Five Lessons To Learn From the Chattogram Defeat
image:- BCB
|| CF Correspondent ||
Following the ignominy of defeat against Test cricket fledglings, Afghanistan, the Tigers have much soul searching to do. We analyse five key lessons that should be learnt from the Chattogram defeat.
1. Spin is not King
Bangladesh’s strategy of producing low and slowspin friendly pitches has brought them recent spectacular one-off Test victories against England and Australia, and a series win against the West Indies. Although the Bangladesh hierarchy might point towards these results as vindication of the tactic, there has been a clear cost attached; the decline of fast bowling stocks. This was evident during recent overseas tours to South Africa and New Zealand, and in particular the World Cup in England when the lack of genuine pace and accuracy from the fast bowlers meant that picking up crucial early wickets didn’t occur, thereby exposing a brittle bowling attack.
Aside from exacerbatingstruggles in overseas conditions, the spin friendly wicket in Chattogram also played straight into the hands of the Afghani’s, their battery of precociously talented wrist spinners would have been buoyed with confidence when inspecting the pitch for the very first time. And so it proved with Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi picking up 14 of the 20 wickets claimed by the Afghans.
The fall out from the Test and the wicket produced has already begun, BCB supremo Papon appearing to be surprised and angered that such a spin friendly wicket was produced. It’s difficult to judge the honesty of such utterances, particularly as Papon would undoubtedly have had a say in selecting the all spin bowling attack. In any case, it’s inconceivable that any other Asian team, in home conditions, would field a bowling attack consisting only of spin bowlers. The nature of Test cricket has changed dramatically in the last decade, the need to nurture a well balanced bowling unit, and wickets that encourage fast bowling, has to be a priority.
2. Focus on Team Strengths, not the Opposition
On the face it, there was sound thinking in making drastic changes to the Bangladesh batting order half way through the Test; the need to protect the left handed batsmen from Nabi’s viciously spinning off breaks, the logic being that it’s easier for a right handed batsman to face a ball spinning into his pads than for a left handed batsman facing a ball spinning towards the outside edge. In many respects the change in order proved to be successful as Nabi only picked up a single wicket in the second innings with the new ball, however by unsettling the batting order to such an extent and causing confusion in the minds of the batsman the tactic didn’t really work.
Of the top eight batsmen, only Shadman Islam as opener and Mahmudullah batting at number seven, retained their positions in the second innings. Most top order Test batsmen are creatures of habit, they like to be clear about their batting position and the role expected of them. To change a batting order during a Test series and expect it to pay dividends is difficult enough, England’s travails in the Ashes perfectly demonstrate this, in this context making wholesale changes during a Test match can be seen as folly. Moreover, by focusing on negating Nabi’s threat, the Tigers also seemed to lose sight of Rashid Khan’s menace, which ultimately proved to be even more important. The value of a settled batting line up should not be underestimated in the future.
3. A Tale of Two Captains
The Chattogram Test was a special occasion as two new captains were leading their teams for the first time; in Shakib’s case although it wasn’t his first stint in charge, he was given the role ostensibly off the back of his impressive World Cup achievements, following a period of Test captaincy from Mahmudullah. Shakib has certainly matured since he was last given captaincy duties, his experience, calmness under pressure and an undisputed claim to be Bangladesh’s greatest ever player, have worked in his favour. However, in terms of being an inspirational captain, he is far from the finished article.
At times in the field Shakib appeared aloof and despite taking two quick wickets in the Afghan’s second innings and briefly threatening to drag the Tigers back into the game, he was unable to conjure a match winning spell from himself or his other bowlers. A match return of 5 wickets for 122 runs and 55 runs with the bat represent a relative failure for a cricketer with such high standards. Shakib’s biggest and perhaps match defining mistake, took place during the first ball he faced on day five after a lengthy rain delay. With 4 wickets to protect and 18.3 overs to bat out for a scarcely deserved draw, Shakib attempted to cut a ball outside his off stump when leaving it seemed the most obvious thing to do, a thin edge to the keeper all but sealing defeat for the Tigers.
In stark contrast Shakib’s opposite number led his team with energy and exuberance, his player of the match award was totally justified, for a ten wicket haul and a crucial first innings half century. Rashid Khan’s domination was encapsulated in the second innings when he struck five boundaries in one over from the youngster Nayeem Islam, by that stage Shakib had already resigned himself to a mammoth and improbable run chase. Shakib’s astuteness in the field and his ability to motivate others will need to improve if he wants to retain the captaincy.
4. Red Ball Unfamiliarity
The last time Bangladesh played Test cricket was in New Zealand, 6 months previously; there was an obvious emphasis on white ball cricket leading into the World Cup, after the end of the tournament the Tigers embarked on a three game ODI tour of Sri Lanka which provided no clear benefit to players who needed to prepare for the Chattogram Test and the Test series in India thereafter. This example of muddled planning was compounded by the difficulty some players found in transitioning from the white ball game to the red ball arena.
The difficulty was evident among batsman and bowlers; during the second innings when patience and occupying the crease should have been the priority, only the Test specialist Shadman Islam was able to apply himself to the task by facing 114 balls for his 41 runs, the next highest number of balls faced was by Soumya (59). Mosaddek’s dismissal, badly miscuing a long hop to long off, was a clear demonstration of how the mindset to bat long was missing.
Miraj’s performance with the ball also seemed to be affected by the change in format, too often the flatter trajectory favoured in white ball cricket was apparent rather than sharp spin and loop. A stronger first class competition would be a first step to rectifying these shortcomings.
5. Afghan Desire
From their demeanour on the field, it was difficult to tell which side was playing their third Test and which side contained several seasoned professionals. The Afghans were more committed and determined in their quest for victory from the outset, never allowing the Tigers back into the game once they had established a sizeable first innings lead. It was particularly disappointing to see the body language of some players in the Afghan second innings; as the lead stretched beyond 350 and the game steadily slipping away, the tv cameras caught sight of a couple of fielders play fighting during the fall of an Afghan wicket, it was a scene more reminiscent of a school playground than an international cricket match. Improving both desire and discipline will inevitably reap rewards.
There’s an awful lot of issues for the new coach, Russell Domingo, to analyse and action, his honeymoon period ending almost as soon as it began. He has the option of using this defeat as a springboard and catalyst for change, rays of sunshine are certainly there amongst the clouds, how to make them shine brightly is his mission.
