Lankans, Kiwis thrash minnows
New Zealand decimated Kenya in Chennai and Sri Lanka did a similar job on Canada in Hambantota as the ICC Cricket World Cup rolls into other two host nations yesterday.
But fans here in Bangladesh were still reeling from Saturday’s defeat to India by 87 runs at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the opening match.
Although the crescendo has subsided, if only momentarily, even during this lull in the storm, the dominant topic of conversation has been the merit or demerit of Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to field first against a powerful Indian batting line-up.
His decision saw India rack up a massive 370 and virtually win the opening match at the halfway mark. The reaction to the loss has been so strong that save the team management the general consensus is that Shakib erred in sending India in. And it was widely reflected in all the newspapers and TV channels of the country.
There was however some solace for Shakib that Saturday’s punisher Virender Sehwag himself endorsed Shakib’s decision saying that India would have done the same had they won the toss.
Tamim Iqbal while talking to the Daily Star yesterday said that India’s master batsman Sachin Tendulkar too acknowledged that there was lot of moisture on the playing surface.
To focus solely on the decision at the toss may have the undesirable effect of backing the captain into a corner so that in subsequent matches he chooses in fear of backlash rather than in accordance of team strategy.
What is worth remembering is that the decision at the toss can only ever be a small factor in the eventual result. To focus solely on that and not Bangladesh’s poor show with the ball would be to miss the point.
Also worth remembering is a match that took place a little over a year ago, against the same opponents at the same ground. On January 7, 2010, Bangladesh chose to field first in the Idea Cup match against India, and after their more-than-competitive total of 296 was eclipsed by India with fifteen balls to spare, criticism came the Tigers’ way for choosing to bat first. Then, the party line was that the think tank should have taken the dew factor into account when deciding at the toss.
That Shakib has been criticised for doing the opposite in the World Cup opener paints a fickle picture of detractors. If the dew is such a big factor, as it was made out to be on the days following the Idea Cup loss, then Shakib must have been correct in deciding to field on Saturday. Then again, as is being advocated now, if the dew is not much of a factor then criticism heaped on Shakib a year ago must be seen as baseless. The truth, as is often the case, lies between the two extremes.
The dew cannot be a central aspect of team strategy, simply because a team cannot expect to win the toss every time. It should ideally be seen as a hindrance that has to be accommodated for. It is an ever-present component of day-night games in the subcontinent, and so should be taken out of the equation, and spinners should think of bowling with a wet ball as part of their skill base.
As for the toss, the answer to whether it would have been better to bat or field first is one based on conjecture. It can be argued, however, that the odds of successfully defending a total of 296 is higher than successfully chasing 370. A lot may be up for debate, but the fact that Bangladesh bowled poorly and Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli batted brilliantly is not.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
