Guwahati was the scene for an almost-upset as Bangladesh showed their frightening potential.
It takes around 5 hours, or roughly three-quarters of an ODI, to drive from Guwahati to the shared border between India and Bangladesh. Once inside Bangladesh, it’s about another hour or two to the nearest major city, Sylhet. In many respects Sylhet has become the unofficial home of Bangladesh women’s cricket. In recent times the women’s team have played and trained at Sylhet stadium on lots of occasions, including in the lead up to this World Cup. Unsurprisingly, Sylhet’s residents often enjoy short breaks to Guwahati, a place that’s distant enough to feel exotic, yet still with many similarities to home.
Perhaps it was the sense of being close to home, yet somewhere different and freeing, that meant Bangladesh were able to give England the bloodiest of noses. Yes, England got over the line and won by four wickets, courtesy of a Heather Knight innings which contained more than a few slices of luck. But the abiding memory of an increasingly frenzied encounter, isn’t of England’s former captain. Instead, it’s the images of Marufa Akhter straining every muscle before propelling another hooping inswinger, Fahima Khatun’s loopy leg breaks and Rabeya Khan’s late flurry of runs, that will endure.
Bangladesh could and should have had England three wickets down inside the first three overs of their run chase. Rather than tighten things up after their early scare, England’s old fallibility against the spinning ball (which appears to transcend gender and age) meant that the chances kept coming. Arguably, England were saved by the erratic decision making of the tv umpire, who appeared to suggest that inconclusive evidence was enough to overturn on-field decisions.
Close on the field but a chasm between England and Bangladesh Women off it
Given the vast chasm that exists between the two teams in terms of experience and resources available, the very fact that it was a contest at all, is nothing short of miraculous. Consider this; prior to Bangladesh starting the tournament with a resounding win against Pakistan, they hadn’t played any international cricket for 167 days.
In that time England’s players, already accustomed to state-of-the-art training facilities and access to elite coaches, had played 14 times, 8 of those games being against India. In addition, the period coincided with the start of the new fully professional county structure in England, which meant three highly competitive tournaments for tier one teams. And of course the month of August was when all of England’s finest were competing against one another, as well as rubbing shoulders with the best players in the world, in The Hundred.
While the likes of Alice Capsey was figuring out how to counter an array of Australian bowlers donning crisp branded kit, Bangladesh were so desperate to play meaningful cricket, they had to resort to playing the Bangladesh men’s (or rather boy’s) under-15 team. Seldom has the difference between the haves and have-nots of world cricket been so stark. Just imagine how successful Bangladesh might be if they had access to to facilities and coaching on a par with England.
On the subject of franchise cricket, curiously the women’s franchise circuit is something of a closed shop for those on the outside looking in. When I spoke to Bangladesh skipper Joty last year, she was staunch in the belief that her teammates were more than good enough to be successful in franchise cricket. However, the issue was about not having the appropriate networks or general wherewithal to access franchise gigs.
The BCB are guilty of looking in more than out
The intransigence of an insular cricket board, the BCB, is also a factor in limiting the scope for franchise gigs and opportunities in the women’s game more broadly. By way of a small example, on the eve of the match against England, the BCB media WhatsApp group was flooded with over a hundred images of the cricket board elections that had just taken place. Whereas there was barely any acknowledgement of an impending crucial World Cup fixture.
Marufa’s industry and talent in this World Cup have undoubtedly put her in the franchise cricket shop window – prominent social media voices endorsing her frightening potential, won’t harm her cause either. Maybe Marufa will blaze a trail for her teammates in the franchise world, the carrot of financial rewards as well as enhanced knowledge and professionalism await.
In the short term, Bangladesh’s objective is to sustain their bright start to the World Cup. Unlike their only previous 50 over World Cup appearance in New Zealand, the conditions are much more familiar, and the element of surprise remains a potent weapon. Indeed, Bangladesh’s World Cup record of only beating Pakistan has been repeated by the pundits many times, however strong performance against South Africa and West Indies in the last edition (as well as in bilateral series), suggest that 50 overs is Bangladesh’s favoured format.
Unless they meet again in the knock out stages, Bangladesh will have to wait another two years before they are scheduled to play England again, in the fifty over format. On the evidence of a raucous day in Guwahati, that will suit England just fine.
