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Bangladesh A beats England Lions 3-2

Mash — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:41:39 +0000

The much-talked about one-day series between Bangladesh A and England Lions ended yesterday with the visitors earning a consolation victory by six wickets at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium.

The home side, despite changing the squad five times in as many matches and using a whopping 30 cricketers, prevailed 3-2 after winning two matches in Chittagong and the crucial fourth one-dayer by six wickets.

During the final game, the home side however suffered an early morning collapse which could have triggered a below-100 score but thanks to a staunch rearguard action from the tail, chiefly Noor Hossain, the match petered into a respectable affair.

Batting first after being put in, the A team’s top-order were blown to bits by Jack Brooks, the Northamptonshire paceman. The 27-year-old took care of the top three — Imrul Kayes, Nasiruddin Faruque and Junaed Siddiqui — by the eighth over of the innings. Soon, the score slipped to 75 for seven before Noor, who made 38 off 28 balls with three boundaries and a couple of sixes, added 55 for the eighth wicket with Forhad Reza, who contributed with 23 runs.

Apart from Brooks’s three, left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan and part-timer Joe Root picked up two each.

Forhad then picked up Root for a duck but there wasn’t a similar collapse by the visitors who had skipper James Taylor to thank. The diminutive right-hander struck four boundaries in his stabilising unbeaten 65 off 110 balls. He added 68 for the fourth wicket with Jonny Bairstow before completing the chase through a 30-run stand with Jos Buttler who struck a couple of sixes and a boundary in his 21-ball 27.

For the home side, Forhad, Mosharraf Hossain, Sohag Gazi and Noor Hossain took one each.

The first Twenty20 between the two sides will be held on January 22 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

SCORES IN BRIEF
BANGLADESH A: 152 all out in 44.1 overs (Noor 38, Forhad 23, Naeem 16; Brooks 3-35, Kerrigen 2-45, Root 2-10).

ENGLAND LIONS: 158-4 in 37.5 overs (Taylor 65 not out, Bairstow 33, Buttler 27 not out; Forhad 1-4, Mosharraf 1-26, Sohag 1-33, Noor 1-39).

Result: England Lions won by six wickets; Bangladesh A win 5-match series 3-2.

A memorable event in Bangladesh cricket history

Mash — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:47:31 +0000

One can dream many things, no matter how big it is, but it’s not always that the dream comes true in real life. But it happens sometimes when someone like Mushfiqur Rahim appears bigger than his stature. When the Bogra-lad hit a length ball over the deep mid-wicket boundary, a memorable chapter was in Bangladesh cricket history was written on the lush green carpet of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday night.

Mushfiqur was so assured with the last shot that he didn’t wait for the ball to sail into the gallery; he immediately raised his bat to the sky and was soon engulfed by his teammates, who sprinted on to the pitch to celebrate the moment along with the eruption of joy from the crowd.

In the record books, yesterday Bangladesh won a T20 International against West Indies by three wickets — their second success against the Caribbean side in the shortest version of the game and Mushfiqur played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 41 to chase down the tourists’ total of 132 with one ball in hand. But there were much bigger things than mere statistics, especially for Mushfiqur who began his journey as a captain in such a dramatic and fantastic way, that one can only call it the stuff of dreams.

Nothing could have been better for Mushfiqur after the way he led the team from the front in his first assignment as captain and the beauty of the match was the way it was finished by the little man. The lone T20 match of the series was full of drama, making it worth the while for fans who paid to watch, and in the end it was the new Bangladesh skipper who hogged the limelight after almost single-handedly delivering the victory with a well-calculated and perfectly-paced innings. It was only Bangladesh’s fourth success in 17 tries in cricket’s newest format.

In this match, Bangladesh’s bowlers were excellent in restricting the West Indies. The fielding was stupendous, fitting in well with the coach Stuart Law’s mantra of “smart” cricket. For West Indies, Marlon Samuels carried his form from the practice matches with a brisk fifty but the fans will definitely remember this match for Mushfiqur’s final act.

Requiring six runs from the last six balls, the captain himself was on strike but the tension was mounting among the fans when he failed to get a run from Ravi Rampaul’s first ball. Off the next he managed a single only to see Nasir Hossain, who brilliantly assisted his skipper before his moment of madness, losing his temper to offer a simple catch to the wicketkeeper. Thanks to Abdur Razzak, who managed a single off the first ball he faced, the strike was back with Mushfiqur leaving four runs to be score from the last two balls.

Mushfiqur though didn’t wait for the last ball and scripted the historic win in dramatic fashion.

But before that he showed his character when the Bangladesh middle-order began to undo their brilliant bowling and a promising start to the chase and he had Nasir, who added a valuable 18 runs off 15 balls with one boundary, beside him to take the match into the final touch by sharing 35 runs for the seventh wicket.

Mushfiqur stayed firm until the end. He didn’t lose his cool even though the asking rate was increasing. Bangladesh needed 43 from the last five overs with five wickets in hand and at one stage they required 20 runs from the last two overs and West Indies skipper Darren Sammy could be seen smiling on the field, but Mushfiqur and Nasir turned the tables, taking 14 runs from the penultimate over of pacer Carlos Brathwaite.

The fans were on their toes in the last over and Mushfiqur gave them reason to smile and compensated for the recent disastrous tour of Zimbabwe and the shameful batting debacle (58 runs all out) against the same opponents at the same venue in the ICC World Cup.

SCORES IN BRIEF

WEST INDIES: 132 for 8 (Simmons 23, Barath 15, Samuels 58, Russell 5, Bravo 7, Ramdin 10 not out; Razzak 2-27, Shafiul 2-19, Shakib 2-25)

BANGLADESH: 135 for 7 (Tamim 11, Imrul 22, Ashraful 24, Mushfiqur 41 not out; Naeem 10, Nasir 18; Rampaul 2-28, Samuels 2-14)

Result: Bangladesh won by three wickets.

Man-of-the-match: Mushfiqur Rahim.

One-off Test ranks the poorest days in Bangladesh cricket

Mash — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:39:01 +0000

As far as hitting an abyss goes, the Tigers have hit an even lower one at the Harare Sports Club yesterday, if that was possible.

The 130-run defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe in the one-off Test ranks among the poorest days in Bangladesh cricket, if not the most disappointing as far as captain Shakib Al Hasan was concerned.

Being 244 all out in the second innings off 57.3 overs, in pursuit of 374 runs in four sessions, was poor on all counts: the surrender when a chase was definitely on, batting the fewest number of overs in the game when patience was most required, the lack of a Plan B (the non-existence of a proper Plan A for that matter) and the lack of commitment.

These missing ingredients make the country’s cricket poorer and the national cricket team an object of ridicule.

With 263 more runs required for an improbably victory since only seven wickets remained on the fifth and final day, a fight beckoned. But the fight, something that the Tigers were seen involved in only on a few occasions this year, went missing.

On the flipside, the home team gave the best example of preparation, togetherness, discipline and most importantly heart. Brendan Taylor’s men wanted to win and they did, the captain picking up the man-of-the-match trophy for his match-winning second innings century.

The Tigers were off to an aggressive start yesterday but Mohammad Ashraful was the first to go. He inside edged a Brian Vitori delivery on to his stumps, leaving for 39 off 51 balls.

Mahmudullah Riyad came in to bat, for the first time in his short Test career at No 6, and immediately the Tigers’ mindset became dubious. It was as much a defensive move as it stacked the odds against Shakib Al Hasan, opting to bat at seven for the fourth time since he became captain.

Riyad, wafting at a number of deliveries without moving his feet much, perished in said fashion to Chris Mpofu. It became 167 for five and a Test win was out of the window.

With a bigger tail to bat with and as the last recognised pair, Shakib’s intent was clearer than the Harare sky. He went for broke and off Elton Chigumbura, he smashed one boundary that kissed the finger-tips of mid-off fieldsman Kyle Jarvis and then swished at one that he hoped to send out of the ground.

Next ball, his waft found the edge and went straight to his opposite number at second slip.

Mushfiqur Rahim, flicking one down square-leg’s throat, went at the same score 174 for seven and it was all over for Bangladesh.

Abdur Razzak blasted five boundaries and three sixes, in the space of two overs, to ensure that someone would remember he played in this Test but apart from his 17-ball 43, nothing was good about the Tigers.

After the lunch break, Jarvis cleaned up the rest with his third and fourth wicket to cap off a remarkable debut after his bad luck in the first innings.

SCORES IN BRIEF
ZIMBABWE: First innings 370

BANGLADESH: First innings 287

ZIMBABWE: Second innings 291 for 5 decl.

BANGLADESH: Second innings 244 (Imrul 31, Tamim 43, Ashraful 39, Mushfiqur 28, Razzak 43, Robiul 12; Jarvis 14-61, Chigumbura 2-50, Mpofu 3-51)

Result: Zimbabwe won by 130 runs.

Man-of-the-match: Brendan Taylor.

Bangladesh need 263 runs with seven wickets

Mash — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:25:01 +0000

The Tigers have a long climb ahead after Brendan Taylor’s century put Zimbabwe in control of the one-off Test match at the Harare Sports Club yesterday.


The tourists were 112 for three at stumps on Day Four, requiring a further 263 runs with seven wickets in hand after Zimbabwe declared their second innings during the tea interval on 291-5, setting Bangladesh a target of 375 runs to win in the fourth innings.
Mohammad Ashraful (19) and Mushfiqur Rahim (4) were the not out batsmen at the crease when the umpires called off the day's play.
That Zimbabwe declared instead of batting some more after the second break was met with surprise, though the state of the wicket may have played a part in Taylor's decision, but it set up an absorbing chase as the Tigers try to fend off a win for the home side on their return to Test cricket.
Tamim Iqbal began forcefully in the second innings, hammering seven boundaries at will and giving newcomer Brian Vitori a proper lesson.
On the back of seven consecutive Tests with at least one score of 50-plus, Tamim had a big say in Bangladesh's fortunes. But in the 14th over, he left an incoming delivery from Christopher Mpofu only to have his castle disturbed, falling for 43 off 44 balls, and sparking massive celebrations. 
It also ended another solid opening stand worth 65 runs, Tamim and Imrul Kayes's eighth 50-plus partnership. It soon became 87 for two when Imrul edged Kyle Jarvis to wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu for 31 off 64 balls. Shahriar Nafees was next to go, missing another angled delivery from around the wicket after the left-hander made nine.
But the day belonged to Taylor, the Zimbabwean captain who notched up his maiden century in his first Test in charge.
The unbeaten 105 off 175 balls found comparison with Dave Houghton's century in Zimbabwe's inaugural Test in 1992. For the 25-year-old Taylor, it was an inspirational moment when he swept Abdur Razzak for a boundary through fine-leg to reach three figures, seven years after his Test debut.
Coming in to bat on the third evening, Taylor calmly saw off a rocky last hour before resurrecting the Zimbabwe innings from the overnight score of 92 for four.
His 113-run stand with Tatenda Taibu not only put his team in the driver's seat, it frustrated the Tigers' bowlers who definitely came out with an attacking plan.
Shakib Al Hasan's initial incursions were thwarted through a counter-attacking intent and once the pace bowlers were dealt with properly, the Tigers were quickly on the backfoot.
Taylor struck nine solid boundaries, the last 50 runs coming off only 53 balls after he had laboured to a half-century off 117 balls. His square-cuts off the front-foot were remarkable whenever they came off but it was his upper-cut, a shot that he has mastered over the years in one-day cricket that stood out as his best shot.
Taibu made 59 off 136 balls, his careful defensive play at times reminding the visitors of a tougher time he had given them during the 2005 series back home.
After he fell to a catch at extra-cover off Shafiul Islam, Craig Ervine revived his debut Test with an enterprising 55-ball 35 that had four boundaries.
SCORES IN BRIEF

ZIMBABWE: First innings 370
BANGLADESH: First innings 287
ZIMBABWE: Second innings 291 for 5 decl (Mawoyo 35, Sibanda 38, Taylor 105 not out, Taibu 59, Ervine 35 not out; Shafiul 1-29, Robiul 1-48, Razzak 1-49, Rubel 1-75, Shakib 1-60)
BANGLADESH: Second innings 112 for 3 at stumps (Imrul 31, Tamim 43, Ashraful 19 not out, Mushfiqur 4 not out; Jarvis 2-40)



Bangladesh win over Netherlands
Mash — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:49:00 +0000
Opener Imrul Kayes guided a resolute Tigers squad to register a crucial win over Netherlands after the bowlers restricted the Dutchmen to 160 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Monday.
The win put Bangladesh ahead of England, who have scored five points, by one point from five matches brightening the possibility of a berth in the ICC Cricket World Cup quarter final.
The Tigers played 41.2 overs to reach their target and lost four wickets – Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees and Shakib Al Hasan.
Imrual Kayes played 113 balls and scored 73, including six boundaries while Mushfiqur Rahim 11 off 12 balls.
Defending their paltry 160, the Netherlands players enforced a tight fielding from the very beginning.
Mudassar Bukhari struck Bangladesh in the fourth ball of the first over. Tamim tried to push the good length and got an inside edge onto the off stump.
Junaid, who joined on Tamim’s departure, went back in the fifth ball of the 21st over. Peter Borren sent a short and wide ball. Though Junaid had time to concentrate before hitting it, he slapped it straight to Pieter Seelaar in extra cover. Seelaar made no mistake to grip it confidently.
Junaid played 53 balls and scored 35, including four boundaries.
Shahriar Nafees was the third wicket to fall. The fifth ball of the 35th over dislodged the bails as he tried to sweep it. Cooper tossed up the ball on the leg stump and takes it out. Shahriar scored 37 off 60 balls. He hit four boundaries.
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan later joined Imrul but could not last long. He also fell victim to Cooper. The fourth ball of the 38th over sent him back to pavilion. Shakib tried to loft that inside out over the extra cover. Ryan ten Doeschate ran to the line of the ball, dived and took an excellent catch at cover.
Shakib went for one run off seven balls.
Mushfiqur Rahim later joined Kayes on the crease.
DUTCH INNINGS
The Dutchmen, uncomfortable on the crease from the beginning, found Bangladesh bowlers too difficult to play and folded for 160 runs in 46.2 overs.
Sent to field by the by Dutch captain Peter Borren, the Bangladesh bowlers made it tough for their opponents to add runs to the scoreboard with ease.
Shakib made the breakthrough for Bangladesh in the first ball of 10th over picking up the wicket of Wesley Barresi to the wild applaud of the crowd.
The ball went straight on and l struck Barresi on the pads when sending Shakib go down on his knee for his signature appeal. Convinced, the umpire raised his finger. The Dutch openers pondered for a while whether to seek a review but gave up later.
Barresi went back to the pavilion for 10 runs off 29 balls.
The second success for Bangladesh also came in spin ball in the 13th over.
One down Mudassar Bukhari tried to swing the second ball over midwicket ending up sending it high in the air. Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim rushed to take it calmly. Mudassar scored 6 off 13 balls.
The other opener, Eric Szwarczynski was on the non-striking end when Shakib bowled to Tom Cooper fifth ball of the 23rd over. Down the track after being hit hard, the ball got Shakib’s touch before rolling on to the stumps. Szwarczynski was outside the crease and had to return to the dressing room for 28 runs. He played 63 balls and hit an over boundary.
Cooper went back in the first ball of 26th over. He cut it away hard off the back foot. Shakib got quickly to his right and threw it very fast. Though it was quite outside the crease, Mushfiqur did a splendid job taking it low to his left and then lobbing it back on to the stumps. The umpire had no reason top hesitate or even call the third umpire.
Cooper was run out for 29 runs off 41 balls.
The fifth wicket was Kervezee, in the 33rd over. After the delivery from Suhrawadi Shuvo, he took two steps down the crease to play the ball over the midwicket. But the ball turned past the swipe to be gripped by Rahim who completed a comfortable stumping. Kervezee scored 18 from 24 balls.
Razzak was successful in the very first ball of the 38th over. Tom de Grooth fell for a leg before after scoring 4 runs off 15 balls. He went for a sweep to the flat and straight ball and missed it.
Atse Buurman took the third ball of the over, a full delivery from middle stump, and flicks it right in to the hands of Imrul Kayes in the short midwicket. He went back for 0, playing two balls.
The eighth wicket, Peter Borren, was run out for 3 runs in the third ball of the 41st over. After ten Doeschate sent the ball to the point, Shuvo dived forward and lobbed the ball under-arm to Mushfiqur Rahim. The wicketkeeper was very quick to take off the bails as Borren was short of his ground even after a despairing dive.
Abdur Razzak took the previous two wickets – AF Buurman and TN de Grooth — in the first and third ball of the 38th over. He picked up the wicker of Mudassar Bukhari in the 13th over.
The ninth wicket, Pieter Seelaar, was the first success of any Bangladeshi pacer in the match.
Rubel Hossain sent a fuller delivery to allure Seelaar to waft across the line. Missing it completely, the Dutch batsman received the ball on his pad. He went back for 0 playing the whole over.
Adeel Raja was the 10th wicket to fall, being run out on 0. Ryan ten Doeschate drove off Shafiul’s fuller delivery towards the extra cover and invited Adeel for a single. Shahriar Nafees sent the ball from there to the bowler, who calmly took off the bails, Adeel could not be seen near the crease.
The Bangladesh skipper was also happy and said he would have bowled had he won the toss.
TEAMS
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain.
Netherlands: Eric Szwarczynski, Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Alexei Kervezee, Tom de Grooth, Atse Buurman, Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar and Adeel Raja



Shafiul and Mamudullah takes Bangladesh to a very important win
Mash — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:27:42 +0000
Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah fought like Tigers to successfully take Bangladesh edge past England’s 225 runs in an electrifying chase after recovering from a five quick wickets loss in nine overs in the must-win encounter at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong Friday.
The Tigers reached their targets in 49 overs losing eight wickets after a well articulated fielding that restricted the English side to a seemingly reachable score.
The fourth wicket partnership between Imrul Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan earned Bangladesh 82 runs to give the impetus to chase.
Abdur Razzak, the latest wicket, went back giving catch to Bresnan off Swann’s ball in the fourth ball of the 40th over. Earlier, Naeem Islam faltered in the first ball of the previous over, bowled by Azmal Shahzad.
Imrul failed to land safely as he attempted to change side in the last ball of 31st over, returning to the pavilion for 60 runs off 100 balls. He pushed the ball to deep square and started running. Azmal Shahzad sent an excellent throw to see off the opener after a good fight.
The spinners responded to Tigers skipper’s call at the early stage of the England innings conceding runs meagrely. However, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan registered a 109-run partnership to give England some footing.
It was the second ball of the 13th over. Juanid hit the ball and stood there when he heard the call from Imrul to run. He launched himself from there but was late by a second or two maybe. Anderson, after an excellent piece of fielding, threw the ball straight to the non-striker’s end.
Junaid went back for 12 off as many balls, scoring two boundaries.
Raqibul Hasan had almost no clue when the fourth delivery from Azmal Shahzad in the 14th over ripped off his off stump. The ball pitched on the same side to go straight to send off Raqibul who was called in to hold wickets for some time. He played just two balls and was yet to register anything on the scorecard.
Earlier in the ninth over, Tamim mistook to judge the fourth delivery of Tim Bresnan, which was a fullish one. He tried to play it across and saw the stumps behind dislodged: clean bowled. He scored 38 off 26 balls, including five boundaries.
With Tamim going, a silence descended at the stadium as it was taken for granted that Mr. Dependable would lead through the innings to seal the much-expected win. Result of the match was going to set the course of both the teams’ journey through rest of the tournament



West Indies stunned Bangladesh by nine wickets
Mash — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:35:44 +0000
West Indies stunned Bangladesh by nine wickets in the World Cup Group B crucial match at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Friday as the co-hosts were bowled out for 58 inside 19 overs.
Bangladesh, however, is in the record books with the lowest total ever made by a Full Member nation in World Cup history.
Disaster struck Bangladeshi batsmen from the very beginning of the innings as they crumbled one after another on their home ground in front of an expectant crowd.
Bangladeshi batsman Junaid Siddique made the highest score of 25 (27).
WI left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn grabbed four wickets while Kemar Roach and skipper Darren Sammy shared the other six wickets.
Earlier, Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan won toss and opted to bat.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Nikita Miller, Devon Thomas, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn



Bangladesh may field unchanged line-up
Mash — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:16:50 +0000
The Bangladesh brain trust has included Mahmudullah Riyad in the twelve-man team for today’s World Cup group B match in a bid to tackle the barrage of left-handers from the West Indies.
When asked of possible changes from the team that played against Ireland on February 25, Tigers captain Shakib Al Hasan confirmed that Riyad’s inclusion would be solely to equip the team in the off-spinning front. If picked, the 25-year-old all-rounder who played against India in the World Cup opener before being left out to accommodate Mohammad Ashraful will be expected to bowl his off-spin in the early Powerplay overs as well as provide batting support down the order.
“(Mahmudullah) Riyad has been included in the twelve. They have four left-handers and he could be used in the Powerplay overs,” said Shakib during yesterday’s official press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
“We have enough spinners to bowl up to 40 overs,” he said, adding that if Ashraful is included, a batting promotion for the 26-year-old has not been discussed.
Shakib would make the final call on the morning of the game but it is likely that an unchanged line-up would be continued, despite the batting flaws in the win over Ireland.
“There were mistakes in the last game and we will rectify those. I think our batsmen are capable of achieving the targets they set themselves,” he added.
Having defeated the West Indies quite comprehensively the last time the two sides met in 2009, albeit under altered circumstances, Shakib was evidently not very concerned about his team’s chances, though he also pointed out that this is a far different proposition.
“They have some senior players, a good mix of experience and youth. We have to play our best to beat them. We have to play good cricket to win and if we do, it will be a step forward towards qualification to the next round.
“We are not banking too much on tomorrow’s (Friday’s) game but we are looking forward to the whole tournament,” explained Shakib.
Shakib’s heroics against West Indies during that milestone series in the Caribbean was topped off by his six to seal the victory at St George’s, but the all-rounder prefers looking forward.
“The memory of that series definitely comes back sometimes and yes, it was a turning point. But I wouldn’t like to dwell on it too much,” commented Shakib.
The 23-year-old also didn’t want to talk about the toss or the wicket but said that the Mirpur track would not be offering Bangalore-esque scores (338, 338, 327 and 328). “It is a different wicket,” said Shakib. “I don’t think we should talk much about the wicket and neither about the toss.”
Shakib also made a strong statement about the implementation of the Umpires Decision Review System (UDRS), endorsing the new law. “I think the UDRS is good for the lower-ranked sides. I don’t have any complaints and I think it should be used,” he said.
BANGLADESH-WEST INDIES ENCOUNTERS
Matches:16
Bangladesh won:3
WI won:11
Most fifties: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (4)
Most matches: Mohammad Ashraful (13)
The first ODI between the two sides was played in Dublin during the 1999 World Cup.



Bangladesh wins the series vs Zimbabwe 3-1
Mash — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:59:40 +0000
If the 3-1 series win over Zimbabwe was the ideal end to 2010 the Tigers had hoped for, the upshot of this success is far more important as they approach the home stretch of their World Cup preparations.
Bangladesh have won nine matches out of 27 ODIs they played this year, including the landmark 4-0 win over New Zealand in October and a single win over England back in July. But playing probably their penultimate series before the major tournament, the Tigers showed the tendency to strengthen their basics and iron out some of their flaws in the latter part of this year.
Of course the five wins over higher-ranked opponents don’t quite paper over the cracks but the elusive winning habit has again befriended the Tigers before a World Cup, a tonic that worked almost to perfection during the 2007 edition.
Apart from the “shock” defeat (according to skipper Shakib Al Hasan) in the first game, the Tigers were not exactly ruthless but showed a certain “bigger team mentality” against the Zimbabweans over the past two weeks. Spin was put to devastating effect in the second game, also the game when two of the middle-order battlers struck important fifties. The next game saw the return of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s bowling form while the skipper continued his fine touch with the bat. An abandoned game later, Tamim Iqbal also eased back into form after missing the New Zealand series due to a wrist injury, the left-hander hitting a Bangladesh record of seven sixes in his 95.
“If I were to pick out the positives, I would say that the top-order made runs today. The fast bowlers also came to the party in the last two matches of this series after doing well against New Zealand. Fielding too was good in this series like the last one,” said Shakib in the post-match press conference yesterday.
“There was consistency in our desire to do well. When the team wins, a lot of the mistakes get passed over. And a winning team has a different outlook, you can see it in their faces that they are confident,” added the left-hander who made 156 runs in this series, taking his 2010 score to 787 runs from 27 matches.
Add that to his 46 wickets in the same format and you have probably the best all-rounder in the world. But Shakib thinks his bowling form in the last two series hasn’t been up to the mark, probably because he missed out on the 50-wicket mark in the calendar year.
“I don’t think I have bowled well in the last two series. From a team point of view, our Powerplay batting is an area we need to work on. Also, the batsmen who get in must make it a big one.
“They should stay till the end rather than making 50s and 60s, something that Gautam Gambhir is doing these days. He bats throughout and makes 110-115. We have to improve on these things and then we can be like the bigger teams. And of course, the in-form batsmen must also keep that going.”
Even in all this goodwill, middle-order batting remains the team management’s biggest headache, Shakib reflected that through a hint of warning to one of those fighting for a spot. “Rokibul should have scored at least twice in three games, like Junaed did twice in four games. But anybody can have a bad time, and in that case, we have the back-up,” said Shakib.
The Magura lad also admitted that the difference between the two sides that played yesterday was getting bigger by the day. “In terms of our performance, we are definitely ahead of them. Whenever we play our best, we can win against them, 90 per cent of the time,” he said.
Zimbabwe too were dissatisfied with their work during the series as coach Alan Butcher said that they were their own worst enemies. “Obviously Razzak was an obstacle but we were our main obstacles because we made unforced errors. When the top-score in the series is 210, you cannot be happy with that,” said Butcher.
“Fielding errors cost us 50 in the second game, 60 in the third and 80 in this one. These mistakes in low-scoring matches make life difficult,” he added.
Touring skipper Elton Chigumbura said that they still had some positives to take from the four matches. “I thought the spinners bowled well and Craig Ervine looked in good form,” the all-rounder pointed out



Bangladesh needs 189 to win
Mash — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 07:50:31 +0000
Visiting Zimbabwe were bowled out for 188 in the fifth and final of the five-match Micromax ODI series against Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Sunday.
Earlier in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and decided to bat first.
The state-run Bangladesh Telivision (BTV) and sports channel Neo Sports have been telecasting the match from the venue from 9:00am.
The hosts Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-1. The fourth match of the series was washed off at the same ground on Friday due to soggy outfield.
Earlier, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 9 runs in the opening match on December 1 while Bangladesh stunned them by six wickets and another by 65 runs in the second and third matches on December 3 and 6 respectively.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Regis Chakabva, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Elton Chigumbura (captain), Craig Ervine, Keith Dabengwa, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Ray Price, Chris Mpofu