We played sensible cricket-Shakib
Photo - Cricfrenzy
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladeshi batsmen took a completely different approach against Windies to post 211-4 in the series deciding second Twenty20 match at Dhaka on Thursday.
Host were heavily criticized for not using their brains in the opening Twenty20 against Windies that the visitors won by eight wickets at Sylhet.
The major part of the blame came down on the top orders as they tried to play fire with fire trying to score runs on the back of playing strokes in front of the wicket rather than square against a decent pace attack of the visitors.
Windies pace bowlers apparently bowled short balls and Bangladeshi batsman jumped out of the crease to whack the over mid wicket instead of playing square at the wicket that eventually brought their own demise
‘’I think it is in the past. I see worried when I see guys getting gloved or moving away to leg or get beaten for pace around your nose. Today it was more about a bit of overconfidence. If you look at those three dismissals. You have Liton Das coming down the track at a guy bowling 140. It takes a lot of guts, heart and belief in yourself. Tamim has been in great form. He is trying to hit it way in front of square. Soumya also tried to do the same thing. I just think that it is just the nature of the game that you try to match aggression with aggression was the key to that. Looking to stay on top of the ball, trying to hit it the square-leg umpire and behind, using the pace, was a better shot on that surface. There was extra bounce in that wicket. I am not worried about the way they played the short ball. I think it was overconfidence, trying to fight fire with fire. Sometimes you have to deflect more than attack,’’ Bangladesh batting consultant Neil McKenzie told reporters after the opening game.
It seemed Tigers took the lesson by their heart and Liton Kumar Das in particular, who whacked his second T20 fifty at their do-or-die game at the home of cricket.
He played some superb shots all around the wicket but what was important that he used the pace and deflected the balls to square and finer region.
With the series on the line, Bangladesh have an opportunity to test themselves in a must-win situation. The conditions are dewy, with winter setting in, and this could help the side chasing. Therefore, the onus is on their batsmen to set the game up.
Liton and Soumya did exactly that by putting 68 runs for the second wicket after Tamim Iqbal(15) departed adding 42 runs in 4.1 overs to set the tone of the match in their opening stand.
Liton(60) and Soumya(32) departed in quick succession while Mushfiqur did not last long but Shakib al Hasan and Mahmudullah looked determined to exploit the platform formed by the top order.
Shakib made 25-ball 42 while Mahmudullah scored 43 runs from 21 balls to give the last push adding undefeated 91 runs for the fifth that helped them put their highest score batting first.
But what was important that they used their brain and did not waste any opportunity provided by the opposition and completed their innings on a clinical fashion.
Bangaldesh skipper Shakib al Hasan admitted that they learnt the lesson from the last match
‘’Our batsmen took a lot of lesson from the last game and they played sensible cricket. In the previous match they bowled at 140 kmp and we tried to hit them at 180 kmp. But today we used the pace and it was the right game plan. Liton showed that if we can use the pace we can score runs against this pace,’’ Shakib told reporters at the post match press conference.
‘’Our batsmen set the platform for us. Liton and Soumya played well while my partnership with Riyad bhai was very important because it would not be easy losing wicket at that point. Because if we had lost wicket at that point bowlers would have arrived at the wicket and we could not have got those strength that we earned by adding ex 20 or 30 runs. I think batsmen set the game for us,’’ he said.
‘’ There is no fixed rule of playing T20 cricket that suggest it will be successful. We had a good day today. There were some lacking in fielding otherwise we played good game of T20 cricket. It was difficult to bowl in the second half because there were lot of dews. But our bowlers could bowl with lot of as there were runs on the board,’’ he added.
