Expectations and outcomes are not aligning in cricket

Mahmudullah got caught by Aiden Markram at the boundary while attempting to hit a six off Keshav Maharaj's full-toss delivery. At that point, the match seemed 'clinically dead'. However, there are many instances where teams have come back from such a state. Bangladesh could have come back if Taskin Ahmed had managed to hit a six off Maharaj's full-toss, but he couldn't, and neither could Bangladesh.

A lot of analysis has been done regarding that match, and it continues to this day. The match will be referenced in the future as well. In these analyses and references, the abilities of Bangladeshi cricketers are often carefully hidden. This has been a long-standing practice to avoid highlighting our shortcomings. This trend can be traced back to various incidents in the past.

For instance, in the 2022 T20 World Cup match against India, the failure of four middle-order batters to score nine runs was overshadowed by the fake-fielding incident involving Virat Kohli. According to cricket rules, a fake fielding incident warrants a five-run penalty, but this incident went unnoticed by the umpires, sparing India the penalty. Bangladesh lost the rain-affected match by five runs due to the Duckworth-Lewis method. The outcry over those five runs continues to this day, conveniently ignoring the fact that Afif Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Yasir Ali Rabbi, and Mosaddek Hossain lost their wickets within ten balls, going from 99 to 108 runs.

The scenario of the Nassau County Stadium match, 586 days after the Adelaide match, was almost identical. This time, there were discussions about Towhid Hridoy's umpire's call and Mahmudullah's controversial dismissal, which cost Bangladesh four runs. In both matches, Bangladesh lost by exactly four runs.

The loopholes in ICC rules are almost laughable, resembling neighborhood cricket matches. Let's first discuss Bangladesh's failure before delving into the rule issues. South Africa's most dangerous bowler, Anrich Nortje, was facing Bangladesh, who were under pressure after losing two wickets for 37 runs. Shakib Al Hasan decided to play a risky pull shot against him, followed by captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who got out in a similar manner. Whether the team is under pressure or in rhythm, Bangladeshi batters' habit of throwing away wickets is hard to cure. This habit created pressure against India in 2022 and recently against South Africa, complicating Bangladesh's task.

In the recent incident, Mahmudullah and Towhid Hridoy tried to overcome the complications. Their efforts could have succeeded if Zakir Ali Anik and Rishad Hossain had contributed. But the responsibility cannot be solely placed on Zakir Ali or Rishad Hossain. The blame lies with Bangladesh cricket's system, which brings young players into the national team without thorough preparation. In contrast, countries like India and Australia ensure players undergo rigorous tests before donning the national jersey.

For example, despite his stellar performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Fraser McGurk hasn’t yet secured a spot in the Australian team. Such rejections will only make the 22-year-old hard hitter more mature, ensuring that when he finally gets to wear the national jersey, he'll give his all to retain his place. This is their strength— a professional system. On the other hand, Bangladesh cricket, under the guise of professionalism, exhibits an amateurish display, allowing immature players to wear the national jersey, providing assurances to various cricketers despite repeated failures.

Even after 27 years of a turning point in cricket in 1997, Bangladesh cricket hasn’t matured as expected. At this stage, this is certainly unacceptable. You can call Towhid Hridoy's umpire's call unfortunate or the four-run denial due to a loophole in the law as unfair. But that doesn't hide Bangladesh's failure. Not being able to score 20 runs in 18 balls with six wickets in hand is outright criminal!

The most glaring issue in Bangladesh cricket is the lack of long-term planning for specific competitions. This led to multiple dramas involving Tamim Iqbal before the ICC ODI World Cup. There are rumors that the drama's masterminds were within the team itself, with direct or indirect support from board officials. If that’s the case, it was a mission by board officials to settle old scores. If this reflects the state of cricket administration in a country, expecting great results from the team is certainly not wise!

In Bangladesh cricket, emotions are applied more than rationality— a now-established truth. These emotions stage dramas and create 'false confidence' around the team. Cricket administrators themselves exploit the fans' emotions. As part of this game, Zimbabwe, acknowledged as a 'domestic team', is brought in. In familiar home conditions, beating a minor team like Zimbabwe creates an illusion of hope among general cricket fans. In May, for example, Zimbabwe was brought in, and Bangladesh won four out of five matches, losing the last one, resulting in a 4-1 series win. Despite winning the series, some criticized while others swallowed the 'false confidence' pill.

After defeating Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup, the expectations ballooned, forgetting the strengths, capabilities, reality, and past history. The balloon began to deflate after losing to South Africa. This loss was not the last; it's uncertain how far Bangladesh will go. But the practice of floating the raft of hope with 'false confidence', slipping after a great win, and eventually leaving a vast gap between expectations and reality, continuing with the 'next World Cup' theory, is ongoing in Bangladesh cricket. It’s the same storyline in different events. Let Bangladesh break this pattern in the T20 World Cup jointly hosted by the USA and Caribbean islands.

Let's conclude by describing the loopholes in ICC rules. In the 17th over of the match against South Africa, a ball from Otniel Bartman hit Mahmudullah's pad and went past the boundary. Before the ball crossed the boundary, the umpire signaled leg before wicket. According to cricket laws, the ball is considered 'dead' as soon as the umpire signals out. The location of the 'dead' ball doesn’t matter. So far, so good. But Bangladesh reviewed the decision, and it was found that the ball wouldn't have hit the stumps, meaning the umpire's decision was wrong.

The umpire withdrew the out decision upon seeing the review; however, the fact that the ball hit Mahmudullah's pad and went to the boundary was conveniently ignored. Here lies the flaw in the law. The review showed the umpire’s decision was incorrect. The decision was overturned, but the 'dead' ball remained in effect. This cricket law is certainly contradictory and laughable!

Mahbub Sarkar: Sports Journalist and Analyst