Opinion After the Asia Cup

It has been exhilarating cricket. Do the best cricketing talents of Asia,the thousands lining up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium gates,and the billions following it,really care what detractors think of the Asia Cup?

For the Asia Cup to really make its presence felt,it needed a spark and some panache — that was duly delivered by the host. Those who have observed Bangladesh cricket over the years could spot the difference. A Bangladesh team that would lose its way and surge towards defeat from seemingly comfortable positions was now chasing down challenging targets with precision and calm. A side that would blow hot and cold within a night was displaying solid consistency. To put it differently,the team was playing like Shakib Al Hasan.

The emergence of Shakib has coincided with an interesting phase in Bangladesh. From the first day he donned the Bangladesh colours,Shakib has been an example of all things Bangladesh cricket had desired and dreamt of but never found. Shakib scored runs when the chips were down,he took wickets when no one else could and he fielded with presence. He was unflinching under pressure. Next he started to break barriers. The first Bangladeshi to become world’s number one in the ICC rankings and holding on to that position for months,years,through performance alone. He cut it easily in the county circuit and the Indian Premier League (IPL) and allowed his peers to aspire big. In his time he has tasted more Bangladesh wins than any of his countrymen.

Shakib represents the generation widely acclaimed as the best in country’s post Test-status era. He is a product of the same development process that saw him,Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim get hardened by the youth tours,the high performance unit and A Team before being thrown into international cricket. The Asia Cup continues to give credence to the fact that their belief and inner strength is playing a catalyst ‘s role in the squad. The return of Masrafe Bin Mortaza following his sixth knee surgery and his smooth transition into bowling form has a significance beyond the incisive spells with the new ball and the old. He is a talismanic figure — he has seen it all,and is capable of singlehandedly lifting team spirit. Abdur Razzak is doing his bit,pinning batsmen down on batting-friendly wickets. Then there is Nasir Hossain,who has blossomed in this buzzing team atmosphere. He is doing the successful finishing touches,something Bangladesh cricket desperately missed when Shakib used to hold the fort alone. Throw in a dash of a newfound confidence,courtesy of the first edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL),and you had the formula to reach for previously improbable targets.

Despite the final outcome,it is evident that post-Asia Cup,some things in Bangladesh cricket will never be the same again. More matches will be fought with high intensity,more difficult situations will be challenged and conquered,and results will follow. Some may still brand it Team Shakib Al Hasan,but each of its individuals can hold their own.

The writer is media manager of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and has been a cricket writer with ‘The Daily Star’,Dhaka