Why are we so happy after beating Zimbabwe?
I asked a question to Mosaddek Hossain on Sunday. When he was heading back to the dressing room from the mixed zone at the Gabba, I asked him, “Why are you all so happy after beating Zimbabwe?”
It’s not that we have no idea why they were celebrating. Bangladesh needed this win to stay alive in the Twenty20 World Cup. Bangladesh will next play against strong teams like India and Pakistan in the Super 12. Before facing them, a win against Zimbabwe or even a weaker team could work as a tonic.
Moreover, this was their second win in the Super 12 of this year’s T20 World Cup. Had Bangladesh not beaten Zimbabwe, they were likely to remain stuck in the one times table in this World Cup. Now, they can at least say, two one’s a two. They are feeling the joy of breaking a cycle.
And it’s not like smaller teams never upset bigger teams. Moreover, there was a sense of do-or-die in the build-up to the match. So, a win should naturally give Bangladesh a relief. But feeling relieved is one thing and feeling that they have proved a point is a completely different thing. This makes the team’s confidence look fragile. So, was the team dreading a defeat against Zimbabwe!
When the name of the opponent is Zimbabwe, a win against them is the expected result for Bangladesh no matter the format. This has been the case for nearly a decade and a half. Zimbabwe cricket, which is suffering from administrative shortcomings, corruption and many other problems, hasn’t progressed much in this period, rather they have regressed.
On the other hand, during this period Bangladesh has found great cricketers like Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. Regardless of the questions surrounding Bangladesh’s cricket structure, the on-field performances of these players were enough to separate the two teams. During this period, Zimbabwe has also defeated Bangladesh in a few games. But in international cricket, such wins are considered ‘upsets’.
Now, a win in the World Cup against that same Zimbabwe side comes after an intense match, Bangladesh has to wait till the last ball for the victory and after the win, the cricketers celebrate as if they have achieved something monumental. All this is a bit saddening.
However, the same thing happened during last year’s T20 World Cup at Oman and the United Arab Emirates. It seemed like the team had achieved everything they had set out to accomplish after they won against Oman and Papua New Guinea, over-confidence had got grip over the team. That confidence was nowhere to be seen in the main phase.
When a team wants to become a bigger side, they have to try to establish the difference between them and smaller or equally matched opponents in every chance they get. If they can’t blow these teams out of the water, where will they get the confidence to do something great against bigger teams?
Bangladesh has to view the teams that are lagging behind them as small roadblocks. They don’t need to slow down for them, instead they need to go over them at brisk speed. Sometimes, they will stumble. But if that fear raises there blood pressure, that’s a clear indication that somewhere along the line, they are lagging in confidence, either about their capabilities or their mentality.
That’s what it looked like at the Gabba. Zimbabwe has once again become a big opponent for Bangladesh. We are once again feeling the heat when we are up against them. Even against Zimbabwe, we have to win in a close finish. After all that struggle, when the victory is accomplished, we revel in an ocean of joy. It feels like we have achieved everything we wanted to from the World Cup. First the Netherlands and then Zimbabwe, the aim was to fulfill the quota of two wins in the main phase.
After winning the first match against the Netherlands, Taskin Ahmed said, this is the time for celebration. After defeating Zimbabwe, Mosaddek said the same thing. Apparently, the win against Zimbabwe will be a source of great inspiration for them. But it seemed like this wasn’t their individual philosophy. It’s likely that the whole team now thinks like this. They don’t have big dreams. They are extremely satisfied after winning against smaller teams.
But the cricketers should’ve realised that Zimbabwe has long lost the title of Bangladesh’s closest rival and that too thanks to Bangladesh cricketers. Then why should they dwell into the past and say, a win against Zimbabwe is a big inspiration!
Mosaddek’s answer to this question once again showed how far Bangladesh cricket has regressed. In his words, “Zimbabwe is a very good team now. They have improved a lot. They have even defeated Pakistan. Winning against them will boost our confidence ahead of the remaining matches of the World Cup.”
Yes, Zimbabwe cricket has progressed. In comparison, we haven’t progressed much, that’s why the difference between the two teams is reducing. They have come from behind and are now breathing down our necks. They defeated Pakistan by one run. We lost to South Africa by 104 runs.
The responsibility of bringing the Zimbabwe national team back on the path of success has fallen upon former captain Hamilton Masakadza. Since he took over as the country’s director of cricket, it seems that Zimbabwe is trying hard to regain its lost glory. Many former cricketers and captains are also involved with Bangladesh cricket. What are they trying to instill in their future generation, who knows.
Looking in from the outside, there’s not much that would make one feel optimistic about the future. Bangladesh cricket has hopped on a time machine and is returning to old days, when there used to be a celebration after beating Zimbabwe. Everyone would feel the satisfaction of winning an international match. Now, once again, we are getting ‘motivation’ from wins against the likes of Zimbabwe and the Netherlands.
If Bangladesh manages to jolt India and Pakistan with this ‘motivation’, the cricketers definitely deserve applause. And if the World Cup becomes an exhibition of big defeats against strong opponents and scrappy wins over Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, then we have to accept that the time machine really is going in reverse gear.
*This report appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy