Cricket

An article from Sydney Morning Herald (about the ODI between Australia & Bangladesh on June 18, 2005)
Australia's world champion cricket team now has another place in history, and its Ashes tour a place in the doghouse.
Its five-wicket, tri-series loss to Bangladesh - the poorest cousin of cricket's first family - sparked pandemonium at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, wild celebration in Dhaka and humiliation across Australia.
Australia lost to a side that was ranked 33-1 underdogs with nine wins from 107 one-dayers beforehand, among them victories over Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe (four times).
Bangladesh's win is one of cricket's biggest upsets, possibly rivalling the Test that created the Ashes, when Australia beat England at The Oval in 1882, and Australia's loss to Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup.
Ricky Ponting said the defeat was "easily" the worst of his stint at Australian captain and said his side had to accept the unthinkable.
"It's probably one of the biggest upsets in the history of the game, today, and we've got to be made aware of that and if that doesn't click us into gear and into shape then nothing will," he said.
While Australia can make amends - of sorts - against England in today's tri-series match in Bristol, the loss to the lowest-ranked one-day side in the world continued a shocking start to Australia's Ashes defence.
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The sorry tale reads three beatings in six days, to England (Twenty20), county side Somerset and Bangladesh, with allrounder Andrew Symonds likely to face further suspension for drinking the night before the Cardiff match.
Symonds is understood to have been drinking early into yesterday morning and it was only revealed during the side's warm-up that he was in no fit state to play.
Australian team management met late into last night to discuss further sanctions, and it is expected that Symonds, 30, will also be suspended from today's match against England - the first real contest this winter of the Ashes combatants.
In another shabby effort, Australia laboured to 5-249 after Ponting misread the wicket and seaming conditions and the batsmen struggled against the accurate Bangladeshi attack.
Even worse, Australia was powerless to prevent 20-year-old batsman Mohammad Ashraful and his captain Habibul Bashar putting on 130 to spearhead their side to victory.
Ashraful struck a glorious 100 from 101 balls, Habibul 47 and Aftab Ahmed a quickfire 21 not out.
Needing seven runs off Jason Gillespie's final over, Aftab blasted the first delivery over mid-wicket for six to level the scores before he and partner Mohammad Rafique pinched a single next ball to give their nation its greatest-ever victory.
Australia started the day unbackable - one bookie offered odds of 1-500 - and although the first Ashes Test against England is still over four weeks away, Ponting admitted to some worries, especially over how Bangladesh dictated terms.
"That's a bit of a worry - the No.1 ranked team in the world against Bangladesh, it's reasonably worrying," he said.
"That's why it's going to be difficult for us to sort of work out what's going on - it's not that we're not training well or training hard.
"It's just that when the games are coming around we're not performing."
Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore said the win would have huge repercussions in the Asian nation, and had come less than two years after his players spent the winter putting players like Steve Waugh, Ponting, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist on pedestal.
"[That] didn't didn't please me too much, but to get them again in a different country and to win was wonderful," Whatmore said.
Bangladesh's 2005 includes its first Test win (over Zimbabwe) and one-day wins over India and Australia.
To add to Australia's woes, batsman Mike Hussey could be interviewed by match referee Jeff Crowe today about a large sticker on the back of his bat, which exceeds International Cricket Council (ICC) guidelines that say advertising material must not take up more than 50 per cent of the back of the blade.
A Cricket Australia spokeswoman said Crowe had not formally spoken with management, and that Hussey's bat and its graphite stickers - similar to the ones on Ponting's bats - had been approved until an ICC review later this year





SONDESH SANDESH
Mumbai, June 23, 2005


I have noted with full empathy the hurt sentiments and national pride of the people of Bangladesh by the article written by Deputy Editor of CricketNext.com, Tapan Joshi. Ironically, instead of celebrating Bangladesh's extraordinary achievement in trouncing the formidable World Cup champions and increasingly cocky Australian team, the author perhaps got too carried away by painting a dark side to the economic and social environment of Bangladesh, which was highly exaggerated, extremely inaccurate and totally inappropriate. I have since ensured that the relevant piece has been removed from our content pages forthwith.
CricketNext's launch in Y 2000 and Bangldesh's entry into international cricket by getting ICC recognition go hand-in-hand. I am sure all cricket lovers will never forget the ICC Cricket Week 2000 which was completely sponsored by CricketNext.com, culminating in that sensational last-ball finish to the CricketNext.com Cup match between the first Asia XI vs Rest of the World XI. At that point, Jagmohan Dalmiya, then President, ICC had categorically told me of how CricketNext's sponsorship support would help in getting Bangladesh into the world-map. I am glad that finally we had played an instrumental role by getting Bangladesh cricket the requisite global attention, and the Bangladesh government with due humility recognized our contribution by issuing a prestigious stamp in our honour. We remain touched by the gesture.
I would like to place on record the wonderful time I had there along with my wife and the rest of the CricketNext team. On a hot sultry day in early April, there were over 40,000 passionate cricket lovers trying to get into the Bangabandhu stadium, and yet there was such immaculate lane discipline and admirable crowd behaviour, appreciative of every nuance of the game, and full of bustling energy. And people in Dhaka loved Sachin Tendulkar as if like their own. And the teeming crowds in the bazaar streets, the genteel modest behaviour of all we met, the aroma of mutton curry and the palpable simplicity of the people of Bangladesh has remained a memorable experience.
I would like to reiterate that people have expected miracles from Bangladesh from the time they have got recognition (unfairly enough, perhaps), and many (including us) were naturally frustrated by the continuing humiliating defeats. When Bangladesh defeated India in the ODI last year, believe me, we were genuinely happy for an outstanding performance by our opponents, despite our patriotic commitments and feelings.
Right now, I am happy that Bangladesh is making all its critics and cynics, eat humble apple pie with cinnamon flavoured vanilla ice cream. This is a moment to rejoice, to celebrate! This could be the turning point for Bangladesh cricket, as red-faced Ricky Ponting and his gum-chewing supercilious bunch retreat into their dressing room to recuperate from the ravaging attack of the Bangladesh typhoon!
Every citizen of Bangladesh must feel proud of this spectacular show by its cricketers. So are we all in India. And at CricketNext.
SANJAY JHA
Managing Editor

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Is Joshi afraid of Bangladeshi Tigers!!!! As in recent times they beat the two finalist of the 2003 World Cup. The first victim was the runners-up India (a reflection of how fortunate the Tigers) and the second was the champion Australia (again the Tigers were very fortunate).

We wont mind if our Tigers continuously win with the help of fortune and conquer the World Cup some day, so did the Sri Lankans, when they won the 1995/96 World Cup (fortunately!!!).

I hope like Joshi all Indians remember the ODI#1081, Wills World Cup, 1995/96, 1st Semi Final: India v Sri Lanka, Eden Gardens, Calcutta (day/night), 13 March 1996. In the history of World cricket it was a nightmare. Do you remember Joshi!! Sri Lanka won by default!! At the fall of the 8th Indian wicket, sections of the crowd vented their disgust with the state of the match by setting fire to some areas of the stands and throwing fruit and water bottles onto the field. The match was briefly stopped and when play was about to resume, the crowd again threw bottles at the deep fielders. The match referee (CH Lloyd) stopped the game and the game was awarded to Sri Lanka by default. Thanks God Joshi as we beat you at Dhaka otherwise who knows you might repeat the same performance and place your name in the history book again.

I guess from your fear whether Tigers beat India again in India, is the only reason why you wrote the article titled THE CUBS ARE LEARNING TO ROAR where the subject heading completely mismatched with inside text, where you write about poverty, fundamentalism, natural disasters and multitude social and economical problems of Bangladesh and many other things. But Dear Sir!! Is India free from above-mentioned problems?

Do you know in which country the world’s largest numbers of poor people live? I am sorry to say but the answer is INDIA. India still has the world’s largest number of poor people in a single country. Of its nearly 1 billion inhabitants, an estimated 350-400 million are below the poverty line, 75 per cent of them in the rural areas [http://www.indiaonestop.com/povertyindia.htm]. Do you know in India, one household in two is without electricity, two in three without running water and six in ten without indoor toilet facilities!!! What an example of rich country!! Hey, I suppose you live in Mumbai. Do you want me to write something interesting about Mumbai? Okay just tell me where you find “Asia's largest slums”, the answer would be definitely Mumbai, the Maharashtrian capital, where you will find the heat, humidity, hassle, traffic fumes, relentless crowds, appalling poverty, beggars, jostled by coolies, and hand-cart pullers (definitely better than cycle rickshaws)!!! And cow!! Yes hundreds of free floating cows and cow dung all over the streets. However, these scenarios are not only in Mumbai, you will find all the interesting things in all big and small cities in India, including the capital New Delhi. Hey are you still living in India!!

Do you know in which country world’s largest number of fundamentalist live? Again it’s INDIA. Indian experience with fundamentalism has been bloody and traumatic. Mahatma Gandhi (father of the Indian nation), fell victim to a Hindu fundamentalist's bullets. The Sikh fundamentalist gunned down Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi also blew up by a female suicide bomber of the Tamil fundamentalist group.

Now natural disasters. Do you know what is call tsunami? Is any part of South India affected by the recent devastating tsunami? Aren’t hundreds of Indian people died? Hey man it is called natural disaster, i.e. naturally occurring disaster which is beyond the control of human being (till now) but you could control the Bhopal (Human) disaster where 3,500 were killed by a gas leak from a pesticide plant in Bhopal in 1984 and many are suffering still now.

You are also not free from social and economical problem. Do you know how many people mugged or killed, or how many women raped, in a day in India? The reported cases are in the column of thousands but unreported cases in millions!! Do you know which country gave birth of the bandit queen, Fulon (Phulan) Devi, the most dreaded bandit, poacher and smuggler, Veerappan, the Mumbai mafia don Daud Ibrahim? I assume they are all from India.

You described Bangladesh as a nation of chaotic, and blamed government for that and compares general peoples life with animals. I assume you did not know before reading my article that India harbors world’s largest number of poor people and fundamentalist, continuously giving birth of world famous bandit kings and queens as well as millions of malnourished children, and facing devastating social and economical problems daily, burning people live inside train and Church. So, please let us know: How you will describe your own country? To whom you will blame for it? and; With whom/which you will compare general peoples life?

You also said Bangladesh has no heroes on the world stage. But why your government awarded Indira Gandhi peace prize to Grameen Bank chairman Dr Mohammad Younus in 1998. I know why. Because the concept of Micro credit was invented by Dr. Mohammed Younus, and first implemented in the Grameen Bank, Bangladesh. Since its inception in 1976, the Grameen Bank has provided billions of dollars worth of loans to millions of Bangladeshis, most of them women for poverty alleviation. And his concept of Microcredit for poverty alleviation is widely accepted and implemented worldwide including India.

Dear Mr. Joshi Bangladesh is emerging so did the Bangladeshi Tigers and we believe that we will defeat the Indian Cricket Team again in India in near future. So pleases don’t waste your time writing weird articles and start collecting fruit and water bottles for throwing onto the field to bring to an end that match by chaos!!