Bangladesh’s Tiger-like hunt in Pindi

For years, the moniker of ‘The Tigers’ has been a point of derision for the Bangladesh cricket team.

Online trolls have pounced on every opportunity to mock the Bangladesh team by using this nickname, scoffing at the players by calling them plastic Tigers and in some cases ‘Toygers’.

The underlying theme of all of these mockeries is the same – the trolls draw attention to the irony of calling Bangladesh, a team that often falls short against top opponents, ‘The Tigers’, one of the deadliest predators on planet earth.

However, the presumed deadliness of tigers is often exaggerated. In reality, tigers are far from the most efficient predators in the wild. The success rate of Bengal Tigers is estimated to be around 10-20 percent, making them in a sense an apt symbol for the Bangladesh cricket team, especially in Tests.

Across three formats, Bangladesh’s average win percentage is 32.67 percent, but in Tests, the percentage comes down to 13.98 percent, inside the success range of the Bengal Tigers.

And much like how a successful hunt of a tiger is no less than a spectacle, when Bangladesh finally manage to win a Test match after many unsuccessful attempts, it becomes a sight for sore eyes.

On Sunday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh side presented one such spectacle when they defeated Pakistan in a Test match for the very first time.

And, in a sense, the 10-wicket win in Rawalpindi was not too different from how tigers hunt in the wild.

A tiger stealthily closes in before cinching its incisors on the neck of its prey, and Bangladesh did something similar, making slow progress for four days before going for the kill on Day 5.

After winning the toss, the pacers did their job on the rain-hit opening day, reducing Pakistan to 21-3 at one point.

The Pakistan batters fought back on Day two on the placid surface but Bangladesh ended the day with the satisfaction of foiling Pakistan’s plan of taking wickets late in the day.

The third and fourth day saw Mushfiqur Rahim script his epic 191, and four other batters stepping up with half-centuries to power Bangladesh to a first innings lead of 117.

Heading into the final day, Bangladesh had their noses slightly ahead in the contest, however, the likeliest conclusion was still a draw.

But the match suddenly sprung into life in the morning of Day five when, like hungry predators, the Bangladesh bowlers pounced on the Pakistan batters.

Aided by the fifth day wicket and by some careless shot-making from the Pakistanis, the Bangladesh attack, led by spinners Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan, bundled out Pakistan for 146, setting up a 30-run target which the batters chased without breaking a sweat.

After 13 unsuccessful attempts, Bangladesh finally managed to triumph over Pakistan in Tests. However, if Bangladesh want to match a tiger’s hunting success rate in Tests against Pakistan, they will have to win the next match and sweep the series 2-0.