Encouragement Needed.
Middle of the week, we talk about cricket!
In a Cricinfo poll last week, 49% of those who voted said that Zimbabwe should be stripped of their Test status, with 38% advocating a similar fate for Bangladesh. About 26% thought both should stay and Kenya should be brought in. 27% people believed that test cricket should be divided into 2 tiers while about 48% advised that performance benchmarking should be made the basis of awarding and relegating the test status. Almost two thirds of the samples didn't believe in restricting the test status to a limited number of teams.
The contrast between the super charged Ashes series and the SL-BD & Ind-Zim test series was stark. While Ashes brought back the glory to test cricket, the other two series were plain boring like most of the Bollywood movies. The results were clear even before the start and the tests were interesting only from a statistician's point of view. The debate about stripping Bangladesh & Zimbabwe off the test status raised it head again after such lackluster performances from these two teams, again. Bangladesh has played 40 test matches till now and has recorded win in only 1 till date, that too , you guessed it! - Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was well on the path of gathering momentum after the debut in 1992, but most of their established players were forced to leave the country due to the political fiasco in the nation.
| Country | Debut | First Test Win (Test#) | First Series Win (Series #) |
India | 1932 | 1952 (25) | 1952-53 (9) |
New Zealand | 1930 | 1956 (45) | 1969-70 (31) |
Pakistan | 1952 | 1952 (2) | 1955-56 (4) |
South Africa | 1889 | 1906 (12) | 1905-06 (6) |
Sri Lanka | 1982 | 1985 (14) | 1985-86 (8) |
West Indies | 1928 | 1930 (6) | 1934-35 (5) |
Zimbabwe | 1992 | 1995 (11) | 1998-99 (16) |
Bangladesh | 2000 | 2005 (34) | 2004-05 (18) |
So how much water does this argument holds against these minnows? As the table above shows, almost all of the test playing nations had to wait for a while before getting a firm grip on the international turf and register a win. But have we spared them a bit too many chances? Bangladesh might not have won against any other test playing nations, other than Zimbabwe, but they have certainly shown improvement. While the team performance is still poor, some brilliant individual talents have made their mark in the international scene. Batsman like Ashraful & bowlers like Murtaza and Rafique are capable of getting place in more than one test playing teams. Their success at the international scene might give the gen next a hope to compete with the best, just same as Kapil Dev's success inspired next generation of fast bowlers in India. The onus lies on the Bangladeshies too. They must show improvement in every tour. Defeat is not a matter of shame, not learning from your mistakes is. They should take the story of Sri Lankan success as their inspiration as strive to do better.
How much a two-tier system help these minnows? These teams need the exposure to top class team most and the two tier system will take away their chances for the same. The argument in favor of two tier system are on the line of having more competitive games. The matches between these minnows and big teams are absolutely no shows. But if we see like this, the domestic cricket in India doesn't attract much public attention, the stadia are mostly vacant. So should we discontinue those tournaments also? No! Not only the weaker teams but many other test playing teams are plagued with the lack of competent bench strength. The problem lies with the substandard domestic arena. The mediocre players pile up runs against poor bowling and the blunt bowlers shine against unimaginative batting. The result - these players are grossly unprepared for the international arena! The two tier system will never let the weaker teams be competent enough to compete with the best.
ICC must pay attention that the domestic cricket gets adequate attention by the corresponding cricket boards. I suggest that during English and Australian summers, along with the local counties, second string teams from other nations - bunch of talented players needing the exposure - should be allowed to compete in the Pura Cup and the County Season. Not only this will help them understand the rigours of the international cricket, it'll also raise the bar for their own performances. If ICC has to expand the circle of cricket, such steps are most required now.
3 comments:
india newzealand ke alawa sab ne 2-3 saal mein jeet liya hai test. but i think the fact that bangladesh win against zimbabwe doesnt mean they can be counted in top echelons. unlike india newzealand who must have won against good sides.
The closest example for the Banglas would be Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka started in 1982 and was considered a weak side until they surprized all in 1996 world cup. Zimbabwe started in '92 and they were well on their way to meet the expectations at the international arena. They had groomed some superior individual players and even as a team they were a promising team. Sadly, due to the political debacle the cricket in Zimbabwe is in doldrums.
My point is, if Banglas try best to learn, there is a lot of experience offered at these tough tours. Perhaps they lack in motivation. I've noticed that while they strive hard with the team comparable to them (Zim/Kenya etc), they tend to give up while playing the stronger teams. Kenyan team impressed me much with their never say die. Sadly, another african cricket team is lost due to national political situation.
yeah that means the gap is still there maybe only in mental toughness and not so much in talent. But they need to learn a lot. The 2 tier system will be absolutely useless as they say "all are equally bad". no improvement. But then what to do about the inconsequetional (mis)matches. Guess just have to bear with them.
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