Rewarding Test specialists for a rewarding Test team
The brand James Anderson is almost synonymous to check cricket. His iconic yet smooth bowling actions while donned in the all-white colored of England is certainly what cricket lovers and enthusiasts promptly picture if they hear or read Anderson's name.
And similar, if not similar, relevance to Test cricket is established in the minds of standard cricket followers at the brand of India's Cheteshwar Pujara. The 33-year-old's gritty 211-ball 56 on the final day of the Brisbane Test, aiding India gun down mighty Australia and hand them their 1st Test defeat at the Gabba fortress since 1988, has simply magnified his reputation as an Indian Test consultant.
Bangladesh, too, have players solely considered for Tests, but the truth is that famous brands Mominul Haque, Ebadot Hossain and Abu Jayed even so have quite a distance to go before appearing truly hailed as Test specialists. One cause of this is the low amount of Tests performed year-round by Bangladesh and hence the players do not get the exposure had a need to flourish with their fullest talents in the format.
Another reason behind Bangladesh players' lack of success in Tests was pointed out by Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, anyone who has worked for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in lots of capacities.
"Unfortunately the four-day or perhaps longer-release matches that are held in our country are not competitive cricket. There are lots of loopholes in it," said Fahim.
"Players usually do not face many challenges found in domestic games and therefore they are not sure of the pressure of performing at the international level. You will not see our players going for a chance to get the game by declaring all of the sudden and striving to bowl out the opposition quickly," discussed Fahim.
Then again, it requires a lot of sacrifices for a new player to truly establish himself simply because a Test specialist and achieve milestones in the toughest format of the overall game. Anderson started to be the 1st seamer to possess scalped 600 Check wickets, signing up for the elite club that previously highlighted three spinners -- Muttiah Muralitharan (800 in 133 matches), Shane Warne (708 in 145) and Anil Kumble (619 in 132).
It had been the 38-year-old's sacrifice and selection of solely focusing on Test cricket that helped him achieve the feat. The previous time Anderson enjoyed an ODI was back in 2015 and his previous T20I was back 2009. Unlike most of the present day players, Anderson didn't involve himself in franchise cricket as he chose to keep carrying out the hard yards with the reddish colored ball.
The modern-working day cricket set-up is so that it lures players more towards the shorter and formats which deliver more financial solvency along with greater fame and exposure. Rather than various players like Anderson can stick to their determination of earning a brand in the longest format as obtaining picked for the money-spinning T20 leagues like Indian Premier League (IPL) is now considered by many among the highest factors in a cricketer's life.
The players' urge for featuring in T20 leagues and being considered as a good T20 player is understandable considering the financial aspect. But this urge may even make the few players in the present day era who nurture the pray of establishing themselves in the longest format sway from their ultimate goal.
"Those countries [England, Australia, India] have made techniques because of their [Test] cricketers to earn more than enough. And before discussing a player's determination and him putting single focus in Check cricket, what the plank needs to do is to make sure their financial security. Normally, the players specified for Test cricket will attempt to accomplish better in shorter formats in order that they can earn more money by playing in tournaments. There is nothing at all wrong with that but sometimes it happens in order that players might need to compromise on the role as a Check cricketer," remarked Fahim on ways to help players concentrate and flourish in Tests. As the wants of Mominul, Ebadot and Jayed -- the types that are usually regarded as for Tests in Bangladesh -- may need to make sacrifices like the ones made by Anderson, it also is always the board's responsibility to create an ambiance around these players that could help them grow as Check specialists and leave lasting impacts in the structure.
