Taken At The Flood ...

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
-- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act 4, scene 2, lines 272-5

Floods are a common occurence in Bangladesh. On the day when one of the most devastating natural disasters struck South and South East Asia, Bangladesh luckily escaped the killer floods. However they were struck by a flood that could give a new lease of life, to their to-date poor cricket team.

For the last year or so, Bangladesh have been flattering to deceive. The superb effort to come so close to beating Pakistan in Multan was followed by a crushing loss to England at home. They took the lead and held the West Indies under pressure for much of the first test to salvage a draw only to go on to lose the next 5 Tests by an innings.

But, throughout, Dave Whatmore the coach remained calm and asked the fans for more patience. There were plenty who tore their hair in despair and gave up. But for those who did show the patience, this could be the time to reap the rewards. It is ironic that a result which provided defeat to India should provide me with so much joy. However, it is a triumph for the spirit of Bangladesh's cricketers and fans and a triumph for the game of cricket. Hopefully, Whatmore, Bashar and Co. take this tide at the flood to go on to achieve big things - a series win against Zimbabwe would be the ideal start.

Bangladesh's greatest advantage is that almost all of their team is under 23 !!! With the exception of the old warhorses Rafique, Bashar, Mahmud and Mashud, this is a bunch of highly talented 19-year olds and twenty-somethings with big ambitions, a will to succed and a lack of the inferiority complex their earlier generation possessed.

I can see Mohammed Ashraful being Bangladesh's first super-star; leading the side in a few years time and being a source of inspiration to youngsters who might not be as gifted as him but possess the same attitude and spirit. I can see Mashrafe Mortaza (if he stays fit) go on to make an incisive bowling combination with the wily Tapash Baisya in 5 years time. Then again, who is to say that Bangladesh won't flatter to deceive again ?? What I hope is that the authorities trust Dav Whatmore, as good a coach as any, and that the players back him to make Bangladesh a force to reckon with.

On Boxing Day 2004, they certainly were one. India, a superb team in the longer version of the game, but an extremely ordinary ODI side found that out very clearly. It does not mater that India rested a great many of their top players. Bangladesh played like men possessed and deserved wvery plaudit they will get for the result. And hopefully, this result will be free of the stigma associated with their only other win over a Test playing nation (against Pakistan in 1999)