It was the last ball of the match. Nerves were jangling, people were biting the skin off their fingers, some praying, some hanging on by the edge of their seats. The bowler, sweating dollops, had the ball in hand. Four runs required off the final delivery. The game could've swung either way - it was very much on. The batsman, a tiddly No.10, stood nervous, albeit firmly, at the striker's end, awaiting what could be a defining moment in his not-so-illustrious career. Running in to bowl, the young pacer delivered a cracker of a yorker right in the block-hole, the ball thudding into the batsman's pads and Mr.No.10 only being able to pick up a measly leg-bye, and that look of sheer disappointment enveloping his face as he completed the run. The target proved to be two runs too many.
Aizaz Cheema, the bowler Bangladeshi batsmen had targeted all throughout the innings, had pulled off a brilliant final over to deny Bangladesh what would have been their first significant international series win. And it was no lowly tournament this - the winner would take home the coveted Asia Cup and along with it, the label of "Champions of Asia" - which would be no less than winning the World Cup for a cricket-crazy nation like Bangladesh, playing against world-class sides like Pakistan, Sri Lanka (who had just beaten Australia FOUR times in Australia before going to Bangladesh) and the reigning World Champions, India. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Ironically, the man who faced the last delivery was also the man who could be blamed for Bangladesh's loss - Shahadat Hossain, whose final over (also the last over of the Pakistan innings) went for not 10, not 15, but a staggering 19 runs. It was that over that pretty much changed the face of the game. Bangladesh had squandered a chance to restrict Pakistan in their late charge, and as we all witnessed later, that was what cost Bangladesh the match and the Asia Cup too. It was a flummoxing call by Captain Courageous Mushfiqur Rahim, who knew that Shahadat had been leaking runs in his previous overs, and still tossed the ball to him for the final six deliveries of the Pakistan innings. It was a brave call, a call re-affirming the captain's faith in the lanky medium-pacer, but as it turned out, the move backfired. Shahadat doled out marshmallows to Sarfraz Ahmed (not to forget two no-balls), and Rahim paid the price for his bravado - Pakistan's total, from 217/9 in the 49th over, ballooned to 236/9 by the end of the 50th over. By the look on Rahim's and everyone else's faces, it wasn't hard to figure out the fact that they knew they had let Pakistan off the hook, far too much than they should have. It would cost them. How dearly, they had no clue.
The batsmen did their best. Tamim was elaborate with his stroke-making, Shakib anchored the innings, Mahmudullah stood rooted to one end and Mortaza, with his lusty (if a trifle late) blows, ensured Bangladesh had one hand on the trophy, if Pakistan had a hand on it too. The middle-order failed them, however. Nazimuddin took forever to get going (16 off 52 balls), the newcomer in sublime touch, Nasir Hossain, couldn't get bat on ball (28 off 63 balls) and Jahurul Islam and Rahim fell when the team needed them to stay at the crease. All of this created tremendous pressure on the other batsmen and as could clearly be seen towards the end, too much work was left for too late. Two runs was the margin between the two sides - and as far as I could see - that was too thin a margin, something Bangladesh could have overcome easily, had they not committed the blunders they've been committing ever since they started playing cricket. It was a golden opportunity lost, a chance to come out on top, a platform to announce their arrival on the international stage (yes, they did beat SL and India before this game, but winning a tournament like the Asia Cup would make an unimaginable difference to the morale and belief of Bangladeshis), a medium to kick off an enterprising era of Bangladesh cricket. It wasn't meant to be though, at least not yesterday. Pakistan were to have the last laugh, and it was they who were meant to be crowned Asian Champions, and you couldn't really argue with that. Pakistan won the tournament, fair and square, and carried home the spoils.
But you know what? None of that matters. Bangladesh lost the match, they lost the Asia Cup, they were beaten by a better team who had luck on their side on that day. They cried their hearts out, knowing they had missed out on something significant, something that would have been a historic moment not just in the world of cricket, but for the nation of Bangladesh. And trust me, though they did not capture the Asia Cup, they captured the imagination and admiration of countless people all over the globe. They fought like tigers, actual tigers, and the mascot that they use (which is a tiger) is totally appropriate for a side that has got such passion and commitment,throwing everything they've got at the opposition, in a quest to achieve what they so desperately crave - the taste of success.
By the time the match ended, my head was cradled between both my hands, dejected, feeling sorry for the Bangladesh team, for they had performed with all of their heart and soul, and yet not received what they so richly deserved. Considering the fact that I hardly care about any other team apart from Australia, and earlier held Bangladesh as "a punching bag for the bigger cricketing nations", never ever watching their matches, that is an achievement. There were several other cricket lovers watching the game at that time, and I am sure they would've been feeling the same way.
Bangladesh couldn't have their name inscribed on the Asia Cup. They ultimately failed in their endeavour to do so. What they did claim though, was the appreciation and respect of people not only from their own country, but the ones reading this article right now, people who couldn't be bothered about Bangladesh cricket, someone like me, someone like you.
BCT played cricket, they played as if it were their only goal in life, and for that very reason, I believe, the Bangladesh players, each and every single one of them, never mind the outcome of the game, is a Champion at Heart.
