Bishwajit Roy

Never failing to excavate positives from the deepest of holes following disastrous performances is probably the only persistent thing about Bangladesh’s cricket. So, walking on the same line as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), let’s begin by finding some positives from the inclusion of Shuvagata Hom in the preliminary 21-member Test squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.

The Tigers sit at 30-0 after a crushing 66-run New Zealand win in the first of the three-match T20I series at the Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday. It was the Tigers’ 30th international match across all formats against the Black Caps in their backyard and the outcome was as similar as it was in the other all games.

Around the time that the Tigers reached Wellington yesterday -- again aiming to clinch their first-ever win against New Zealand in their backyard when they play the last ODI of the three-match series on Friday -- Shakib Al Hasan was getting back to business and preparing himself for the upcoming Indian Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after returning home from the United States on Monday night.

“Catches win matches” is one of the oldest adages in cricket. There are several occasions when catches have won matches and dropped catches have cost matches.

There is never a dull moment in Bangladesh cricket and one does not always have to wait for sporadic on-field successes for excitement.

The tragic demise of a young cricketer because he could not quite crack it at the highest level brought to mind the forays of an all-time great -- former Australia skipper Steve Waugh’s journey earlier this year through India with a camera to rediscover the joys of cricket, the love that keeps an entire population agog.

The postponement of the tour of Sri Lanka is a big blow for Bangladesh cricket in terms of returning to international cricket, if not a return to any sort of competitive cricket amid the prolonged coronavirus-induced suspension.

“I believe my product (football) will be good in future,” legendary footballer Kazi Salahuddin commented during an exclusive interview with The Daily Star two months after he was elected for his first term as president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in 2008. He added he was treating the high expectations like an extra challenge rather than a burden.

“The tough part for anyone is changing lifelong habits, but you can never underestimate the human mind’s ability to adapt to any crisis or any changing situation, which has been proven time and again throughout human history.”

There are a lot of risks and fears as the coronavirus situation in the country is not improving much. Still, life is going on and people from different walks of life are trying to find ways to survive in the new normal.

The great Eduardo Galeano, in his masterpiece ‘Football in Sun and Shadow’, wrote that “playing without their fans (club fans) is like dancing without music”.

It could be said that the ‘fearless’ version of the Tigers first appeared when Habibul Bashar led Bangladesh to a five-wicket win over India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad in the 2007 World Cup.

Like most other sports, all on-field activities in cricket have been suspended the world over due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Why is only Test cricket being remembered?” The grandson suddenly asked this question of his grandfather while he was minutely reading every line of a report in the newspaper where a cricket legend has recalled a great Test knock from another modern-day great in order to encourage people and remind them of the need to maintain discipline in the fight against Covid-19.

The Young Tigers’ World Cup triumph, the guarded approach from the Bangladesh Cricket Board following that historic result and, most importantly, the players’ willingness to keep their feet on the ground -- all of these factors have created a positive vibe in the country’s cricket.

Nobody wants to hear something out of tune in times of joyful celebration. The Akbar Ali-led Bangladesh Under-19 team has captivated the cricket-mad nation with a World Cup triumph in South Africa.

No more agony, no more heartbreak against India. The Young Tigers created arguably the most seminal moment in its cricketing history at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom yesterday, ending their wait for a major global trophy.

Who cares about the Third Division Cricket League these days, when fans, officials and media are mostly engrossed in international cricket? But this season’s domestic lower-tier competition has still gotten plenty of attention enough attention. But, alas, the spotlight has been shone for all the wrong reasons.

The current problem in Bangladesh cricket is a multifaceted one. The national team’s struggle to reach a desired international level especially in Test cricket, a lack of foresight in planning towards future targets, alleged corruption in lower-tier cricket are just a few of the problems.

“I cannot imagine what I am dealing with. I can only say that it’s not normal.”