You are the only one who is with the current team of Bangladesh but you have played in this field. Remember …? ‘
As Habibul Bashar is reminded of the past today at Kingsmead, he seems to have snatched the words out of his mouth, ‘Why don’t you remember! I made zero in that match. ‘
The Bangladesh team has played only one international match before at the historic Kingsmead ground in Durban. That match of the 2003 World Cup spread despair in Bangladesh cricket. The opponent of the match was also very weak in the judgment of the Bangladesh team at that time. But after overcoming the 180 runs scored by Canada, Bangladesh lost the match by 60 runs.
Another member of the team, Nazmul Hossain, has experience playing in Kingsmead, though not in international cricket. In the tour of U-19 team in 2015, the youth of Bangladesh also played two 50 over matches in Durban. One at the Chatsworth Cricket Oval, the other at Kingsmead.
Today, remembering that memory, Nazmul once laughed, ‘There were some rugby players in the South African team then. We couldn’t understand whether we were playing rugby or playing cricket on the field. ‘
Nazmul, however, is thrilled to think that Seba will meet some of the cricketers in the South African U-19 team again in the Tests. South Africa’s Kyle Verine, Lutho Sipamala and Wayne Malder were in the Under-19 squad.
The first Test at Kingsmead is two days away. Russell Domingo, the head coach, and Alan Donald, the pace bowling coach, have been the mainstays of the Bangladesh cricketers who have never played in Durban before.
