Pakistan won the Title Tigers won the Heart
Kazi Md Mukitul Islam..
Asia Cup of 2012 came up to prove the worth of Bangladesh national cricket team. The collective joy of 150 million people has finally been given a rightful place as the Tigers, defeated world cup finalist India and Sri Lanka on their way to final against Pakistan on 22nd of March. For the first time in cricketing history, they have reached in the final of a major cricket tournament but unfortunately lost in the final by a margin of only two runs.
It is the fruition of several years of toil, tremendous hardship in the last decade and exasperation with one-off performances. The packed house at the Tigers’ home of cricket, the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, was the scene of history and at times it seemed every Bangladeshi was at the ground in the final. Smile in the day turned into tears at night when Shahadat Hossain scored one run in the last ball of the match requiring 4 to win. The Tigers earlier restricted Pakistan to 236 for 9 in 50 overs. But they themselves got restricted in 234. Again, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal walked in to bat, it seemed they did so with every cricketer who ever played for the country. It was not baggage; it was responsibility that they carried with them. Both of them scored fifty in the final. Tamim hit his fourth consecutive fifties of Asia cup with only 48 balls. Shakib holds the man of the Series trophy for his outstanding performance throughout.
Bangladesh team required only 9 runs in the last over with 3 wickets in hand. But unfortunately Mahmudullah and Razzak could not utilize the opportunity that they got after recovering form asking of 56 runs of 36 balls at one stage. Some would blame Shahadat hossain for his last over of Pakistan innings, which cost 19 runs, or some may blame Nazimuddin and Nasir Hossain for their slow run rate. But at the end we can’t deny the fortune and it may be the result that the almighty has set for us. And remember the Hadith “what Allah approves for the believers is only for their wellbeing”.
But tigers have many things to cheer for in this tournament as they beat India and Sri Lanka and almost giving Pakistan a taste of nightmare. When their gut-wrenching disappointment dies down, Bangladesh will remember that they were just one stroke away from the Asia Cup title. Moreover, see it as clinching evidence of their progress. And we will be with them, in their glee and sorrow, as we were forever in past.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: the brand of hundred Centuries
Thousands of spectators became the part of history on 16th March, who watched the termination of long cherished milestone of Sachin Tendulkar. As he has become the first player to score 100 international centuries by compiling a ton in a one-day defeat against Bangladesh in Dhaka in fourth match of Asia cup. The 38-year-old completed his landmark century, his 49th in one-day cricket, with a single clipped to square leg. It was more than a year he had scored his last century against South Africa in world cup. Nevertheless, it was even stress for the man who has already appropriated all the records by his name in last 22 years. For him it reduced the load weight of 50 kg off his shoulder. However, a party that was very much supposed to be the Little Master’s was crashed spectacularly by a brave Bangladesh side who pulled off a magnificent five-wicket victory in the same match in their Asia Cup encounter at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
In Test matches, Tendulkar has scored centuries against all the Test cricket playing nations, and is the second batsman to score 150 against each of them. He has scored a century in at least one cricket ground of all Test cricket-playing nations, except Zimbabwe. On 11 October 2010, Tendulkar broke West Indian Brian Lara’s record of 19 scores of 150-plus by hitting his 20th against Australia in Bangalore; Australian Don Bradman achieved this 150-plus mark on 18 occasions. He leads the list of century-makers, ahead of Jacques Kallis who has made 42 Test centuries.
In ODIs, Tendulkar has scored centuries against 11 different opponents. He has scored centuries against all cricketing nations that have permanent One Day International status. He was the first batsman to score 200 not out in ODI, which he scored against South Africa at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior in 2010, a record at the time (now surpassed by Virender Sehwag’s 219 against the West Indies). His 49 centuries in ODIs is a world record, followed by Ricky Ponting who has 30 centuries.
Tendulkar has defied age and injury at every stage of his career. Whenever injuries threatened to stall his career, he pushed his body to the limit, and sometimes even beyond. Even the most threatening of all his injuries – the painful tennis elbow (in 2004) – couldn’t break him. He cried out in agony, waited with hope for almost a year, tackled it with determination and ultimately conquered it like only he can. As morning shows the day, Sachin gave early indications of his phenomenal talent as a schoolboy when he and childhood friend Vinod Kambli had a mammoth 664 run partnership.
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