The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Bangladesh needs a few more like Rahim

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 26, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Bangladesh needs a few more like Rahim

Ted Corbett

LONDON: He is just 5ft tall, he probably weighs less than Andrew Flintoff's right leg and he is only 16 years and 267 days old. Yet in only five first class games he has already made two centuries and two fifties and is on the verge of selection for a Test at Lord's.

If Mushfiqur Rahim plays in the first Test against England's fearsome quartet of fast bowlers he will be No. 9 in the list of youngsters making their debuts. At Northampton this weekend he gave the impression that neither in batsmanship nor in temperament will he be found wanting.

His side collapsed in the face of some of the worst county bowling so that Rahim, a product of the Bangladesh sporting academy system and already part of the under-17 and under-19 squads, found himself at the crease with half his teammates gone for 105.

Neither that situation nor his progress from 90 to 100 appeared to weigh on his teenage mind and at no time did he play rashly as he pushed the Bangladesh total to 309 for seven. His shots might have been posed for an MCC instructional manual and his calm as he glanced to leg or clipped the ball past mid-on for four, or guided it down through the slips was all you could ask.

Praise for the prodigy

Within an hour veteran cricketers were mentioning him — cautiously but sincerely — in the same breath as Gavaskar and Tendulkar. It was an impressive innings, an undefeated 115 that brought handshakes and applause from the fielders as the match ended in a draw. It is the finest hundred I have seen from a 16-year-old since Tendulkar made his first Test hundred at Old Trafford 15 years ago; but then how many lads of 16 play Minor Counties cricket in this country much less win a tour place?

Bangladesh's shrewd coach Dav Whatmore said Rahim looked to have "an old head on young shoulders" and Rahim acknowledged that the coach had told him to not attempt anything extraordinary. "The prospect of playing at Lord's is very exciting," Rahim said, "but I am sleeping ok." His thought processes are as mature as his batting.

"Cricket is not an age or a height thing. I just watch the ball and try to play it."

Bangladesh will have to find another half dozen batsmen with Rahim's talent to give England a decent game. It is at bottom of the Test league with only six points compared with England's second place 110. It is also in a tizzy at the thought of playing at grand old Lord's so that if Steve Harmison and his backing group are not too much for it the occasion may be.

About the match

The match will probably last no more than two and a half days unless weather interferes or England wins the toss. There is hardly an England batsman with runs this wintry spring; Andrew Strauss has just won the Player of the Year award against a background of headlines that shout "Strauss flops again" and just 168 runs in 11 innings. The batting order is a problem until Michael Vaughan, the captain, decides whether to protect Ian Bell, in only his second Test, by going in at No.3.

Ashley Giles, a dependable lower order batsman as well as the best spin bowler in the country, will miss the match with a hip injury.

Bangladesh should not be able to live with such powerful cricketers unless England is so arrogant, or so careless that it misjudges the strength of the tiny stars. It is unlikely; almost as unlikely as the possibility floated by ICC this week that if England wins all seven Tests it will top the Test table.

Whitewash over Bangladesh — yes. Victory over Australia — well, maybe. But whitewashing the Aussies — now that would make the English summer glow.

The teams (from): England: Michael Vaughan, captain, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles or Gareth Batty, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Jon Lewis.

Bangladesh: Habibul Bashar captain, Khaled Mashud, Mushfiqur

Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful, Javed Omar, Rajin Saleh, Nafees Iqbal, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Haque junior, Mashrafe Mortaza, Anwar Hossain, Talha Jubair, Shahadat Hossain.

Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and K. Hariharan (India). TV umpire: Jeremy Lloyds. Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia).

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