'If I ran a little faster'
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, a warrior who does not admit to the tigers in cricket, said. The top wicket-taker among the fast bowlers in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 cricket. It would have been difficult for the country's pacers to touch him if he repeatedly did not knock him out of the field. After Test debut in 2001, only 36 Tests were played till 2009. He is the only pacer in the country to play two series against Australia. In 2003, Darwin took three wickets in the first innings with the ball. Just three years later, the country took 2 wickets in the first innings against Aziz. In the next innings also took one wicket. The team lost to Faitullah in 2006, winning the match, the team lost. Everyone in the party regret! Mashrafe could catch Ponting's catch! The trouble of leaving the catch still chases Mashrafe. That's the same thing - oh! If I could catch the catch! 11 years later, Australia is coming to play Test in Bangladesh. The captain of the one-day team does not play in the Tests anymore. So waiting for the teammates to see the great fight against Ajiz.
Manjamin's Sports Reporter Ishtiaque Parvez talks about the team's
playing record against Australia and the possibility of the team in the
forthcoming series. The main part of the conversation is presented-
Q: How was the challenge for you to play Test against Australia?
Mashrafe: It was the best team in the world. I could say that it was Australia's best Test team. That's why our challenges and feelings were great. Shahriar Nafees against them was not only great, but was very effective for the team. If we could win that match then there would be a new history. But I could not finish it. But I would say that I had one of the best Test cricket matches.
Question: The Bangladesh team was still inexperienced in the Tests. What was the behavior of Australians in the field and outside of the team?
Mashrafe: They are a great professional cricketer. They are in the mentality of fighting till the last ball in the field. But they are different from outside the field. In the way we started, they had to think about us differently. So, we got some of the ground and field outside but we got it.
Question: Matthew Hayden started out with a great start to the team. How much time did Australia go?
Mashrafe: Seeing them in the field, it is very difficult to understand what they think or how much they are screwed. But some of them were tense. But yes when there was a fight in the equality, there was a little bit scary. To lose the test with us, there was no respect or regret.
Q: does any field incident take you back to the memory of that test?
Mashrafe: A catch was picked up by Ricky Ponting. They fell to 7 wickets. Need 30 runs to win At the same time there was a catch in the middle of the fine leg and square leg. Rafiq Bhai was a square and I feel fine. I ran to try and catch the catch. But the ball did not reach my arm. Fingers fall on the head. If you could catch that catch, you could win the match. Now I remember when I could run a little more, I could have reached a little bit closer to the ball, maybe the result would not have been so. That's what I remember.
Q: After the great play in Fatullah, what was the reason for playing in Chittagong?
Mashrafe: No, no wicket was not a problem. They are not really the wicket, they know the strengths and weaknesses of the cricketers very well. They did read us very quickly. Another thing that we played in Fatullah was much worse than in Chittagong.
Q: Australia is coming to play Tests after 11 years. Now what do the strengths of the two teams think that is equal?
Mashrafe: The matter is not so easy. Australia is always the professional team. They fight the last ball. Even if they brought their 'B' team here too, it is difficult to get along with them. See, they went to India a few days ago and lost them. In the series, India has made a bad situation in the field like India. They're easy for us who say they're actually putting extra pressure on our boys. The game was not easy with Australia yet, not yet.
Q: So how do you feel about our preparation?
Mashrafe: Our preparation is very good. All we have to do now is to play our best. Bowlers should have a spell where their big-name collapses are called. Again, the batsmen who are Tamim, Shakib and Mushfiq will play their extraordinary innings. The main thing is not to lighten them lightly, that's what we will play best. Otherwise, winning is not so easy. And now the Bangladesh team believe that it will be a great hit. Zaitobei, I do not need to pressure them to do this. I do not see it.
Q: Who wants to see Australia against pace attack?
Mashrafe: Everything depends on the wicket, the power of the opponent and the team management strategy. If there is a wicket like England then it's the same. I would say that all the pacers now in the team are ready. Do not want to talk to someone differently.
Q: How much of a dream to return to Tests?
Mashrafe: There are, but I do not want to say anything about returning to the Test.
Q: How was the challenge for you to play Test against Australia?
Mashrafe: It was the best team in the world. I could say that it was Australia's best Test team. That's why our challenges and feelings were great. Shahriar Nafees against them was not only great, but was very effective for the team. If we could win that match then there would be a new history. But I could not finish it. But I would say that I had one of the best Test cricket matches.
Question: The Bangladesh team was still inexperienced in the Tests. What was the behavior of Australians in the field and outside of the team?
Mashrafe: They are a great professional cricketer. They are in the mentality of fighting till the last ball in the field. But they are different from outside the field. In the way we started, they had to think about us differently. So, we got some of the ground and field outside but we got it.
Question: Matthew Hayden started out with a great start to the team. How much time did Australia go?
Mashrafe: Seeing them in the field, it is very difficult to understand what they think or how much they are screwed. But some of them were tense. But yes when there was a fight in the equality, there was a little bit scary. To lose the test with us, there was no respect or regret.
Q: does any field incident take you back to the memory of that test?
Mashrafe: A catch was picked up by Ricky Ponting. They fell to 7 wickets. Need 30 runs to win At the same time there was a catch in the middle of the fine leg and square leg. Rafiq Bhai was a square and I feel fine. I ran to try and catch the catch. But the ball did not reach my arm. Fingers fall on the head. If you could catch that catch, you could win the match. Now I remember when I could run a little more, I could have reached a little bit closer to the ball, maybe the result would not have been so. That's what I remember.
Q: After the great play in Fatullah, what was the reason for playing in Chittagong?
Mashrafe: No, no wicket was not a problem. They are not really the wicket, they know the strengths and weaknesses of the cricketers very well. They did read us very quickly. Another thing that we played in Fatullah was much worse than in Chittagong.
Q: Australia is coming to play Tests after 11 years. Now what do the strengths of the two teams think that is equal?
Mashrafe: The matter is not so easy. Australia is always the professional team. They fight the last ball. Even if they brought their 'B' team here too, it is difficult to get along with them. See, they went to India a few days ago and lost them. In the series, India has made a bad situation in the field like India. They're easy for us who say they're actually putting extra pressure on our boys. The game was not easy with Australia yet, not yet.
Q: So how do you feel about our preparation?
Mashrafe: Our preparation is very good. All we have to do now is to play our best. Bowlers should have a spell where their big-name collapses are called. Again, the batsmen who are Tamim, Shakib and Mushfiq will play their extraordinary innings. The main thing is not to lighten them lightly, that's what we will play best. Otherwise, winning is not so easy. And now the Bangladesh team believe that it will be a great hit. Zaitobei, I do not need to pressure them to do this. I do not see it.
Q: Who wants to see Australia against pace attack?
Mashrafe: Everything depends on the wicket, the power of the opponent and the team management strategy. If there is a wicket like England then it's the same. I would say that all the pacers now in the team are ready. Do not want to talk to someone differently.
Q: How much of a dream to return to Tests?
Mashrafe: There are, but I do not want to say anything about returning to the Test.