Asia Cup and Bangladesh
পোস্টটি ৪৩০৬ বার পঠিত হয়েছে
Yes We Can
Asia cup has been the only tournament where Bangladesh has shown some sort of consistency in the last couple of occasions. Though we have not been able to win the tournament, reaching the final two times out of the last three editions and being one of the finalists of this edition, mean Bangladesh earned the respect to be one of the better teams of Asia. This tournament also taught us to believe in our cricket team - 'Yes we can'. The world saw how Bangladesh fought hard neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder with the powerhouses of Asia. And now, world champions like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - all know in our day we have the capability to beat any team.
We lost both the finals of 2012 and 2016, but both the times we learned something. We learned how to hold our nerves and believe in ourselves. We learned how it is not done until it is finished. We learned how we can make a come back out of nowhere. And the result? Well, there are lots of instances, but let us consider the latest one against Afghanistan in the second round of this year's Asia cup. When Nabi hit the six off Shakib, the equation was 12 runs required off 10 balls with 5 wickets in hand. Any person who follows cricket, even slightly, would say it is a piece of cake all days of the week. But, because of the previous similar occasions, Bangladesh team did not lose hope. The rest is history. Another instance, that will remind us 'Yes we can'.
Asia Cup 2018
This year's Asia cup is somewhat different for Bangladesh than the previous editions. First of all, the standard of the tournament has gone up. Except for Hong Kong, all the five teams had the potential to reach the final. Even that Hong Kong gave a hard time to India. Afghanistan is far better and consistent team than any previous tournaments. Pakistan, just won the Champions trophy last year and proved they are still the consistently inconsistent team and if in form, they can beat any opponent. So, with those higher level of cricket, Bangladesh faced more difficulty when we found ourselves without Tamim and Shakib. Though Shakib was out of the team for several occasions due to injury, Bangladesh has hardly played without Tamim. This tournament has been a great example to know the importance of Tamim and also an eye-opener that we need to find out a consistent replacement of Tamim for the future. Liton Das, always looks in good touch but still could not establish a good average in any format of the game. In this tournament also, he only managed one considerable innings of 41 runs against Afghanistan out of 5 innings. The newcomer Nazmul Hossain Shanto was also unable to show any sign of consistency in his three innings. Sudden inclusion of Soumya and his five ball duck to his return were signs that he has not been able to correct his mistakes. Regarding Shakib's absence, he was just starting to play in number three position to offer a more matured role in batting. And now, the exclusion of Shakib meant, it was hard to fill in his shoes in the potential Semi-final against Pakistan. And, it will be more challenging in the Final to delegate his responsibilities as India has stronger batting and bowling line up. There is no All-rounder replacement of Shakib in the Bangladesh squad. So, Bangladesh has to work out the team combination to fill in the void.
The Positives of Asia Cup 2018
In all the five matches, Bangladesh's top order failed disastrously. Still, Bangladesh was able to manage a formidable total on three occasions and won all three matches. Besides the consistent performances of Mushfiq and Mahmudullah, Mithun showed he can be a good middle order batsman with proper guidance. His partnerships of 132 and 144 with Mushfiq gave us ways to come back from difficult conditions. If he does not give away his wicket, he can be very dependable in the middle order. Though Mahmudullah was not up to his level, he showed his natural consistency. And when Bangladesh was in deep trouble against Afghanistan in a potential must-win game, his calm and calculated approach provided the much needed come back. His record-breaking partnership of 128 with Imrul Kayes gave the team hope and resource to fight back. Imrul Kayes also proved his sudden inclusion did not go in vain.
To the contrast of the batting, Bangladesh's bowling was much more consistent all through the tournament. Except for the game against India, the bowlers did very well. The opening bowlers were always economical and quick in getting early breakthroughs. Mehidy Hasan made a clear statement that he can be an obvious choice in Asian pitches. He showed he can be matured enough to check the runs while being sly at times to take important wickets. Mustafiz showed a good sign that he is going back to his pre-injury form. His death bowling is still among the best while he is gradually improving his bowling with the new ball. In both the occasions against Afghanistan and Pakistan, when he was given the new ball, he struck in his first overs. He single-handedly managed the miraculous final over against Afghanistan to defend 8 runs. Mashrafe has been as cool as he always is. His control of line and length is exemplary for other pace bowlers of the team. Rubel has also been very consistent all through the tournament. He was able to take wickets at the right time. All in all, Asia cup has been very successful for Bangladesh as a bowling unit.
The Final
There you go. Bangladesh is yet again in another tournament Final. Though India is clear favorites in the Final, if everything clicks, you never know, it can be a close encounter. So, what does Bangladesh need to do? Above all, we need to improve our top order batting and fielding. Bangladesh's fielding was not exceptionally bad, but we missed chances at crucial times. If we cannot take credit of our chances, matches like Final can easily go away our hand. The top order has to come up with solid plans. In all of the cases, the middle order handled the ball really good. If we spend some more time in the beginning, keeping wickets in hand can give us enough opportunity to counter at the end. Even if it means leaving more balls, the middle orders can pick up the run rate at the later part of the innings. The match between India and Afghanistan showed that a total around 260 - 270 can be very challenging and defendable. Even in the middle order, we cannot give away wickets. A couple of quick wickets, at any time, can put the pressure back on to the remaining batsmen. If Bangladesh bowls first, the team has to be very patient and consistent with the line and length. India has a vulnerable middle and lower order. They collapsed against Hong Kong and Afghanistan. If Bangladesh can manage to take the first 3-4 wickets, the rest of the Indian batsmen will be under pressure. Chasing the total should be calculative. Offcourse, keeping the wickets in hand has to be the priority. But, we also need to know when to start hitting as the pressure of the Final can be accelerated by an increasing asking run rate. If Bangladesh can execute their plan properly, who knows, this can be our first tournament victory.
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