of Bangladesh cricket and the rationale for giving it the Test status.
Pakistani ex-cricketer Ramiz Raza, with an eye on his job in Star Sports, does not miss an opportunity to ostracise Bangladesh and its cricket. His animosity towards Bangladesh cricket reached a new high during their Pool A opener against Afghanistan in the last World Cup at Canberra. He maintained his uncouth tantrums against Bangladesh and transcended the border of decency by straying on a subject far removed from cricket - the notorious traffic jam of Dhaka. Fortunately, Sourav Ganguly, one of a very few well-wishers of Bangladesh cricket, reminded him that Dhaka was also a city of sweets and famous for hospitality.
Most other Indians are not as generous as Sourav. After the debacle of what they thought as their dream team in CWC2007 in the Caribbean their hostility towards Bangladesh has reached a new height. It is true that an Indian, Jagmohan Dalmiya, chaperoned Bangladesh to the dormitory of Test playing nations, but most Indian commentators have made Bangladesh bashing as their life-long mission. The pack is led by a joker in the person of Navojit Singh Siddhu whose theatrics could easily qualify him for a permanent seat in the lunatic asylum but he is there because the Star Sports think that you need a comedian to amuse the partisan Indian viewers with his uncanny antics when their chips are down.
The recent entrant in the group is one nondescript ex-cricketer named Akash Chopra. In the last World Cup, he put himself in the line of fire by misinterpreting the lap of honour performed by the Bangladesh team to express gratitude to Bangladesh diaspora who had travelled long distances to witness the opening match with Afghanistan. Aakash tweeted in his official account, "Bangla Tigers took a victory lap after winning the game...yes, after beating Afghanistan."
And Sehwag, who was licking the wounds inflicted by Bangladesh team in the Caribbean in 2007, left no one in doubt about his uncivil manner. On the eve of the first Test in Chittagong a few years back he conjectured, "Bangladesh are an ordinary side. They can't beat India because they can't take 20 wickets." Sledging is one thing, but why do you need to show your arrogance so blatantly?
The Caribbean fallout also saw a member of the fair sex - Mandira Devi - constantly spewing venoms against Bangladesh team at every opportune moment. She was seen loudly screaming to encourage Bermuda to beat Bangladesh. To her dismay, the Bermudans did not oblige and the dream team's dream remained only a nightmare.
You will not also miss their peers beyond the sub-continental horizon. I remember that when the Bangladesh team was leaving for Australia to play a Test series in 2003 the Australian press was speculating on how a Test match with Bangladesh could be finished in one day - bat first and make three hundred run before lunch and after declaration bowl out Bangladesh twice in the remaining two sessions. At the end of the series, however, the Australian captain, one of the Waugh brothers, conceded that Bangladesh was better than Pakistan and West Indies.
English are known to be rather circumspect but not Sir Geoffrey Boycott. In a lecture in 2005 named after Colin Cowdrey he boasted, "My mum would have scored runs and taken wickets against the Bangladeshis. She'd have wanted to bat and bowl at both ends!" His uncharitable thoughts so incensed Tamim Iqbal in 2005 that he could not sleep at night and next day hammered a century in the Test match at Lords.
Since his lecture Bangladesh has drubbed England many times over - three out of last four ODIs. Most humiliating was England's capitulation to Bangladesh in the last two CWCs. After the latest drubbing in Australia Sir Boycott finally ate his own words by conceding that, "Bangladesh were superb and played with confidence, passion, intensity and self-belief. Well done''.
Bangladesh's achievements in ODIs within a short time are spectacular. It has defeated every cricketing nation. It won ODI series twice against higher-ranked West Indies and twice Banglawashed powerful New Zealand with seven wins in a row. Bangladesh also came precariously close to make it eight in CWC 2015.
Bangladesh did not have enough opportunity to hone up its skill in the longer version - the Test cricket. Even then it thrashed Zimbabwe many times over and won two series against the Caribbeans, the last one comprising full strength West Indian outfit. Bangladesh came close to beating Australia at Fatullah and Pakistan in their own den at Multan. With its renewed confidence Bangladesh is now all set to take on other Test playing nations.
The last few days has seen helpless capitulation of 'invincible' Pakistan to the Bangladesh team in the three ODIs. The excuses we heard were rebuilding process of Pakistan team, absence of senior players, young team etc. We were told that T-20 was a different ball game and the Boom Boom Afridi and other senior players would join in the melee to teach Bangladesh a lesson on how to play this shortest version of cricket. Well, in this ball game too, the drubbings were more severe than the ODIs mostly by two youngster, hardly out of their teens - Mustafizur and Sabbir. True, Afridi was unlucky but how would you account for 49 dot balls in T-20 or ruthless hammering of frontline bowlers by teenager Sabbir.
The bottom line is that time changes and Bangladesh has changed. We would hope that others would accept the reality that Bangladesh is no longer a pushover. The mutual hatred and belligerence should give way to cooperation in the cricketing community to enlarge its horizon across nations and territories.
The writer is a retired banker. [email protected]
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