Hunters-in-arms knock at world stage

Dhaka, May 23 (UNI) There is an old adage 'pace bowlers hunt in pairs'. And Bangladesh is now living the dream.

This World Cup Bangladesh unleashed their pace bowling pair of Mashrafee Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain, though the centre stage was hogged by the off-spinning trio of Sakib-al-Hasan, Abdur Razzak and Mohd Rafique. But the truth is, these two bowlers have immense potential and is over-laden with talent that is hard to ignore.

Young, quick and aggressive, Mortaza has emerged as the leader of Bangladesh's pack of up and coming young pacemen. The Norial youth made great strides under the tutelage of Andy Roberts and was rewarded with the first Test cap against Zimbabwe at Dhaka in 2001-02.

Over the next five years he groomed himself into a fine young pacer who has sacrificed on his natural instinct of race-in and dump for a better line and length. Adjudged Man of the Match for his five wickets in the rain-affected first Test against India, Mortaza is a force to reckon with.

A sudden short ball and an away moving delivery make Mortaza an exceptional talent.

''Mashrafe is a talented boy and is just beginning to understand what he is capable of. He will get better with time. He will become a very good player if he keeps the injuries away,'' Bangladesh's outgoing coach Dav Whatmore said.

Mortaza himself is all praise about his partner Shahadat, ''He is a great friend and colleague. We support each other a lot on the field.'' In contrast Shahadat Hossain was discovered during a talent-spotting camp in Narayanganj, and whisked away to the Bangladesh Institute of Sports (BKSP) for refinement. He was picked for the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, where he stood out as a promising fast bowler.

Shahadat has all the necessary attributes for a genuine fast bowler. He is tall, comes in off a smooth run-up, and doesn't put unnecessary pressure on his body with a slightly open-chested delivery action. He has a strong frame, and endurance in abundance.

He is naturally aggressive and, above everything, has raw pace.

And the stock ball that comes in sharply left Wasim Jaffer dumbstruck as it knocked his off-stick first ball of the Test match.

Shahadat is also all praise for Mortaza. ''He is a great bowling partner,'' he said, and added it was easy to create pressure because of the way the duo bowled from two ends.

Indian skipper Rahul Dravid was also all praise for the duo although he singled out senior pro Mortaza for special mention.

''He bowled really well,'' Dravid said.

Unless injury takes its toll, the two are going to hunt rich rewards for Bangladesh in years to come.

UNI