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When Bangladesh step on to the playing field these days, people only watch, to see how badly they might be beaten or what record the opposing team might set.
But the match against South Africa in the Dhaka tri-series was different, in that it did not see the hosts capitulating to an abject defeat. Instead, they gave a good fight, and survived their fifty overs. And that means a lot. The Bangla New Year may not have got them the victory they so badly desired, but it certainly gave them hope for the future.
This is exactly the kind of performance which will give Bangladeshi cricket hope for the future. It is a young team and the experience they are gaining is invaluable. South Africa are also in the rebuilding stage. With a lot of the senior players having retired from the game and a new captain, Graeme Smith, at the helm, they would do very well to go back victorious from this tri-nation tournament.
South Africa cruised to an 83-run victory in the third match of the TVS Cup at the Banglabandhu Stadium in Dhaka.
The South African batsmen treated the weak Bangladesh bowling attack with disdain and not once did they look in any sort of trouble.
All the South African top order batsmen took the opportunity to get into form on a placid track but gave their wickets away just when they looked set for a big innings.
South Africa won the toss and Smith gleefully opted to bat first on a placid wicket. The Proteas, who suffered a massive defeat to India in their first match on Sunday, were off to a breezy start, with both Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs punishing anything short. The Bangladeshi new ball bowlers failed to bowl to a tidy line and length and paid the penalty.
The openers were cruising along at over six runs an over in the early stages of the game, with Gibbs being particularly severe on seamer Tarek Aziz Khan. Bangladeshi captain Khaled Mahmud introduced spinner Mohammad Rafique as early as the 13th over in a bid to contain the runs flow.
The opening partnership, itself, was worth 112-runs before Smith fell prey to the wiles of the left-hand orthodox spinner Rafique.
Smith, who made 45 (46 balls) with 8 boundaries, stepped out of his crease to try and loft Rafique over his head but was beaten in the air and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud completed an easy stumping. The young captain's frustration was clear and it was justified to an extent. An half-century for the taking, and he gave it away. Precisely, the sort of thing his team needs to guard against India.
But Gibbs continued undaunted at the other end in the company of Jacques Rudoplh, who came in at the fall of Smith's wicket. The scoring rate was maintained and things seemed to be progressing smoothly, when some casual cricket on the part of Gibbs, allied with some brilliant fielding by Javed Omar, sent the talented batsman walking back to the pavilion.
His 62, off as many deliveries, showed how important he is to this batting line-up. In the absence of Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes and Gary Kirsten, Gibbs is South Africa's best batsman. But his casual attitude towards his game will certainly be a worrying aspect for his team-mates. A man who plays to the gallery, a special talent, will he find his place in the sun?
Boeta Dippenaar, who was in next, took his time to settle down before revealing a vast array of delightful strokes on both sides of the wicket. He put on 56 runs with Rudolph (44), before the latter was deceived by Rafique, who was certainly the best of the Bangladeshi bowlers on view.
Dippenaar and Neil McKenzie, then, surprisingly eschewed all risks and consolidated the position for their team with an unbeaten 105-run fourth-wicket partnership. It was surprising because just when they could have been hammering the bowlers to all parts of the ground, they were still waiting for the loose ball to be bowled.
The start of the Bangladeshi chase was a revelation in itself. They lost opener Javed Omar quickly but then Mohammed Asharful launched himself into the South African bowling attack with a barrage of boundaries. If this is the future of Bangladeshi cricket, then it is indeed very bright.
The young Ashraful, who is the youngest batsman ever to score a Test hundred, was particularly on the opening pairing of Mahkaya Ntini and Charl Wilougby, as he slammed 7 boundaries in his well-deserved half-century, his second in ODIs.
They were scoring at over six runs an over in the first ten overs but the introduction of Shaun Pollock and Allan Dawson into the attack saw immediate rewards for the visitors.
The duo bowled a good line and length and mixed the pace well enough to run through the batting line-up. The Bangladeshi batsmen got off to starts but in the face of the disciplined duo were not able to do much.
Once Ashraful was gone, deceived by Paul Adams, the other batsmen capitulated tamely.
To give an idea of the dominance by these two bowlers one only has to see the fall of wickets: S Hossain (83-3, 17.1), Ashraful (112-4, 29.1). That is 12 overs for only 29 runs. Once the stranglehold was established, the hosts were in trouble.
Everyone except captain Khaled Mahmud that is. He decided to follow in Ashraful's footsteps and the results were pretty much similar, even more spectacular, in fact. His 40 off 41 deliveries, with a mixture of orthodox and unorthodox shots, brought some much-needed cheer to the beleagured team.
Shaun Pollock was bang on target and his 4-36 haul showed that line and length will succeed all the time no matter what the pitch conditions are. But he was beaten to the man-of-the-match reward by Ashraful, whose splendid batting won the hearts of all watching.
A much-improved performance by Bangladesh but how much longer will it be before they start consistently beating these teams and not just make up the numbers. It is a question they will be asking themselves and the entire cricketing world in waiting for the answer.