ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Bangladesh, you’ve earned it

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Bangladesh, you’ve earned it

Was this Bangladesh’s greatest win? Could it get any better than this? Bangladesh went into ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with the odds heavily stacked against them. As the celebrations go deep into the nights of Dhaka and Chittagong and Khulna and Rajshahi and Barisal and Sylhet and Comilla, Abhishek Mukherjee reflects at the significance of the encounter.

England bowled. James Anderson took out Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes with eight on the board. Soumya Sarkar drove and flicked, but fell to bouncer from Chris Jordan when he looked good on 40. Then it happened: Shakib Al Hasan — the man who is, for Bangladesh, Don Bradman, Garry Sobers, and Shane Warne put together — fell cheaply.

Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad looked solid; little Mushfiqur Rahim played with panache; but they were four down, and they had 28 overs left. Inch by inch Mahmudullah progressed. Mushfiqur opened up. Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur — whose wives are cousins of each other (is there jamai shoshthi in Bangladesh?) — batted on.

Cut scene

2013. Shahbag Square was ablaze with thousands baying for the head of Abdul Quader Mollah, already sentenced to life imprisonment. Dhaka led the way, followed by the rest of the nation; the non-residential population responded; the movement spread like fire across the country.

February 13. A huge cheer greeted Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful, Nasir Hossain, Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Shahriar Nafees. Akram Khan and Habibul Bashar, former-national-captain-warriors-turned-selectors, joined forces too.

Has the world of cricket witnessed national stars come to forefront? Andy Flower and Henry Olonga come immediately to mind — but others? The men, perhaps the greatest stars in Bangladesh, could easily have chosen to not arrive, for they could have been mobbed. They could have issued a statement in a press conference.

They chose not to. They chose to join forces with the men who had supported them in defeats, sat through hundred overs of humiliation day in and day out. The fans had turned up; their faces painted, their voices hoarse with shouting, and had left with heads dropping. But they kept hope. And their heroes responded.

The match

Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur batted on. Mahmudullah went past Tamim’s 95 — the best for a Bangladesh cricketer in World Cup cricket. Mahmudullah became the first to register a World Cup hundred for Bangladesh. He fell for 103. Mushfiqur’s 77-ball 89 was the third-best after Mahmudullah and Tamim.

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Sabbir Rahman hit a six. Mortaza hit a four. Bangladesh reached that 275-mark. Adelaide Oval is a big ground, but the side boundaries are short. Bangladesh had three seamers, two spinners, and two part-timers. Defendable? Maybe. Maybe not.

This victory would knock England out. This victory would see Bangladesh through to ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-finals. Bangladesh had been a part of Pakistan. Pakistan had been part of India. India had been owned by England. It was time to turn the tides, to teach the old monarchs a lesson at their own game.

Moeen Ali and Ian Bell set off in style. Moeen survived a leg-before appeal against Rubel Hossain, thanks to DRS — before committing hara-kiri. Soumya and Mushfiqur combined to beat Moeen to the crease.

It did not matter. Bell looked composed. Alex Hales looked composed. 89 for one. Mortaza was back. He had his spinners. Shakib. Arafat Sunny. He took Sunny away after 5-0-22-0. He took Shakib away after 3-0-8-0.

Spinners were Bangladesh’s lifeline. But Mortaza decided to come back for one burst. It had to be him.

Cut-scene

Mortaza had injured his calf, but he still played the match — for he had to spearhead the attack, give the ball a tonk if needed, and put his hard-earned tactical acumen on show. Most importantly, he needed to be there; he needed to be there for his side; his presence was needed. The onus of living the dreams of 150 million was, after all, on him.

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Mortaza’s injury did not show when he steamed in. His calf was worse when he left the ground, victorious. He had pulled off a victory on adrenaline.

The match

Hales hit Mortaza’s third ball past mid-wicket. Four. Hales hit the next ball past backward-point. Four more. Hales pushed the next ball. He tried to drive the next. It kissed the edge and landed in Mushfiqur’s eager gauntlets.

Young Taskin Ahmed tore into the English attack, but to no avail. He bowled fast. He tried to deceive them with change of pace. But Bell was too experienced, Joe Root too capable. Mortaza got Rubel back. Rubel had been tight. Rubel had been nippy. Rubel had been denied a wicket by DRS.

Cut-scene

There was an allegation against Rubel by actress Najnin Akter Happy in 2014: Rubel had refused to marry her following a relationship. He was put behind the bars but eventually let out on bail, and it was only on January 14 that he was granted permission to play ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Rubel was unperturbed. He bowled in the channel. He played on Bell’s patience. 121 for two. Bell, England’s leading run-scorer, tried to drive Rubel through cover. Little Mushfiqur again claimed the catch. Three balls later Eoin Morgan tried to clear the deep fine-leg fence. Shakib ran in to pull off a stunner. 121 for four.

Mashrafe got in Taskin. He was still reluctant to go back to Shakib and Sunny. Mortaza now had a slip. Outside off. James Taylor played back. Off-and middle. Taylor played back. Taskin was clearly playing on his patience.

Taskin bowled outside off, back of a length. Taylor poked at it. Imrul at slip was unperturbed. Mortaza, all pain forgotten, rushed at Imrul. It was, after all, his strategy.

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Shakib gets a chance, as does Sunny. Spin was working, but not getting Mortaza the wickets. He had tried everything. He had packed the off-side field, and Shakib and Sunny were accurate (their 13 overs went for 50) — but, alas, no wicket.

Jos Buttler, the man England mysteriously held back throughout the tournament, raced to 21 off 21. England needed 115 from 90 balls. Powerplay time: Mortaza was back. He had to be back.

Mortaza went up in appeal second ball. The ball had missed Buttler’s bat. Two balls later Mortaza pitched one on line and moved it away that little bit. It took Root’s edge. England’s Royal Baby was gone. 163 for six, 113 to score, 86 balls in hand.

Cut-scene

Shakib had been banned by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) last year. He had to be recalled. He had roared back into form in the Zimbabwe series. He had smashed bowlers into pulp, cut down the flow of runs, and claimed crucial wickets. Experience of playing around the world helped.

The match

It was up to Shakib now. Good old Shakib. Two runs earlier in the day. No wicket. For once he was not the star of the show, but he was fine with a supporting role. He had conceded 19 from six overs. Five from the next. Five from the following one. 8-0-29-0. Less than four an over, when the asking rate was five-and-a-half.

Mortaza kept Shakib for later. He tried Sunny. Buttler hit him on to the stands. He hit Taskin for four. Chris Woakes came to the party with a four. Mortaza tried Sabbir Rahman; Buttler carted him for four to reach his fifty.

Rubel replaced Taskin. Identical strokes from Buttler, both sliced between gully and third man. Two fours. 52 needed from 36. It was England’s match.

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On came Shakib. A two. Three singles. Five runs. England had decided to see him off. Nine overs, 34 runs, but no wicket. 47 from 30 now. Mortaza got Taskin back.

Cut-scene

Taskin was no ordinary kid. He was no stranger to England, either. At 16 he had generated enough pace to stun England Under-19s. The unsuspecting gloveman behind the stumps was pleasantly shocked.

Taskin had been marked as one for the future by BCB. He is fast. He has bounce in his repertoire. He can swing. He has a deceptive slower ball. He had five for 28 on debut. But Taskin, despite everything, was 19.

The match

He gave away a two and a four to Woakes, and a single. He bowled a super-yorker that Buttler dug out. Long-on was too slow, and they ran two. 38 from 26. England were cruising.

Then it worked — the deceptive change of pace and length that Taskin had been trying for so long. He left poor Buttler in two minds. Good-length outside off; Buttler poked; and that was that. Jordan attempted a run that was not there, and was run out — albeit controversially — as the Bangladeshi fans at Adelaide Oval erupted.

Finishing touches

Four overs left, 38 to score. Mortaza decided to go with Shakib, Taskin, Rubel, and — would it be Taskin or Sunny? Never mind, never mind, here was Shakib, and Woakes swept hard… the short boundaries of Adelaide Oval came handy… 34 from 23…

But Shakib was unflappable, conceding three off the last five. The field placement was immaculate. Woakes could not get going. He even got off strike in Taskin’s first ball.

But Taskin erred in length, committing the unpardonable offence of bowling short. Why, Taskin? Was it inexperience? Broad smacked it into the stands over mid-wicket, and the match swung back into England’s favour.

More runs came. 20 from 15. England’s match. Or was it?

Woakes went after Taskin. The straight boundary was long… too long… Tamim was well inside the ropes, waiting, waiting for an eternity… surely it was a catch? Surely, but…

Bangladeshi hearts broke as the English camp leaped in ecstasy. Tamim, nephew of Bangladesh’s first World Cup captain Akram Khan, had it covered — or it seemed so; Tamim grassed the ball. It was the ideal YouTube moment.

16 from 12. It had to be Rubel, not Sunny. Bangladesh needed wickets. Rubel had the wickets — of Bell and Morgan, no less — under his belt.

It was as basic as they made them. Straight, fast, on the stumps. Broad missed. Rubel hit. Still 16 required, from 11, but it was Anderson. He was no slogger, but could he hold on and give the strike back to Woakes?

Mortaza summoned his slip back into action. 11 balls left. A slip. He had bowled himself out by the 40th over to ensure he carried out his primary duty. His calf was bad. His brain was not.

Anderson kept the first yorker out. The second hit the base of the stumps. England fell short by 15 runs; they also fell short of a quarter-final berth they never deserved. They never looked like they wanted to win the World Cup.

Bangladesh were certainly not at par with England on infrastructure or financial backing. All they had was a desire to succeed, backed by indomitable support from fans. Their achievement does not lie in a qualification for the quarter-finals. They have managed to hold their heads high amidst calls of their Test status being revoked by those unaware of the early failures of South Africa, New Zealand, or India at the highest level. They were beaten by Hong Kong last year.

And yet, they never lost hope — for cricket was what had held them together amidst political turmoil. Their fans had turned up to cheer for their team in defeats. Fifteen years of perseverant support had finally paid off.

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Bangladesh had arrived on the big stage. Not by causing an upset, but making sure that they did justice to themselves by knocking England — easily the weaker of the two teams — out of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Ireland, if Dave Richardson allows you to play in whites, you need to pass the Bangladesh resilience test first.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)