বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Tuesday | 4 August 2026, 20 Srabon 1433
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Cricket is not casino by any means

Published : Wednesday, 12 October, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Ahasan Uddin Bhuiyan
Bangladesh in the previous meet with New Zealand, concede an eight-wicket defeat after peculiar experiments in the line-up. They presumably dropped makeshift opener Sabbir Rahman, who never could suppress a 20-run figure among his last five appearances. There's nothing to surprise with it.
The surprising element is Nazmul Hossain Shanto, whose career best T20i score is 40 and assembled 181 runs from 10 matches with a strike rate of 105 only. Soumya Sarkar, who has good conversion rate in New Zealand and Australian tracks, is available with the team. So, Shanto's inclusion is definitely contradictory decision, who scored his style 33 against New Zealand, can't be an excuse in favour of the decision.
The most bizarre experiment was skipper Shakib Al Hasan's batting position, who came to bat at seven! Even after Mosaddek Hossain and Yasir Ali Rabbi. Bangladesh changed batting order in almost every game in last couple of years, even after a win the experiment continues. No Bangladesh player is certain about his batting position. A player showing success in a batting order in one game may be sent to elsewhere in the very next match.
It seems changing cards on casino board during every turn for a better bet!
If we give a bird's eye view on successful teams, we'll see that the boards are keeping faith on the team and hardly they go to experiment with their key players. Rohit Sharma knows where he is going to bat on, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam and even Hardik Pandeya has been playing in specific positions. But in Bangladesh squad? It's changing everyday like a gambling wheel.
The unrest in team and management reflects in team's performances on the ground, as nobody is feeling secured about his existence and position. Players like Nazmul Shanto are being over exposed than their quality and performances while some proven performers like Imrul Kayes remain under-exposed here.
In a spinning track, Bangladesh setting playing eleven with three pacers while three or more spinners are seen to expose in the speedy track. It seems that an invisible Witch is moving her evil besom over the Bangladesh coaching panel and the captain in making decision. They are just dolls with the team under the spell.
It's player, who will perform in the middle. A long management queue and the world's best coaching panel will bring a 'big zero' if players don't get independence and security.
Bangladesh however, already emitted from the race of the title losing two off two in the tri-series, as both Pakistan and New Zealand already secured two wins from three matches. So, the only way for Bangladesh to reach the final is winning both the next games in big margins. It's not impossible but a daunting task of course.
Today's match will commence at 8:00am (BST) at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where scoring anything less than 160 is not at all secured. Pakistan in the first game of the series defended 167 runs against Bangladesh is the only instance of winning by a team batting first. So, the toss winning side must be bowling first today.



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