Bangladesh chasing Test cricket but it keeps raining away
Hosts defend decision of monsoon Tests after four days were washed out.
South African captain Hashim Amla claimed the series was bizarre as six of the total 10 days in the two Tests were rained out altogether. PHOTO: AFP
DHAKA:
The second and final Test between South Africa and Bangladesh ended in a draw in Dhaka on Monday after heavy rain meant no play was possible on the last four days.
The final day’s play at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium was also called off on Monday morning due to a wet outfield despite the sun shining on the Bangladesh capital.
Play was possible only on the first day when Bangladesh, who won the toss and elected to bat, scored 246-8.
The lone bright spot of the match was fast bowler Dale Steyn becoming only the second South African after Shaun Pollock to claim 400 Test wickets. With the first Test in Chittagong also drawn after rain washed out the last two days, the two-match series ended 0-0.
South African captain Hashim Amla said he was frustrated being part of what he said was a “bizarre” series.
“If this Test was in South Africa, it would have been called off yesterday itself,” said Amla. “The outfield was totally unplayable. It was damp and had an element of risk. This is one of the most bizarre Test series I have been involved in. I don’t think I have played a series where out of 10 days, six days have been rained off.”
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who was named man of the match for scoring 65 in the only innings played in the Test, regretted the lost opportunity of learning from the world’s top-ranked side.
“Win or lose is immaterial,” he said. “The biggest thing is that there were a lot of things to be learnt from the number one team in the world.”
Bangladesh had won the preceding one-day series 2-1.
Bangladesh defends monsoon Tests
Bangladesh’s cricket chiefs on Monday defended the decision to host the series in the monsoon months of July and August, saying no other dates were available.
The monsoon season, which usually starts in mid-June, accounts for 80% of the country’s annual rainfall.
Last year the Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded over 45,000 millimetres (1,771 inches) of rain across the country from June to August.
Unfortunately, the Dhaka Test also coincided with cyclonic storm Komen in the Bay of Bengal, which made landfall on the country’s east coast on Friday and brought heavy rain.
A one-off Test against India in Chittagong in June was also abandoned after rain washed out nearly nine of the 15 sessions of play.
Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the tight international schedule of their opponents forced his board to hold Test series for the first time during the monsoons.
“This was the only available slot we got from the South African board,” Chowdhury told AFP. “We had communicated to them the rain factor but there was no alternative. If we did not host them now, we would have had to wait till 2023.”
Bangladesh’s Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim appealed to teams to visit his country between October and May. “We always want to play the big teams during our cricket season,” he said. “But they are usually busy then. The more we play them, the more we will learn.”
The two washed-out Tests against South Africa meant a revision in points that determine official rankings, although the rankings themselves remained unchanged. Top-ranked South Africa dropped five points, closing the gap with other contenders. Bangladesh gained six points but continued to languish in ninth place, just above Zimbabwe.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2015.
The second and final Test between South Africa and Bangladesh ended in a draw in Dhaka on Monday after heavy rain meant no play was possible on the last four days.
The final day’s play at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium was also called off on Monday morning due to a wet outfield despite the sun shining on the Bangladesh capital.
Play was possible only on the first day when Bangladesh, who won the toss and elected to bat, scored 246-8.
The lone bright spot of the match was fast bowler Dale Steyn becoming only the second South African after Shaun Pollock to claim 400 Test wickets. With the first Test in Chittagong also drawn after rain washed out the last two days, the two-match series ended 0-0.
South African captain Hashim Amla said he was frustrated being part of what he said was a “bizarre” series.
“If this Test was in South Africa, it would have been called off yesterday itself,” said Amla. “The outfield was totally unplayable. It was damp and had an element of risk. This is one of the most bizarre Test series I have been involved in. I don’t think I have played a series where out of 10 days, six days have been rained off.”
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who was named man of the match for scoring 65 in the only innings played in the Test, regretted the lost opportunity of learning from the world’s top-ranked side.
“Win or lose is immaterial,” he said. “The biggest thing is that there were a lot of things to be learnt from the number one team in the world.”
Bangladesh had won the preceding one-day series 2-1.
Bangladesh defends monsoon Tests
Bangladesh’s cricket chiefs on Monday defended the decision to host the series in the monsoon months of July and August, saying no other dates were available.
The monsoon season, which usually starts in mid-June, accounts for 80% of the country’s annual rainfall.
Last year the Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded over 45,000 millimetres (1,771 inches) of rain across the country from June to August.
Unfortunately, the Dhaka Test also coincided with cyclonic storm Komen in the Bay of Bengal, which made landfall on the country’s east coast on Friday and brought heavy rain.
A one-off Test against India in Chittagong in June was also abandoned after rain washed out nearly nine of the 15 sessions of play.
Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the tight international schedule of their opponents forced his board to hold Test series for the first time during the monsoons.
“This was the only available slot we got from the South African board,” Chowdhury told AFP. “We had communicated to them the rain factor but there was no alternative. If we did not host them now, we would have had to wait till 2023.”
Bangladesh’s Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim appealed to teams to visit his country between October and May. “We always want to play the big teams during our cricket season,” he said. “But they are usually busy then. The more we play them, the more we will learn.”
The two washed-out Tests against South Africa meant a revision in points that determine official rankings, although the rankings themselves remained unchanged. Top-ranked South Africa dropped five points, closing the gap with other contenders. Bangladesh gained six points but continued to languish in ninth place, just above Zimbabwe.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2015.