Sabbir Rahman: How the ‘X factor’ turns out to be negative factor
Photo - BCB , Roton Gomes
|| CF Correspondent ||
He was considered to bring up ‘X factor’ into the team, but sadly Sabbir Rahman’s presence in his first match in the World Cup turned out to be negative factor for Bangladesh.
He put down a catch of David Warner when he was on 10 and later failed to inflict a run out on Usman Khawaja--Warner plundered an epic 166 and Khawaja struck 72 ball-89 to crush Bangladesh.
Later he piled a hose of misery on him, being out for naught at a moment when the Tigers could have scared Australia more to gun down the huge 382-run target.
Even a cameo could have proved the tag of ‘X factor’ and also pushed Australia back as Aaron Finch admitted graciously they sensed something unusual when Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad came down heavily on the bowlers during their 97 ball-139 runs partnership.
If Finch’s version is taken to consideration, it is clear Australia believed they would have been upstaged and therefore Sabbir’s first ball duck hurt Bangladesh more.
And as Mashrafe believed they could have won the game, should they saved 40/50 runs, Sabbir’s catch and run-out miss hurt Bangladesh more.
Sabbir could be blamed easily but there is story behind the story—whether he really has got enough chances to preciously prove him the ‘X factor’.
Just before the World cup there was a hue and cry in the country’s cricket fraternity as BCB suddenly brought back Sabbir Rahman in the squad for the away series against New Zealnad, whereas he was serving a six months ban.
Sabbir Rahman was going through ban from September 2018 because of disciplinary issues.
Just ahead of the New Zealand tour chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu set out a bomb by saying that Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza compelled them to include Sabbir Rahman in the team.
Mashrafe himself talked about that matter. “I didn’t compel but I was interested about taking him into the team. The interest was cricketing reasons. Sabbir has that X factor. That will be needed in the World Cup. So, he will be taken into the New Zealand and cope up with the condition. “
Sabbir gave Mashrafee the reward of trust, by scoring his first ever hundred against New Zealand. And thereby he set his platform to be X factor of Bangladesh in the World Cup.
But Bangladesh selection process proved to be unpredictable like the weather of England—it didn’t take time to change in hours.
At the final against West Indies, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat scored an unbeaten 52 runs to help Bangladesh win their first multinational trophy, snatching a victory against West Indies from the jaws of the defeat.
At the absence of Shakib, Sabbir came to bat at number three in this match and was out with naught.
And Bangladesh team management then forgot he was their ‘X factor’ for the World Cup.
He was sidelined in the first four World Cup matches which adversely affected his confidence level and that was shown against Australia.
In the sixth over of Aussie innings, Warner offered a simple catch at backward point off Mashrafe’s bowling but considered as the best fielder of Bangladesh shelled the chance.
In the 26th over, when Miraz was bowling Sabbir repeated that mistake once again. In that over Usman Khawaja might fall into the trap of run out after the misunderstanding with Warner.
But Sabbir missed that simple run out opportunity of Khawaja too. He failed to pick up the ball from mid-off and throw to Mushfiq, for this Khawaja was unharmed on that incident. Later Khawaja got out at 89 runs.
Bangladesh paid heavily for these two mistakes from Sabbir which eventually resulted to an awful defeat. Those messy fielding was a mental breakdown also for a man who is always considered as the finest fielder ever the Bangladesh has produced.
The mental breakdown affected his batting also as he got out at the first ball facing from Nathan Coulter-Nile after which Bangladesh’s chances were virtually ended.
That Bangladesh scored 333-8, their ODI highest, only extended the mental agony—as “What if Sabbir could hold on the catch or could run-out Khawaja or could play a cameo.”
It is unlikely that Sabbir will get another chance unless Mossadek fails to recover but the way he was included and later discarded it only left a question -- whether Bangladesh selectors really know what they want
