MARC HIGGINSON'S WORLD OF CRICKET: Bangladesh can become competitive in the international game (From The Bolton News)

MARC HIGGINSON'S WORLD OF CRICKET: Bangladesh can become competitive in the international game

10:10am Thursday 18th March 2010 in

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IT is too easy to write off Bangladesh and take away their Test match status, but they showed enough ability and fighting spirit in losing to England to suggest they can become competitive at the top level.

They gradually got better as the game went on against England and certainly made the tourists sweat on the final day.

Batsmen like Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim all showed they have the natural ability to make consistent runs.

In fact, the way they went about their business by combining a proud fighting spirit with eye-catching boundary shots was a pleasure to watch.

Where Bangladesh are lacking is in the field.

Their bowlers lacked any potency on a placid pitch and their outfielding was, to put it bluntly, rubbish.

The Tigers knew they would come up short in the batting and bowling departments, so they should be making sure they save every single run possible in the field and, in turn, apply some pressure to the opposition batters.

Their captain’s decision-making leaves a lot to be desired, too. After all, why let England bat first on a pitch tailor-made to make hay.

They are wet behind the ears, so the Bangladesh Cricket Board should invest in some top advisors and coaches to speed along their team’s progress and inject some professionalism.

Sending their players to England to play in county cricket would also do them the world of good and help develop their games.

The average age of their side is around 22/23 and, with the right coaching and patience, they could develop into a decent team.

In the meantime, the international fraternity should cut them some slack because the game needs emerging countries to make the giant step-up in class.

The ICC, the game’s governing body, should be doing everything they can to help the poor country make its way.

If Bangladesh need some inspiration, they should look at New Zealand’s Test record.

It took the Kiwis 26 years to win their first Test match and a further 13 years before they sealed a series victory.

They are certainly there on merit now and, with a population that is 32 times larger than New Zealand’s, Bangladesh have the potential to develop a team of similar standing.