How Bangladesh beat the lure of white-ball riches to save their Tests | cricket news

Days before the Darwin Test against Bangladesh, Australia captain Pat Cummins had said in a podcast: “Some of our boys are saying no to half a million pounds for 20 days’ work to play those two Test matches against Bangladesh. I think it’s a point of tension. At the moment our boys want to play for Australia so badly that they are happy to give that up, but I don’t think we can accept that that will be the case forever.’”Cummins, the proud face of arguably the best fast bowling attack in Tests today, was just reminding us out loud how the dynamics of world cricket have changed dramatically in the last decade. But it was Bangladesh cricket that quietly opted to go the other way during that period, a move that ironically culminated in the defeat of the mighty Cummins Test team on their own soil on Sunday.In doing so, six months after losing their place in the T20 World Cup for diplomatic reasons, they have made this World Test Championship cycle the most exciting since its inception in 2019.Bangladesh’s pace resources have now become the talk of the cricket town. They had shown their potential to demolish Pakistan, both at home and away, in the last two years.The Test victory in Darwin is the realization of the talent and immaculate process focused on Test cricket implemented by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).“Even (as recently) six years ago, pacers did not want to play Test cricket. They were happy playing only white-ball cricket. The BCB decided to incentivize Test cricket. Special contracts were signed where pacers could earn a living by playing Tests,” former Bangladesh captain and current chief selector Habibul Bashar, who led the team when Bangladesh beat Australia in an ODI for the first time in 2005, told TOI from Darwin.BCB changed the match fee and contract structure in 2019. Until then, ODI players were the highest paid, resulting in fast bowlers withdrawing from Test cricket.The board decided to rework the contracts so that the Test players would become the highest-paid cricketers in the country. The fee for a Test match has been doubled from 4 lakh Bangladeshi taka to 8 lakh Bangladeshi taka.“Now, our fast bowlers are reserved for Test cricket. They are not looking for contracts in T20 leagues. If a T20 league contract comes, the BCB assesses whether the player can be released,” Bashar said.Now, Bangladesh has a battery of pacemakers who come from humble backgrounds. Tearaway Quick Nahid Rana hails from a remote village in Rajshahi near the Indian border and Hasan Mahmud is from Lakshmipur in Chittagong, while Ebadot Hossain and Tanzim Shakib are from Sylhet.The word in Bangladesh cricket is that they do not want players to follow the path of Mustafizur Rahman and that they did not prioritize Test cricket to play in T20 leagues.

Change of pitches in domestic cricket

The trigger for the rhythm revolution occurred in 2014-15.Over the last decade, former Bangladesh captain Akram Khan, Bashar and Minhajul Abedin have worked in domestic cricket in various capacities such as chief selector, head of cricket operations and BCB director.“The national pitches used to be empty and suitable for spinners. Teams played with three spinners and one pacer. We worked on the ground and decided to make it a rule to have at least 6mm of grass on the pitches.“We also made it mandatory for teams to play with three pacers in first-class matches. This encouraged these suburban players to play fast. When the pitches became pacer-friendly, teams organically started picking more pacers,” Bashar said.

Hire legends as fast bowling coaches

Bangladesh’s main cricket channel is under-19 cricket. When fast players are detected at that level, the board takes over their journey.However, a major point in the pace bowling revolution in Bangladesh has been the hiring of top international players as fast bowling coaches.“We brought in Courtney Walsh, Heath Streak and Allan Donald as fast bowling coaches. Their presence in the national team made a big difference.“At the same time, we encouraged the national coaches to spend time with them as well. That knowledge was passed on and helped develop fast and raw bowlers,” Bashar said, subtly highlighting the unique thinking of his ecosystem that is creating a reverse revolution in cricket.