Pace-bowling pair needs to be produced: Ex-cricketer

|| CF Correspondent ||

Although it has been passed two decades in Test cricket, Bangladesh are yet to get any effective pace-bowling pair for them. The pair of Anderson-Broad stood before all as a unique example amid the nightmarish period of time.

The pair broke into the 500-Test wicket club flouting the eternal hostility with the form and fitness that made spinners ‘minority’ in the elite club. A total of four pace bowlers coupled with three spinners so far claimed 500 or more wickets in Test cricket.

Anderson was the first pace bowler who picked 600 wickets in 156 Tests. His partner Broad, on the other hand, is waiting for his triple century in a number of Test matches. He is just one Test (299) away from his credible milestone.

The pair jointly prayed for the number of wickets that astounded all across the world. Broad has grabbed 514 wickets, meaning that they have 1,114 wickets in their wicket tally.  

There is no question to be ever produced in Bangladesh like the glorious and historical pace pair. But if we look back, we can get at least two pace pairs who had potential to serve the country for the longer period.  

Taposh Boisha took 36 wickets from 21 Tests. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shadat Hossain Rajib could be the real pace pair in Bangladesh. Former captain and current BCB selector Habibul Hashar Sumon pronounced the names of another pace pair –Masharfe and Taposh Boisha, who was very much effective with the old ball.  

Former cricketers spelled out these two pace pairs and touted them as the most successful pace bowlers in Bangladesh cricket folklore.  Mashrafe (78 wickets off 36 Tests) and Shahadat (72 wickets off 38 Tests) played 74 Tests and claimed 150 wickets.

On the other hand, Mashrafe and Taposh scalped 114 wickets to play only 57 Tests for Bangladesh before their international retirement.

It’s very much tough to find any potential pair after the past couple of pace bowling pairs. Paceman Rubel Hossain, who was the hero of many matches winning bowler for Tigers in limited-overs cricket, picked 36 wickets playing 27 Tests that portraits a shaky and poor picture before all.  

Taposh in his own explanation put his finger at the cricket culture of the country. The pacer currently works in a cricket academy in New Jersey in the United States of America (USA) leaving home for foreign soil.

“You will not give pace-friendly wickets in domestic cricket. You will erect a spinning track to grip the throat of your opposition on home soil for which you will play more spinners in the games. Again, you will not pick any pacer in case of thinking to play an additional batsman in the playing XI. How is it possible to produce a pace pair after doing such things repeatedly?” Boisha said.

Habibul Bashar added another reason to Boisha, “The form and fitness are very important for the pace bowlers. There is correlation with the cricket culture of the country.”

For this, he thinks that the batting is Test out of the country is damaged. Drawing an example of his last New Zealand tour in his cricket career, Bashar said, “I went to New Zealand after playing four First Class Cricket matches. I didn’t have to face and play pace bowling more than 20 overs during those four matches. That was my preparation to address the pace attack in New Zealand.”

The preparation of long spells and long time in Test cricket has not done any of the time that usually puts an adverse situation on the pacers in domestic cricket for which it affects the potential pace bowlers and its longevity.

“We’re talking about the fitness and form of the pace bowlers. You will do better in Test cricket if you have a proper habituation to bowl 15-20 overs in domestic first class cricket tournaments. But the club’s team of the domestic cricket circuit would heavily depend on the spinners. Mashrafe has to bowl a good number of overs in overseas conditions without any effective preparation. I think there was an effect of it on his eternal injury,” he said.