The history boys: Bangladesh celebrate the series win - Associated Press

 

Bangladesh-Pulled-off Their-Greatest
By Mohammad Isam

 

True to form, the 2-0 win in Pakistan came against a backdrop of strife and adversity.

Najmul Hossain Shanto  was on his way to the elevator. He had just finished the tour's final press conference, after leading the side to their  maiden Test series win against Pakistan . Bangladesh had completed  the six-wicket victory  by mid-afternoon on the fifth day. It left them a bit of a breather between arguably their greatest moment in Tests and their evening flight home.

The staff and security personnel in the media center had taken selfies with the Bangladesh captain, and he was walking, relaxed, taking in the compliments. Then the question.

"Shanto, what is the secret to this 2-0 win?"

"One word: belief," Shanto said, his hand on his heart.

Bangladesh went to Pakistan after the T20 World Cup, where  they meekly surrendered to Afghanistan  in the Super Eight. Their fans turned their backs on them; the rest of the world lost interest. Bangladesh found themselves, ironically, in the kind of position that Pakistan have always prided themselves on fighting their way out of - that of the cornered tiger.

Bangladesh have a history of motivating themselves to rise after their worst moments. On an awful tour of England in 2005, where they were battered on the field and  blasted by cricket's greats off it , they summoned all their energy and emotion  to beat mighty Australia . There was no cricketing or worldly explanation for that Cardiff game; it was one of cricket's great miracles.

Three years later, when a significant group of Bangladeshi cricketers signed up for the rebel Indian Cricket League tournament, Bangladesh cricket was in tatters. They handed debuts to a few youngsters. The public doubted whether the team could ever win again, but they did, managing to  beat New Zealand  in their first ODI after the exodus.

This pattern has been common enough over the last 15 years or so, and it marked the Rawalpindi wins too. Bangladesh arrived in Pakistan on the back of a prolonged run of poor results, including two disastrous World Cups. In the weeks leading up to the tour, the cricketers lived through  a violent revolution  at home, many leaving for Pakistan after having defended their homes from dacoits and looters and  having suffered losses of various kinds . There was no cricket board to speak of; the BCB's president and several directors went into hiding after the Awami League government resigned early in August.

Shanto had his work cut out, but he had at his disposal two veterans, a couple of Test specialists, an encouraging group of fast bowlers, an able wicketkeeper, and a hungry allrounder. Off the field, it was an interesting mix. Bangladesh's head coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe, had faced criticism, and chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain had only returned to the BCB earlier in the year after a decade of administrative hiatus. At least Rabeed Imam, the experienced manager, brought a calming presence.

One of the things Shanto was especially pleased about was the team-first ethos that marked the tour. He called it one of the hallmarks of the series win. Every batter who got a start made sure he capitalized, in terms of time spent at the wicket, or runs scored. The fast bowlers pounded in all day as a pack.

"In the past, we have had many individual performances in the team," Shanto told ESPNcricinfo in Rawalpindi. "This time, every player contributed to the team's exact requirement. They thought about the team first. They were only worried about the team. Nobody looked for personal milestones.

"The way Mushfiq [Rahim] bhai played during his 191  in the first Test , you could see that he wanted to bat a little more for the team. When  Mehidy [Hasan Miraz]  made 78 in the second Test, he didn't think about his century. He had gone out to bat at 26 for 6. It was clear that he wanted to take the team to a better position.

"Look at how  Litton [Das]  batted for so long with Hasan Mahmud. Even after scoring 138, he felt like he could have given more.

" Nahid Rana  bowled fast all day.  Hasan Mahmud  held a spot all day. Taskin [Ahmed] returned after a long time - he is trying hard for the team. Everyone is supporting the bowlers. The one who drops a catch gets a pat on the back. It was a great environment. I know that winning a match always brings out the positives. I know that big performances become famous. They are talked about. But these small factors were effective for the team."

A member of the touring party who requested anonymity echoed the captain's sentiments. "Bangladesh was a treat to watch on this tour," he said. "There's a definite change in mindset among the younger lot. We had to take nine wickets on the fifth day [of the first Test] when Shoriful [Islam] told everyone loud and clear that we would win the game. It showed that he had the desire [and was ready to work to make it come true].

"Mehidy had a huge role. He bowled beautifully and then made those telling contributions from No 8. The way he looked hungry and eager to be on the wicket after his half-century in the second Test, it gave a different vibe to the team. When we [came back into] the contest from 26 for 6, it added a new dimension to this team.

"We don't do these kinds of things. The incredible partnership between Litton and Mehidy suggested to the whole dressing room that we can turn the game from any situation."

Having the right attitude paid off for the Bangladesh batters, who, more than their bowling counterparts, had had an ordinary year in all three formats. So when openers  Shadman Islam  and  Zakir Hasan  fought hard in the first innings of the series, it sent a strong message to the dressing room.

"The majority of the pre-tour preparation was simply focused on making better decisions consistently in the nets," batting coach  David Hemp  said. "Being clear about which balls to attack, defend or leave, coupled with judging length - whether to move forward or back.

"[Shadman and Zakir] approach the way they bat and their individual innings in different ways, and as such, both had their own particular areas that they were working on pre-series. However, decision-making is vital, and as a batting group we discussed the importance of time and making the opposition bowlers come back for four-plus spells. This was something that we identified after the Sri Lanka series in March."

Shadman and Zakir eked out 250 balls across their opening stands in the series,  the most by a Bangladeshi opening pair in an overseas series in more than five years . It gave the middle order less to worry about and more to build on. Between Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan there was just the one century and one half-century, but those three players made valuable contributions on and off the field.

Thankfully, Litton and Mehidy stepped up in both Tests. Litton's taking the attack to Naseem Shah in the first Test - off whom he scored 18 runs in an over at the end of the third day - blunted Pakistan, and then he put on that epic 165-run stand with Mehidy that changed the course of the second Test.

"Litton is a very talented and experienced all-round player," Hemp said. "What was impressive was his discipline and patience to absorb pressure, and then additionally his awareness to exert pressure the other way by attacking the bowling at key moments.

"Mehidy again made significant contributions at critical moments with the bat. He is naturally an attacking player, which is a big strength, so it can be a challenge to navigate what to do in certain situations, but this series his decision-making and approach were outstanding."

Shanto's on-field presence was noticeable, though his batting form continued to suffer in Pakistan - even if his final innings in the series suggested it might be returning. But there was a spring in his step, and his was often the loudest voice on the field. He spoke to his bowlers regularly, and he was proactive in changing them around. He stuck to his plans and did not shy away from attacking Pakistan's best batters. Shanto's clever use of spinners on two occasions - the fifth day of the first Test and the first day of the second - was also impressive. Often, he kept the slip cordon intact but also employed in-and-out fields for set batters. Overall, he and Hathurusinghe read the conditions better than Pakistan.

"I am in the slips for a while, then I am at mid-on or mid-off at other times," Shanto said. "My fielding position depends on who is bowling. Sometimes it is hard to speak to Nahid Rana from the slips. I spend time next to him, to give him instructions. Once he gets it, I can field anywhere. Sometimes I have to stay there for Hasan Mahmud. I don't have to do the same for Taskin. I thought the bowlers gave me exactly what I wanted from them."

He now possesses arguably Bangladesh's best bowling attack in years, fast bowlers who can win him matches, and two of the world's leading spinners. But Shanto's future as the captain isn't all rosy. His brief when he was handed the captaincy last November was to take Bangladesh cricket into the future. Stating it that way elides the fact that it will be a future without a golden generation of players who defined Bangladesh cricket - the likes of Shakib and Mushfiqur, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah… - espncricinfo.com