FROM SA Sunday Times

[Tehsin]

This bunch of no-hopers must be buried to give SA any credibility
Colin Bryden

The worst cricket team in the world, or at least among those with official international status, will provide a chance for South Africa to improve their win-loss ratio over the next month.

Bangladesh have been pathetic since they were granted Test status more than two years ago. They have lost 12 out of 13 Tests, with the exception being a rained-off game against Zimbabwe.

They have been just as bad in one-day cricket. They could break their own world record for most consecutive defeats during the three-match one-day series, which starts in Potchefstroom on Thursday. They are on a streak of 20 losses, going back to their surprise (and suspiciously easy) win over Pakistan in a meaningless match during the 1999 World Cup.

Bangladesh were responsible for the all-time worst sequence in one-day cricket when they lost their first 22 official games between 1985/86 season and a win over Kenya in Hyderabad, India, 12 years later. Kenya, hardly world-beaters, hold a 5-1 edge over Bangladesh.

Test status was granted because of the strong cricket culture in a country with a population of 120 million. One factor that gained Bangladesh entry to cricket's elite was the passionate support of fans who flocked to the 40 000-capacity Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka during the ICC Trophy tournament in 1999, even though the host nation was not playing.

For their South African tour, the Bangladesh selectors have jettisoned some of their older players, including two former captains in Akram Khan and Manjural Islam, in the hope that younger players will rise to the challenge. Surprisingly, though, they have dropped Mohammad Ashraful, who became the youngest debutant to score a Test century when, aged 17, he made 114 against Sri Lanka last September.

Ashraful failed to kick on after his initial success and his Test batting average after seven matches is a modest 25.84. Remarkably, however, only Habibul Bashar of the selected players has a better average, if two players who have played only one Test are excluded. Bashar has an average of 35.36 after 13 Tests. Next best is Javed Omar with 25.47.

If the batting numbers make sorry reading, the bowling figures are even worse. Manjurul Islam, the left-arm opening bowler, has the best record, with 22 wickets in 11 Tests at the sorry average of 48.72. A supporter seeking solace in the one-day career records will be disappointed. Not one of the touring party has a batting average above 30. Tushar Imran (28.11) and Javed Omar (27.50) are the only two above 25.

The bowling averages maintain the depressing trend. Only Khaled Mahmud, with 30 at 39.36, has taken wickets at fewer than 40 runs apiece.

Bangladesh made a short tour of South Africa two seasons ago and lost all their matches, a first-class game against Griqualand West by 82 runs and three one-day matches against a South African President's XI. A variety of South African fast bowlers, including Andre Nel, Dewald Pretorius, Charl Langeveldt, Mfuneko Ngam, Charl Willoughby and Justin Kemp, bowled them out for 178, 51 and 57 in the one-day games. Six of the current team, including captain and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud, were on that trip.

What it means for the South Africans, who folded astonishingly against India in Colombo on Wednesday, is that nothing less than a ruthless annihilation will do.

Beating Bangladesh won't prove anything, but Shaun Pollock needs to get his men to show there is fire in their bellies in this World Cup season. Failure to crush weak opposition will only increase concerns that the South African team have lost their hard edge.

Link here: You can find the paper here

[Pundit]

This is where non-American caucasians are so different from people in America.

Just 'cause someone's the biggest loser, you never say that. You don't take away the rightful opportunity from him to be better. That's what it is all about giving Bangladesh a chance.

The SAfricans should know better - what happened to them in 1990/91 that they are being able to play now ?

Same goes with the English sometimes.

[Arnab]

This is where non-American caucasians are so different from people in America.

Wrong. They are all the same.

[Orpheus]

Awwwww, I am saddened. The victims let their emotion out.

There is an episode in Seinfeld where Jerry asks a chineese mailman where the nearest chineese restaurant is. The mailman gets offended and furiously says - Just because I am chineese, does that mean I know where all the chineese restaurants are?

Notice he was a MAILMAN.

Bangladesh is loser. A South African reporter writes that this series is no help and only a burial would be some help to his country. A "hurtful" title. The fault is = He is white.

Why don't we give Namibia, Canada, Netherlands teststatus and say here is your chance.

Truth Hurts man!!

How long will Bangladesh be excused by saying it's all learning process - we are underdogs etc. I hope there are more reports like this, and give Bangladesh(is) a feeling that "WE ARE ALL EQUAL"

[Tehsin]

What's wrong with this post is the TONE. Who said it is always important then what was said. The only thing wrong with Mr. Bryden is that he picked the sorriest title and went on rubbing folks the wonrg way.
Now, a Bangladeshi could have written the exact same thing and wouldn't have been blamed for his views.
We all know that we SUCK. It's been established time and again in thie message board alone an dmany other such boards. Some belong to Bangladeshi and some belonged to other teams. Probably the worst you'd see is the Pakistani boards and Pakistanis are not White, are they ?
Mr. Bryden needed to excercise due care and professionalism and the fact that he is white (or is he ?) makes it a little different because that's how we people are.

I think all Bangladeshis are right to feel offended by the tone of the article. The white/asian issue doesn't really apply here even though that may have been in the back of Mr. Bryden.

[Pundit]

Orpheus - I am a little confused over what you are trying to get at. This is a cricket board, so I will try to be short, and hope that so will all our participants.

I believe I was more concentrating on the language used, the contents, and not the emotions!!

Also, I don't think any one here is ashamed at how BD has been doing. Given the circumstances, what better was there to expect. But stop at your tracks, and think for a second, how we all look forward to every game bd plays, or call it every "whopping" bd gets lined up for.

Every wicket a bowler gets, every drive that pierces the covers to the boundary...brings an overwhelming sense of joy to all of us...not because anyone is better than someone else, or not because it will improve a dismal 4/13 position any better..but the sheer joy of being atleaset able to say that , ok we have begun our adventure.

Have you seen where Manju's average has come down from in the past 15 months...from 65 to 48. That given the fact that he has to defend totals like 130 and such.

I don't know what you think, or what all those writers at Wisden or SA think, we'll be doing good, steadily, and surely. But until than, no one has the right to ridicule our players' efforts and the limited opportunities they get at home. This is one tactic of denegration that won't work anymore. So my friend Orpheus, stand tall and firm, and say.."put up or shut up."

[rafiq]

especially when it comes to Bangladeshi affairs such as cricket.

the only reply to any negativity should and will (one day) be made on the field. talk is cheap.

i didn't get the connection between the race issue and bangladesh's sorry state in cricket. maybe this writer is black!

[soccer crazy]

WE all sometime talk bad or get angry withour BD cricket and we also feel great when they do little better. And we all know our team realy sucks.

But that don't give any right to any journalist to write a article about our BD team like this. He directly attacking our team ,players even like moking with our country.

It does not surprise me though, even 10 years ago:

-This is the country where white partite govt. used to rule majority black peoples.
- this is the country where if you are not white you did not have any right to vote even black was majority .
-This is the country where they kept Nelson Mendala behind bar for 27 years because he was black.
- This is the country that was suspended by international community for years from participating for any kind of sports.
--and for people like him(collin) SA was under Partite govt.

EVEN SA HAS BEEN CHANGED A LOT SINCE NELSON CAME TO POWER , BUT PEOPLE LIKE HIM 'S MENTALITY DID NOT CHANGE AT ALL.
Mendela should put this kind of people in a cage let Lion eat them. This also go for the people who supported his view.Text Red

[Orpheus]

Originally posted by pundit
Just 'cause someone's the biggest loser, you never say that. You don't take away the rightful opportunity from him to be better. That's what it is all about giving Bangladesh a chance.

That sounded emotional to me but I guess it was my misunderstanding. Moreover Arnab's follow up remark about how All white people are like that sounded emotionally overwhelming.

Since the word caucasian was used, I tried to use the analogy to show that he is a reporter. His job is to make the report juicy - more favorable to his people as the whole world will be reading it.

No one is ashamed and you are right we will be better slowly but until then - I think everyone has the right to mock us but giving credit to the players that give their best (which i see often in reports).

I don't think this report is a degenerating tactic - back to back loss is degeneration enough. But you are entitled to your own opinion.

Frankly I don't give the damn what any reporters or anyone for that matter have to say about us and I think you don't either.

BUT

there is always an option of kicking their as$.

[Arnab]

I think we should find the actual copy of this article, laminate it, and send it to our team....

and see reverse psychology at work.

[Tehsin]

I like that last idea. Laminate it and then have a good translator translate the article in Bangla and laminate that (just in case) and send it to our players.

we are not losing just because we are BAD, we are losing BAD because of the way our players are acting on the field. Somehting's bothering them and we need to try everything to get them riled up.

As for SA ... Did you know that it's pretty much the child rape capital of the world ? I won't write any more on that, you can try the news agencies to find out more.

[James90]

They should show them their improvement and prove that in the tour. Maybe this will pump them up for the tour and show us a new Bangladesh. That new Bangladesh will provide confidence which we desperately need. This might actually be productive. The Daily Star try their hardest to give positive articles and it should be the same here. I hope he gets the chop for this. Bangladesh should do an Ashraful

Sri Lankan scorers jokingly told Ash that if he couldn't find a place in the Under 19s side that he had no future in which he replied "some day I will play for my country"

Bangladesh should reply....oneday we'll make it to the top

[Orpheus]

Damn, I can't find my bow as I was about to play my violin.

Wow!! you almost made me cry Habibul_fan. Are you sure you are 13?? You are deep man!!

[fwullah]

At least we have the guts so that we are not asking for foreigners to come to play for our national team or our top level players have enough guts to play for Bangladesh national team in international cricket rather than other countries' national teams.

[James90]

I was born on 22 January 1989 in the Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Enough proof and with my profile I put 1985 cos I thought there was an age limit

[rafiq]

why do bangladeshi-centric message boards always end up in US vs THEM discussions? what are you going to do to stop someone from writing an article? call a hartal in johannesburg, or burn a white man's effigy in front of the south african consulate in dhaka? why not just take the feedback from all sides, let people have their individual opinions and just move on with trying to play better cricket?

some people have a right to get offended if they want to be, others have a right to not get offended. it doesn't change a thing but may provide some motivation to the cricketers if they were to read the article.

[handle]

Here's the note I sent to the Editor of Sun times. While Colin Bryden is entitled to his own opinion, so am I.

------------------------------------------------------

Dear Editor:

I was utterly dismayed at Mr. Colin Bryden' s article about the Bangladesh cricket team on Sunday's internet issue.

Mr. Bryden starts his article - "The worst cricket team in the world ...". Mr. Bryden is wrong. Bangladesh
is not the worst cricket team in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but rather the 10th best team
in the world. Granted, there is vast difference of standards between the 9th best and the 10th best, but
let me point out that Bangladesh earned the right to play at the highest level by defeating all other associate
nations.

While throughout the article Mr. Bryden presents facts to support his argument, his interpretation of the facts
is subjective at best, and his tone clearly derogatory. While Bangladesh do hold the longest losing streak of 22
games, it should be pointed out that Zimbabwe recently ended a 18 game losing streak, which is only marginally better,
and that after they've already been a test nation for years.

Bangladesh is a young team, both in terms of experience and age. Most members of the squad have barely passed their
teens, and it's only a matter of time before they will start making their mark in international cricket. Mr. Bryden seems
to have forgotten the fact that superiority doesn't last forever, and if that law holds true, in the not-too distant future
we will see South African team being dominated by others. I just hope that journalists who write about the South African
team then, have a little more self-respect and dignity than to call that team "A bunch of no-hopers".

Sincerely,

Rashad Mahtab
Rochester, MN
U.S.

[Arnab]

I don't think that article was racist in any sense unless you desparately want it to be one. It was definitely annoyingly condescending, but rightfully so. Unless we DO it and SHOW it to the world, we have no justification to feel that offended at some reporter's jibe. Kothate na, Kaajey dekhaite hobe. Our targert should be to get to the level where WE can have OUR reporters writing that sort of stuff about OTHER nations, preferably SA.

However, Rashad Bhai, nice retort!! Let them know we are not a bunch of pussies.

[Orpheus]

This board should restrict some words!!! --Seriously--

Nice article Handle bhai.... Well put.

[Mahmood]

Bravo handle. My hats to you.

[James90]

lol. Nice article lets hope if boosts their motivation

[Tehsin]

Please keep us updated on the situation.

I didn't think the article was racist either but it was rather careless and unprofessional. Which pretty much sums up our teams performance, doesn't it ?