Bangladesh v Pakistan, Sylhet – Day Four
A routine drinks break drifted into something livelier on Monday afternoon when Litton Das and Mohammad Rizwan swapped words in front of a decent holiday crowd. It began in the 72nd over of Pakistan’s chase, Rizwan waving at someone near the sightscreen at the pavilion end. Litton wondered – loudly – why the batter needed quite so long to settle.
Umpires Allahuddein Palekar and Richard Kettleborough moved in, spoke to both men, and hoped that was that. It wasn’t. Three, maybe four, Bangladesh fielders joined in, most of the comments delivered in Urdu or Hindi. A favourite dig revolved around Rizwan’s so-called “acting” from a previous series: “There is going to be a 50% fine for overacting. Look now he has scored some runs, here comes the acting,” one fielder shouted, loud enough for the stump mic to pick up.
For ten minutes the cricket felt secondary. Rizwan smiled, then shook his head, then asked Kettleborough for a quick word. Litton kept chirping. Eventually the next ball was bowled and the match moved on, Pakistan still hunting 263, Bangladesh equally certain one breakthrough would open things up.
“I don’t know what was said but I enjoy it (sledging),” Shaun Tait, Bangladesh’s fast-bowling coach, said later. “I mean I’m Australian. That probably says it all. I love it. I think there’s got to be some argy-bargy. Not all the time.
“You don’t want to cross the line, but you got to have a bit of aggression. I mean it’s a Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh. I think the fans want to see some passion in the game. Guys in a contest trying to get each other out.”
Litton has form. During the tense final day in Dhaka last week he was picked up telling close-in team-mates: “They will try to save the game. They can’t win here. He doesn’t have a great reputation back home. If he gets out trying to hit a big one, he can’t enter his country.” The clip travelled fast on social media but, privately, neither board seemed fussed.
This series has been spiky without ever feeling genuinely nasty. On the third afternoon in Sylhet, Shan Masood and Mushfiqur Rahim brushed shoulders after a quick single, sparking a separate row. Taijul Islam explained it like this: “They had also been fielding for a long time, so they probably could not control their temperament. Mushfiq bhai did not say anything; he was just talking to the umpire normally. But whatever he [Shan] understood or did not understand, he reacted. When I was walking back to the crease, Saud told me to return to the crease and bat. I mean, that’s none of his business.”
Earlier in the match, Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas nudged away at Mominul Haque’s patience with a couple of throat balls and a few choice words. Bangladesh quick Nahid Rana promised reciprocal treatment once the roles were reversed: “I just want to say that if someone bowls me a bouncer, I will not back down.”
None of this quite matches the old school Ashes or a Border-Gavaskar bout, but for two sides who usually get along it has added an edge. The cricket still matters most, and the pitch – slow, turning, with occasional variable bounce – means a fifth-day finish is almost guaranteed. Pakistan need 111 with six wickets in hand; Bangladesh think the second new ball will do the job.
A short night’s sleep, then back into it. Most likely there will be another word or two exchanged; just enough, you’d hope, to keep things interesting without pushing past that blurred “line” coaches talk about so often.
