The Bangladesh cricket team surprised audiences by washing out Pakistan in the Test series that concluded on Tuesday, as previous match-ups had tended to tilt in favor of the host nation.
The first Test, in Karachi, set the tone for the recent rise of cricket in Bangladesh and the parallel decline of the same in Pakistan. The “sudden” development proved all the more remarkable, as Bangladesh had won just two Tests on foreign soil in the last seven years. Against Pakistan, Bangladesh had lost all 12 previous Test series, and the team made history by defeating the host nation in two back-to-back matches. It also highlights the nation’s improvement in the sport over the past decades.
Prior to its separation from Pakistan, then-East Pakistan had only one player on the national cricket team. In recent years, it has made up for its past deficiencies by emerging as a prominent Test nation, winning matches against 9 of 11 nations and remaining win-less only against South Africa and India. Their win against Pakistan has been especially well-received at home after the unrest that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wajed.
“The Bangladesh cricket team brought much-needed respite back home with a historic result in Test cricket,” noted an Indian write-up. “As the country looks to pull itself out of political chaos, its men’s cricket team has sent a wave of jubilation back home by securing its first-ever victory against Pakistan in Test cricket,” it added. The win against Pakistan on its home-ground also sends a powerful message to the cricketing world that any team is capable of defeating a perceived stronger opponent—so long as they play quality cricket. Within Pakistan, naturally, this is a moment for introspection, to gauge what went wrong; and recover lost ground after successive defeats in all major cricketing formats. But that does not diminish the performance of Bangladesh, whose team rightly deserves a hero’s welcome upon its return to Dhaka.