Habibul Bashar Profile
by CricketArchive
DateLine: 19th February 2007
He made his ODI debut in 1995 and played in
Bangladeshs first Test in November 2000. That makes Habibul Bashar
the most durable of Bangladeshs cricketers but experience is not his
only asset. He is arguably the sides best batsman and has the
figures to back him up. A neat driver of the ball on both sides of the
wicket Bashar is a compulsive hooker and this has got him out on
numerous occasions. But he has been unable to cut this stroke “ which
also has brought him tons of runs - out of his repertoire. He has been
the fulcrum of Bangladeshs fragile middle order playing many
fighting innings against some of the worlds best bowlers.
Essentially an attacking player Bashar started off with 71 and 30
against India in the historic game at Dhaka and is the teams highest
run getter in Tests with most number of centuries too. His ODI record
has not matched his Test performances - he does not have a hundred even
after playing 84 matches. He took over the captaincy from Khaled Mahmud
in January 2004 and in the West Indies he not only led from the front
with 113 at St Lucia but also enjoyed the unique experience of being
the first Bangladesh captain to declare the innings after his team had
taken a first innings lead of 64. He then came up with one of the most
famous quotes of the year. Asked about his strategy for the next Test a
delighted Habibul replied "Jamaica is far away, man". Im not
thinking about Jamaica tonight underlining his sunny disposition.
His greatest moment as captain however came in 2005 at Cardiff when
Bangladesh stunned Australia by five wickets in perhaps the biggest
upset in ODI history.
