Despite winning the 2019 World Cup, Eoin Morgan cannot forget the unbearable memory of the World Cup that had been held four years ago.
The World Cup winning captain does not want to recall the match they played in the 2015 tournament against Bangladesh at Adelaide. But Nasser Hussain recalls him at every opportunity.
During Bangladesh's winning moment at Adelaide Hussain, the former English skipper, had the microphone in his hand at the commentary box. You can find that video of eloquent description of the ‘’Bangla Tigers’’ reaching quarter final by eliminating ‘’English Lions’’ with a melancholy tone at YouTube.
Pacers played a key role in that win for Bangladesh. One can assume why Morgan sees erstwhile pace attack better compared to the current one of Bangladesh. In that case, what about the pacer revolution of Bangladesh that has been widely discussed over the last two and a half years?
The problem is the ongoing World Cup has seen no mark at all of that revolution. Morgan is preferring the 2015 attack by seeing the World Cup.
One of the biggest reasons is Taskin Ahmed, the so-called leader of the Bangladesh pace attack, has become a shadow of his former self. His spirit and pace went missing. He was dropped against India, against whom he made a memorable ODI debut (5-28) nine years ago.
There was a doubt whether it was rest or drop, the team management ensured Taskin was axed.
He did not bowl a full quota of 10 overs in either of the first three matches and bowled just six overs each in the first two matches. He may be dropped for lack of performance but it was not an easy decision considering his consistency over the last two years. He had been suffering from shoulder injury for a long time but continued playing through taking care of that. There was a concern whether that augmented to an unplayable level.
The problem still persists. Maybe a little more. That may be the reason for his bowling speed being reduced. He did not bowl in the first practice session in t Mumbai on Sunday, and just had some running. Whether he will be picked for the South Africa game, his state of shoulder will be in consideration along with his form.
Taskin will definitely want to play. South Africa was involved with the resurrection of Taskin that is so widely discussed. The series win against the African side in their own backyard is one of the brightest chapters in the annals of Bangladesh's ODI history. Bangladesh won in South Africa, where South Asian powerhouses like India and Pakistan struggle. Taskin was the brightest name in that success. He was wicketless only in the second match of the three-match series.
Bangladesh lost that match. He took three wickets in the first match and bundled out the hosts for 154 runs in the series decider by picking up his second five-for in ODIs.
The memory flashes ahead of another South Africa battle. But Taskin is not “one series wonder.” He has grabbed the maximum number of wickets among Bangladeshi pacers since January 2022 and these 37 wickets off 24 matches came only at a rate of 24.50. His strike rate is also impressive- 30.4 per wicket. Only Mehidy Hasan Miraz took more wickets for Bangladesh in this period. But the off-spinner played 10 more matches and bowled 60 more overs.
The statistics of this period also reflect the so-called pacer revolution in Bangladesh cricket. Among the seven most successful bowlers of Bangladesh in ODIs, five are pacers. After Taskin, they are Mustafiz (31 wickets off 29 matches), Shoriful (33 wickets off 22 matches), Ebadot (22 off 12) and Hasan Mahmud (21 off 16).
Losing Ebadot came as a big shock for the team. Ebadot, who was once considered only as Test bowler, has been shining with the white ball as well. His strike rate of 24.5 is even better than Taskin. He was considered as the biggest weapon for Bangladesh attack during the crucial middle overs of ODIs.
But Ebadot is not in the team due to his injuries. And now, if Taskin loses his charm, how can Bangladesh make the mark of their ‘’pace revolution”?