Bangladesh’s Test cricket status
The Bangladeshi national team was given Test status on 10th November, 2000. Till date this cricketing nation is yet to produce good Test cricket. The tigers have played 68 Test matches in their infant career, without making any serious impression
on their opponents, which raises doubts whether the country is worthy enough to compete at the highest level of the game or not. With only 3 victories to their name, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is questioning their Test credentials.
Test cricket is considered to be the highest format of international cricket. A Test match can be played between two countries that have been given Test status by the ICC. A Test match includes four innings and is played over a period of 5 days, where everyday
a maximum of 90 overs are to be bowled. A day of Test cricket has three different playing sessions, which are known as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd session.
Bangladeshi former captain, Habibul Bashir claimed that the team will become a serious cricket competitor by 2010. However, the country has done reasonably well in the 50-over format in recent times, and has given some cricketing nations a tough time. On
the other hand, Bangladesh’s under-19 team has done extremely well against established cricketing nations under-19 teams in the 50- over version.
Many international cricket officials, experts, and senior players have urged ICC to elevate Bangladesh’s Test status. But the country’s supporters defend their team by pointing out their Test victory against New Zealand’s cricket team. The country has taken
a lot of years to attain their first Test victory. However, their detractors also highlight the team’s long track record of heavy defeats as an indicator that they are not yet ready for the highest format of the game.
ICC Future Tour Programme recently publicised that the Tigers would only compete in 41 Test matches throughout the time period of 2006-2012, which is by far the least amount of Test cricket any full ICC member, besides http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045, would be playing.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 was one of the few cricketing nations, which strongly advocated Bangladesh’s bid for Test status in 2001, but India is also the only nation which has not invited the Tigers to play on its own home grounds. Keeping in mind, that the Tigers were supposed
to visit Indian soil three times, between 2006-12, the team is yet to play a Test match or series in India. Some argue, India being the busiest of all other nations because of the Indian Premier League (IPL) during 2006-12, might not be ready to put its national
side under fatigue and time conflicts, hence hasn’t scheduled to play against the Tigers anytime soon.
In a total of 68 Tests they have appeared in, only 3 wins are recorded by the Tigers, with 59 defeats, and, 6 draws. Their two shameful defeats from the Englishmen once again precipitated a lot of demands for their withdrawal from Test cricket. The Tigers
bowling power in Test cricket has always been very weak and couldn’t be more worse than on the English tour, but just when cricket experts started to acknowledge the countries batting power at Test cricket the team underwent losing 20 wickets in two sessions.
Thus, such one sided cricket is neither fun to watch nor good for the game.
Meanwhile, plenty of money is being spent on cricket by Bangladeshi authorities, but is money enough to improve their Test credentials? If yes why haven’t the Tigers produced any good Test playing sessions on the field as yet. Some might argue that the Tigers
shouldn’t compete against teams like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 or England. The truth is that Test cricket requires high cricketing standards for large time-spans, and in the meantime, the Tigers are barely capable of lasting 5 minutes against any top Test team.
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