Cover Story
THE SPIRIT OF VICTORY
Shohag Gazi sits atop the cricketing pantheon with his world record. But he is more than that— he stands for what his nation can be.
Despite his record-breaking performance, Shohag Gazi remains unchanged by the adulation and fortunes cricket has brought him. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
Millions will remember where they were when they heard the news: Shohag Gazi, a short-haired and medium-built, 22-year-old Bangladeshi cricketer has achieved a feat no human has done in the 136 year old history of the game. It was described by some as the sports equivalent of a man walking on the moon for the first time. He made lightning strike twice with a century and a hat trick in Bangladesh's first Test (October 9-13) against touring New Zealand. Throughout the five day grueling version of the game, the Bangladesh team, officially known as the Tigers, backed by a deafening orchestra of support at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, sent a clear message to the world that their roar must be heard.
When Gazi which means warrior in Arabic was sent to bat, he nodded in rhythm with the cheers as he pranced gracefully on his feet like a boxer. He looked more pensive than playful, like a man with history on his mind.
“I do not think of myself as a star,” he says sitting in the lobby of the Sonargaon. “I am an ordinary human being who got the opportunity to play for the country. I do the best I can.” He had just returned from practice and is wearing a tracksuit bottom and a T-shirt. He seems extremely calm for a guy who plays New Zealand the next day in T-20, a shorter version of the game.
Shohag Gazi is the second Bangladeshi player after Alok Kapali to take a Test hat-trick. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
The New Zealand team had declared their second innings on 287 for seven, which set Bangladesh a victory target of 256 within a maximum of 48 overs. The home side had reached 173 for three before the match was called a draw. Despite missing out on the chance of the win, the performance of Gazi was a massive positive, after he ripped through New Zealand's middle order to complete a six-wicket haul and record only the second hat-trick by a Bangladesh bowler. Earlier with the willow he slammed a 101 not out. The grit with which Gazi bowled and batted in this match displayed a new-found hunger to perform, now frequently seen among the younger group of players in the national team. “It was an example of excellent teamwork on our part,” he says politely. The more impressive fact about Gazi was his attitude during the post-match press conference. “I don't want to be complacent. I want to move on from this match so that I can compel myself to perform in the next Test.”
He has helped Bangladeshis forget the bad news around them and rally behind a common cause.
Photo: Firoz Ahmed
Statistics alone are an incomplete assessment of these brilliant young men. Photo: Anurup Kanit Das
After the record breaking Test series last month, the home team on November 3 chased a mammoth 308 sweeping the one day series 3-0. When Shohag Gazi reached up to swat away the winning boundary, Bangladesh cricket also flew high as it not only completed a memorable whitewash against New Zealand, but also took them to a new level. In the glow of the floodlights of Fatullah, it was mission accomplished. New Zealand was 'Banglawashed'. Most heads would spin after such a performance, but when you sit down and talk to him, he speaks little of his achievements and shows impeccable manners. Amid adulation both at national and international level he has managed to remain uncontaminated by controversy or scandal in a sport that has been laden with examples of both. At the interview, he brought a childhood friend to accompany him clearly indicating that he has not forgotten his roots. “The night before a match I try to take it easy and just watch movies or hang out with a friend. And I always call up my parents and ask for their blessings.” he says casually. He is conscious of the fact that many youngsters look up to him as a role model. “I have a responsibility to behave in manner that is respectful. If I don't act responsibly, people will not respect me.”
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Bangladeshi cricket has in recent times produced outstanding role models for the nation. Photo: Firoz Ahmed
And respect he has received wherever he has played. When he went to England to play, a senior citizen came to him after the match and handed him a little autograph book. “In it I saw my complete profile including the place of my birth and names of my family members,” he recalls. “The English have a great deal of respect for Test players.” But what drives him most is his determination to play well for the country. “When my father goes somewhere, people say, 'Look, there goes Shohag Gazi's father.' They show him this respect because they know that I have done something for our country.” Shohag Gazi has a kind of ease in his gait that is hard to describe. A timeless virtuosity, a combination of agility, stamina, strength, speed, endurance, range and humility. Equilibrium with no strictures.
He is, however, not alone in this. In Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and others, Bangladeshi cricket has in recent times produced outstanding role models for a youthful nation. Superb players and men, they have learned their cricket in humble family settings and managed to appear remarkably unchanged by the adulation and fortunes it has brought them. Statistics alone are an incomplete assessment of these men. It is a story of transformation of a national psyche tired of losing and perhaps, the emergence of a coming renaissance. In a land too long in the thrall of fatalism, Gazi's prowess on the cricket field has promoted the idea of the rational, autonomous individual, shaping their own destiny. He helped Bangladeshis forget the bad news around them and rally behind a common cause. He showed us how to celebrate individual merit in a country that won freedom not too long ago and revel in the unusual distinction of boasting the world's best at something. In hailing Shohag Gazi, Bangladesh hails a symbol of what, as a nation, we collectively aspire to be.
Photo: AFP
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