ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2011

Bangladesh in 2010/11 Bangladesh played no Tests at all in 2010/11 but had toured England in the 2010 season, losing the Tests 2-0. These matches tended to confirm what was already known about Bangladesh at this level. The batsmen are capable of posting very respectable scores, although not consistently; but the bowlers lack penetration and seldom threaten to dismiss a side twice. Bangladesh of course remained in a distant last place in the Test rankings (leaving aside Zimbabwe, currently not classified). The opening stages of the domestic first-class season were badly disrupted by the weather, so much so that the National Cricket League was put on hold after only three matches had taken place early in October. It was not resumed until March. The League was constituted as a two-phase tournament, with the six divisional sides playing each other once each in the first phase, following which the bottom two dropped out and the four remaining teams played a further match against each other. Final places were determined by the two phases added together, and the top two played a final to decide the season’s champions. Played in this format, the League required 22 matches and these were the only first-class games in Bangladesh in 2010/11. Draws dominated the first phase; only five of the fifteen games achieved a result. These were achieved by Rajshahi (three) and Dhaka (two), who were clearly the best teams in the competition. There was little to choose between the other four sides, but ultimately Khulna and Chittagong were eliminated. From this point Rajshahi were dominant, winning all three of their second-phase matches. This included a crushing innings defeat of their closest rivals Dhaka, who nevertheless finished second and qualified for the final. Dhaka gave a much improved performance in the final, but could not prevent Rajshahi from securing a first-innings lead and with it, as it turned out, the title. Thus Rajshahi completed a hat-trick of wins, having also been champions in 2008/09 and 2009/10. With a previous win in 2005/06, Rajshahi is now tied on 4 wins with Dhaka as the most successful team in the short history of this competition. Farhad Hossain and the wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh both made over 500 runs for Rajshahi and Farhad Hossain was also one of several bowlers to turn in important performances at crucial times for the champions. Apart from being the most effective match-winning combination in the competition, Rajshahi was also the only team to avoid defeat. Of the other teams, Dhaka and Sylhet lost only to Rajshahi, but both struggled to force victories; Sylhet in fact did not win a single match. Barisal could claim the most prolific batman in the League, Nasiruddin Faruque (632 runs at 52.66), and the leading wicket-taker, Sohag Gazi (41 at 23.26), but they lacked consistent support. 81