Honest confessions up front, I did not have time for the match yesterday. Primarily because I had got the timings mixed up, by the time that was sorted out I had to be involved with other issues of major import, so to speak. Not that the outcome was not pre-determined, Netherlands hardly the sort of opposition to send chills down the collective spine. And so it transpired: comfortable coasting for the home team, Chittagong ending up with a hundred percent success ratio. Two teams of contrasting strengths biting the dust.
For Bangladesh it was of course all or nothing, and at no stage was it felt that there was a major upset in the offing. One of the more predictable non-performers in this competition has been the Netherlands. Try as one might to be politically correct in explaining the Dutch presence in 2011, the fact remains this team has hardly done anything of note other than ten Doeschate setting some tongues wagging against England. But then England (don't we all know) have that kind of effect!
Moving on to the bigger picture, having dispensed with the nitty gritty that of the Tigers coasting home by 5 wickets what lies ahead? The South Africans, for a start so far one of the more business-like, no-nonsense teams in the group. Having pummeled the Indians into submission with sheer pace, there is an air of invincibility about this team. Taking two points off this side would be one of the biggest challenges that the Tigers think tank had realised quite some time ago. Permutations have to be an honest ally for at least three teams of this group in the last of the remaining matches.
West Indies really need to power through against England, the favourite scratching post for most sides as it seems. For England the next match is a must-win issue, failing which the curtains descend quite abruptly on their incipient intentions for any further involvement with the rest of the contenders. So far they have been really poor pretenders.
The West Indians have quite a bit to play for and I half suspect we have not seen the best of them as of yet.
The results that have come Bangladesh's way have been inconsistent, coasting across both extremes of performance levels. But one redeeming feature of this side has been its ability to win close matches. How close can the match against South Africa get is the question that is moot to most. A fear of failure lurks in the corners of the minds of all concerned with planning and implementing. In this age of globalisation and multi-dimensional tasking, perhaps we might consider the option of outsourcing the actual effort of getting us through to the next round. Assert oneself and let the work be done elsewhere. Tempting surely, but admittedly not quite cricket.
