Thanx to Dav

[Barrera]

Am gonna be frank, we shoudnt have been granted Test status to soon we should have improved as ODI team first. After that Pakistan win, we all thought we are gonna be good enough for Tests, but we are wrong am afraid. Right now we should still have been an ODI member. I think the Pakistan game was fixed anyway. One consolation, under Dav we are at least seem to be heading in the right direction. One more person I would like to thank is Eddie Barlow, I think he worked his sock's off for the team, I just hope he has fully recovered.

[Nasif]

There is no point in discussing the test status. If we were an ODI team, we would be even worse. Further more, we wouldn't have the youngest test centurion record and neither would we be 1 wicket away from a test win.

I liked Saber's diplomacy and the hard work, thats how he brought us the test status. Pakistan win wasn't the only thing that got us test status. In any event I think we are heading the right direction. Batting is something that we have to fix with some upcoming talents. Bowling is on the way up with more and more talents.

Test status was given at the right time. We wouldn't have learned anything playing associate teams and A teams.

[Edited on 18-5-2004 by nasif]

[Tehsin]

Without the test status - we would have been struggling with team like Namibia, USA and Nepal right now. We would have missed out on all the experience, the adventures (some of you wouldnt even care to follow BD cricket).

If you prefer to be playing Namibia or Nepal every year and a few matches of the Asia Cup every few hundred years, you are more then welcome to go ahead and follow one of the many associate teams. We prefer to have this opportunity to play against the best on a regular basis.

[Zunaid]

Agreed - WE weren't really ready but I am glad we got it.

Look at Kenya - who have they played with recently? We'd never have gotten any opportunities (ICC dev program or not) and would have been satisfied to play with the Nepals, Hongkings and Namibias.

[fab]

Well, if we didn't get Test status, I doubt Dav would be our coach. We'd be stuck with second rate coaches and achieve very little improvement.

[rafiq]

So the morale here is, to be better you really must get Test status and play with the big boys. And if you must fix a match to get that Test status, then it will eventually be well worth the financial investment.

[Barrera]

There is a threshold on whether you be granted test status or not, I believe we were way below that threshold when we were granted test status. But we are above it now after some humiliating defeats. We deserve our test status now

[Barrera]

That controversial Pakistan game, let me talk about it more. It might not have involved any bribes, but Pakistan did let us win I feel, am mean they were already through so they took it easy and wanted to help our claims for test status, the way they were giving their wickets away made me suspicious. Am mean we are their brothers, Bangladeshi fans love Pak players too so it makes sense for them to help their brothers out. Pakistan were runners up in that tournament and were playing some awesome cricket its funny how they ended up loosing to our mediocre team who were struggling to even beat Scotland

[Nasif]

Originally posted by Barrera
That controversial Pakistan game, let me talk about it more. It might not have involved any bribes, but Pakistan did let us win I feel, am mean they were already through so they took it easy and wanted to help our claims for test status, the way they were giving their wickets away made me suspicious. Am mean we are their brothers, Bangladeshi fans love Pak players too so it makes sense for them to help their brothers out. Pakistan were runners up in that tournament and were playing some awesome cricket its funny how they ended up loosing to our mediocre team who were struggling to even beat Scotland

If you have seen saqlain's face during the runout pitch invasion then you would forget the brotherly "love" theme from pakis. I have watched that match live and I have it on tape and watched it over and over again countless times. There was no brotherly love. Nobody in the world wants to loose against a minnow such as Bangladesh. There was absolutely no brotherly love in that game. Paki body language was a proof of that. Its all just big talk in thin air. There was an inquiry commission for crying out loud. It wasn't fixed! Lets get past that.

We won with some great fielding, some steady bowling and a little luck. Thats all. There is no question of it being fixed. I won't believe it unless it is proved otherwise.

[Beamer]

Frankly its a pointless arguement to drag the pak game out. It serves no purpose. Without the test status we won't be playing anyone tight like we do these days. Success doesn't come overnight. With failure comes success. All our early games were blowouts ( since test status ) and we are gradually closing the gap now, the margin of defeat that is. We have learnt how to bowl in one day matches, with the limited resouces, and the fielding has improved leaps and bouds. Batting will come as well. Remember that it takes only one ball to get out whereas a bowler has room for redemption even if he his hit for a few runs in one over. It will surely come. Just be patient. If we played west Indies two close games like this past weeknds ten years ago, that would have been an anomaly. Not quite so right now. We expect better since we actually got better.

[fwullah]

We won with some great fielding

I am still waiting for that day when our current squad of younger cricketers, of average age 20 will be able to field like those 'BUIRAs' (borrowed this word from AsifTheMan).

These youngsters (average age 20-24) of the year 2004 still cannot field like those 35 year old national players of the world cup 1999.

[Ahmed_B]

firstly, Each and every single person i have seen so far questioning the test status, is among anti-bangladesh critics and all from other countries...
who are you?

secondly, did you get to know that ICC is taking preparation to declare 5 or 6 more Test nations.. all below ranked and below-standard to Bangladesh team?(considering even Kenya as below standard to current BD team even though they are ahead of us in ranking)
this they are doing to expand the game globally, creating more and mroe competetive teams. why are you going to the totally opposite direction?
why are you looking back instead of looking forward??:duh:


[Edited on 18-5-2004 by crickethorizon]

[AsifTheManRahman]

Originally posted by fwullah

I am still waiting for that day when our current squad of younger cricketers, of average age 20 will be able to field like those 'BUIRAs' (borrowed this word from AsifTheMan).

These youngsters (average age 20-24) of the year 2004 still cannot field like those 35 year old national players of the world cup 1999.

I feel honoured

[Nasif]

It was time to discover the colourful side of Croft, owner of 125 wickets in just 27 Tests during the time of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. When the mechanical engineer cum airline pilot speaks, you listen. Suddenly an hour had passed and the deadlines were being stressed unwittingly.

"I was never a professional, but played a professional sport," he happily admits and has no regrets about leaving top-level cricket at just 30 in 1981. "I enjoy flying more than cricket. It's orgasmic at times. Maybe I'll buy a plane and start flying again. But I don't have the money now," said the former Caribbean Airlines pilot.

"You know, Bangladesh is the only cricket playing nation in the world where I haven't been yet," he says and then makes an assertion to warm the hearts of every Bangladeshi.

"I was there in Northampton when you beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup and I'll tell you something. Till this day, I have no doubts in my mind whatsoever that Bangladesh genuinely won that match."

Source: Dailystar

---

As I always said, those who saw the match live, knows it wasn't fixed. Croft agrees.

[Edited on 26-5-2004 by nasif]

[Hasib]

Ok... i know we are bad when we play against the other test teams. But the fact is we are the worst of the BEST. not the worst in the world!!! (allahr-rahmahta)