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Consolation for Bangladesh
The score of five hundred runs in a day's cricket is an amazing feat. Due to rain on the previous day Sri Lanka received 105 overs from the Bangladesh bowlers in the recently concluded test match at the P. Sara Stadium. It is a feat which is hardly or never performed at any level of the game.

That Sri Lanka emerged from a position of 56 for 3 to reach 541 for 9, whatever the attack may have been, remains a tremendous achievement. Three batsman shouldered that burden. Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya provided tremendous entertainment. It was mixed display of elegance, power, techniques and improvision too.

What consolation for Bangladesh? Hardly any or nothing! The only redeeming fortune was that they did not drop their heads during their 112 Over stint on the field. They ran in and bowled the overs at a reasonable rate, fielded enthusiastically and kept encouraging each other. Their Captain Kalid Masid should be commended for his hand in those acts.

From a cricketing point it is evident that Bangladesh is "Still Born". They have to improve by a hundred percent in every department to even be a treat to the big way!

They are now in the deep end. They wanted to get in there - and strived for it. It was only two years before they were awarded Test status, that they were accepted into the one-day fold.

Former ICC chief, Indian Jagmohan Dalmiya played a major role in Bangladesh achieving Test status. They were to be the tenth nation to get in on 1st January, 2001, but played their inaugural game seven weeks before, against India.

Quite expectedly the game ended with victory to India - by nine wickets. They put up a gutty display with Amin Ul Uslam stroking a century. In fact South Africa, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, all lost their inaugural games. So it was not at all a shameful start.

This country, formerly known as East Pakistan, have cobbled since that game against India. The only bright spark has been the shore of over three hundred they rattled up against Sri Lanka in the Asia Test Championship game last September.

The main domestic tournament, although competitive and including good overseas cricketers, mainly from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is of one day duration. They have commenced a three day premier league, but that is bound to take time in producing results.

They have kept shuffing players as well. Just a handful of those who toured Sri Lanka ten months ago are in the present squad. To unearth players with ability and mental capabilities to play at the highest level is obviously a major problem.

After two three days games and one test match, the observations are that about last a dozen are half way on the first class ladder. With no players who could be classed as good at international level. It will be an arduous task for the administrators and cricket management to bring their country to the top bracket of cricket playing nations.

They are part of the set up, at present with little hope of troubling any of their opponents. New Zealand have todate taken the longest to register a test match win - 44 games. How many would Bangladesh require?

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