I must admit that I seldom have the opportunity to watch the inexperienced cricketers from Bangladesh strut their skills. I have seen them at world tournaments like the World Cup and T20 World Championships and naturally when they play Australia but apart from those rare events I have seen little of them.

While I admit to being no expert on Bangladeshi cricket I have had the pleasure to watch them on at least a dozen occasions and have always marvelled in the spirit, sportsmanship and respect that seems to be perennially on display.

My first sight of the talent inherent in Bangladesh was in 2005 when against the odds they upset the World Champion Australian team at the unlikely venue of Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

Mushrafe Mortaza bowled an almost perfect opening spell and the wily Mohammad Rafique bowled as tight a ten overs of orthodox left-arm spin that you’d ever likely see. It was a brilliant fielding performance yet Australia still finished there allotted overs with a credible 249/5 and were expected to win.

In Banglaesh’s reply the game was in the balance at 51/2 in the 16th over when the baby-faced Mohammad Ashraful turned the game with an outstandingly innocent century. He played each ball on its merits and pulled and drove with such unabashed exuberance that he astonished the frustrated Australia with his skill and unadulterated joy.

I remember the standing ovation that the whole Bangladeshi team received at match end. They played cricket how it should be played; Honestly, skilfully, courageously and vibrantly.

Much was expected of Habibul Bashar’s young team after that match but unfortunately the performance in that match was a flash in the pan.

It wasn’t until the 2007 World Cup that the Bangladeshi cricketers stood tall again. They rolled the Indians with ease to qualify for the next stage and once again Mushrafe Mortaza and Rafique set up the win with outstanding bowling performances.

In the Super Eights they covered the expert’s faces with egg by humiliating the trash talking South Africans in Guyana. The influential star of this match was the precocious Ashraful but after these two excellent wins they inexplicably lost to Ireland ending their hopes of a semi-final chance.

The tournament summed up Bangladesh perfectly. They have talent and skill, a few emerging world-class players but they are horribly inconsistent. This lack of sustained performance explains their poor record in Test matches and it remains the most important aspect missing from the Bangladeshi game.

Recently, South Australian Jamie Siddons, a known hard nut, was given the job of instilling this component into the national squad. Siddons, perhaps the most regarded Australian coach outside of Tim Nielsen, was John Buchanan’s deputy for several years and there is little he doesn’t know about the technical aspects of cricket.

Bangladeshi cricket has plenty of enthusiasm but few resources and Siddon’s has an uphill task to instill the professionalism that he is accustomed so that he can succeed in his personal dream of coaching the Baggygreens.

To achieve consistently internationally Bangladeshi cricket needs resources at the school and teenage levels so that their vast cricket loving nation can reap the benefits. Rest assured it will happen at some time in the future. For cricket and for Bangladesh, I sincerely hope that it is sooner rather than later.

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