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Famous win must become a stepping stone
- Updated: November 1, 2016
The buzz surrounding Bangladesh’s two-match Test series against England is yet to wear off but the decoration at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, the home of Bangladesh cricket, has already changed to T20 colours. This was inevitable due to the schedule but the quick shift of attention on this occasion seemed jarring.
That’s because arguably for the first time since their inaugural Test 16 years ago, Bangladesh has been competitive in a Test series against a major team. The 1-1 result could have been even better for the home side had they overcome tight corners in the Chittagong Test but in Dhaka, they finally beat a team ranked much higher than them.
While the players involved will enjoy at least couple of days off, they will soon return to the hectic world of the Bangladesh Premier League, which is designed to swallow up attention spans, airwaves and column inches in the country. The win over England, a seminal moment in Bangladesh’s cricket, will not be given the rightful time to sink in, and be reflected upon.
The general apathy towards Test cricket has been around for a very long time, and much of it is due to better results in ODI, which was already a format highly relatable with the public due to Bangladesh’s historic proclivity towards one-day cricket.
It has also partly caused a disconnect between the BCB’s protection of Test status and its efforts to keep Tests as the primary format for the Bangladesh team. The BCB has vehemently opposed the idea of a two-tier Test system, and whenever discussions surrounding this proposal have come up, the board has successfully wiggled out of it.
In early 2014 a working group of the Finance & Commercial Affairs committee of the ICC proposed that teams ranked Nos. 9 and 10 (Bangladesh at the time) play in the Intercontinental Cup from 2015, but it was an idea that was ultimately shelved along with many other proposals of the “Big Three” era. The BCB also opposed the two-tier structure, which was discussed this year at the ICC, and ultimately prevailed after the plan was shelved once again. But its opposition in board meetings hasn’t necessarily contributed to an attitude towards giving the team more Tests.
The …
