Disbelief and not much else
Bangladesh’s abject surrender in their much-win clash against West Indies has, obviously, come in for some scathing criticism
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
Bangladesh’s abject surrender in their much-win clash against West Indies has, obviously, come in for some scathing criticism. In the Daily Star, Quazi Zulquarnain Islam says at times like these, swearing is the only option, even if it isn’t very gentlemanly.
There was nothing to foreshadow the amazing collapse; no clear sign that such a devastating wreck was impending, none whatsoever of a crash that shamed even the yo-yo stock market in Dhaka. In short, events seemed inexplicable. And when things are such, swearing, it seems, is the only way to ease the discontent souls.
Also in the Daily Star, Mohammad Isam writes that for all the gains Bangladesh have made recently, the game exposed a “poorly equipped and overly tinkered Bangladesh middle-order that performs only when it suits them”.
For the second game in a row, the Tigers skipper Shakib Al Hasan's dismissal mirrored the team's mental make-up. To the naked eye, it seemed Shakib's heart was telling him to sweep while the mind tried to play straight. He got stuck in between, missing Sulieman Benn's tossed-up delivery. It was the similarly bewildering return catch he popped against Ireland that spelled doom for the Tigers, only to be retrieved but when you are bowled out for 58, there is no room for a comeback.
Tariq Engineer is a former senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo