& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Time to move on and build on near glory

Mohammad Isam
After a tumulnious four weeks, the Sri Lankan team spent some quiet time yesterday at a private farm on the outskirts of Dhaka. welcome break from the clamour of the
Tests and particularly of the one-day tournament no doubt, when you con-siderwhat the islanders had to go through to have a statistically successful time in Bangladesh.
They whitewashed the hosts in the two-match Test series and lifted the Grameenphone Tri-nation Cup. On Friday Sri Lanka celebrated like they would have done had they won the World Cup final against Australia two years ago. Their pace attack in the shorter version looks settled without the experienced Chaminda Vaas and the emergence of Tillekeratne Dilshan as a Test match batsman must be a real boost. But In the space of 26 days, one of the powerhouses of world cricket was made to sweat, cringe and give up hope against Bangladesh.
To start with, their board president .Arjuna Ranatunga lost his job and then a
week later, Mahela Jayawardenc and company watched in awe as a bunch of youngsters chased the unchasable. Nothing over 418 has ever been touched in the fourth innings but the Tigers went for broke. They fell short but any team who have 500-plus to chase in the fourth innings will look at how Bangladesh went for it: over by over, session by session. And they say we can't play Test cricket. But the inevitable had to happen in Chittagong. And why not? The Tigers' top-order looks like the who's who of Sisimpur viewers.
All the form batsmen in the country are picked nowadays which makes it eight in all. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza mans the pace attack on his own with cameos and short screams from Shahadat Hossain and Mahbubul Alam but on the flat, slow and uninspiring Chittagong wicket, nothing worked. What should have been a home advantage turned out to be a hoax as the wicket was slower than the roller that treads on it.
Bangladesh lost, Sri Lanka took the series and breathed easy.
Just when everything went to plan, Bangladesh lost to Zimbabwe. They were to blame of course. They gave away too many runs in the last seven overs, ran
themselves out and batted like millionaires. And they were given the treatment by all and sundry. Conveniently, the ICC were in town and were asked If they would snatch the Test status away from Bangladesh. They never said yes, to their credit, but as it happens: one win justifies the Test status while a loss wants to take it all away.
The Tigers did what was not expected of them. They beat Sri Lanka and turned the tables upside down. Shakib Al Hasan cut, drove, hacked and scooped his way to a brilliant, match-winning knock after Mashrafe inspired Rubel Hossain's four-wicket haul.
The Narail Express can now be called the Bangladesh Egress. He takes wickets, saves follow-on targets, inspires the youngsters and makes everyone laugh in the process. You are not a Tiger until Mashrafe has scolded you. The glowing tribute from the visiting captain sums it up. In a world full of headline-grabbing 100 miles an hour pacemen, Mashrafe does everything that is actually needed from a pace spearhead. He has come a long way from the injuries and speed-gun hunting and if this form continues, he will
SEE PAGE 18 COL 1
FROM PAGE 17
go a long way. His season could well be given the perfect icing with a fat IPL contract, something that Shakib also aspires after another great month.
They say that when you are in form grab as much as you can because you might never have that again. Shakib has loaded up on the runs and wickets in all ways possible. So much has luck gone his that when he stuck his hand up for the crucial Kumar Sangakkara catch, he caught it. Some hoped he would remove Nuwan Kulasekara early and he got him early too.
But it seems that Shakib's good luck is what his captain needs. Remember Ashraful started this series with a Test hundred against his bunny side. He fell into the inconsistency trap once again and was surely to blame for the early collapse against Zimbabwe. It was nightmarish cricket from the ace batsman. But this is Ashraful and he doesn't let go of big occasions. He supported Shakib in the win against Sri Lanka, hitting just one boundary and just because he is Ashraful, it had to be a blazing drive over extra-cover's head.
Bangladesh entered the final and the rest will forever be remembered as the match of all matches. Bangladesh, bowled out for 150-odd, had Sri Lanka crawling at five for six, a world record.
Ashraful kept the field up and gave his bowlers every chance to take wickets and when they had eight, his fault was to continue with a pace bowler who bowls a fastyorker and a fiery bouncer at tailenders. That is how Rubel took his wickets in just the last match. He forgot how he did it and so did the country as sixes sailed over his head. Ashraful gave him another go, fatefully, and the match was lost
The recriminations can be harsh and they are. Maybe Ashraful could have given Mahmudullah Riyad the ball. But without having bowled a ball in the previous three hours, what was his state of mind? How about Ashraful himself? If he did win Bangladesh the match with two quick wickets, his detractors would have blamed him for taking the glory. If he didn't and still bowled, he was easily to blame. But he took the common decision, give the bowler the ball, ask for a wicket. The bowler did not deliver. Period.
Probably the Sri Lankans could have taken Ashraful along for the ride and asked him not to read the newspapers but gone are the days when opponents sit and discuss cricket. These days glory is played over and over in television highlight shows Players move on, and sc should the rest of us.