Bangladesh put ghosts of past to rest
Photo - Cricket Ireland
|| Ireland Correspondent ||
The simple act of a human walking is a mundane everyday occurrence, it’s only when the landscape changes that extra significance is bestowed. When Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon the significance was immeasurable.
Similarly, if taken in isolation, a Mahmudullah cover drive to the boundary during an ODI wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, however by executing that very shot with perfect balance and poise in the 23rd over of a curtailed run chase against the West Indies in the Tri Series Final, Mahmudullah was able to seal a historic victory and in the process lay the ghosts of past finals to rest.
Having failed in all previous major tournament finals and with the unwanted chokers tag beginning to establish itself as a team trait, this historic victory in a drizzly corner of Dublin finally illustrated how Bangladesh could overcome adversity and the pressure of expectation. Reverberations from the joy of winning are bound to be felt half way across the world.
Two outstanding displays of batsmanship set up the win, the fact that both Soumya Sarker and Mosaddek Hossain were the chief architects of the run chase despite not being part of the much vaunted “famous five”, made the victory all the sweeter. A feature of Bangladesh’s Tri-series performances has been the bench strength, throughout the tournament when fringe players have been called upon they haven’t let the team down. Both Liton Das and Rahi brilliantly demonstrated this characteristic during the last tournament group game against Ireland. Rahi in particularly could count himself very unlucky not to be in the starting eleven for the final, his five wicket haul only 2 days ago was an excellent show of wholehearted bowling and the ability to generate swing.
The cloudy and dank conditions throughout the morning and early afternoon would surely have amplified his developing skills, but by accepting his omission with maturity and professionalism another team trait emerged; a sense of togetherness and team unity that hasn’t always been typical of previous Bangladesh sides.
Sarker’s brisk run scoring at the top of the innings capped an impressive tournament for him, the consistency that was missing, appears to be in place now. Not for the first time against the West Indies in this tournament, he effectively blunted the attack before taking advantage of any loose deliveries, thereby easing middle order anxieties from the pressure of the chase. Soon after reaching his half century, he sent a delivery from Roach sailing over the midwicket fence, the arc of his bat swing clearly encapsulating his confidence.
Rarely does a Bangladesh run chase involve some kind of a wobble and it came when Tamim and Sabbir were dismissed in quick succession by Gabriel, after which further inroads were made leaving the total looking vulnerable at 143-5. The vast experience and underrated talent of Mahmudullah and the expansive strokeplay of Mosaddek were the ideal combination to sooth any jitters taking hold of players and fans alike.
The small but vocal Bangladeshi supporters were ultimately richly rewarded for their stoicism during the lengthy rain delay when shelter from the wind and rain was scarce. The hardship being particularly acute as many were observing the month of Ramadan.
After 20 overs 39 runs were still required and the sense of something having to give was palpable. The 22nd over was decisive as Mosasddek took advantage of Allen’s inoffensive slow bowling, he launched the ball over the ropes three times during the over, looking every inch a man in a hurry and in the event nailing the West Indies coffin tightly shut.
Yet it was far from a flawless Bangladesh performance, earlier in the day the bowling unit raised more questions than answers about it’s suitability to foreign conditions. It must have been hard for the Bangladesh set up to ignore the bi-lateral series simultaneously being played by England and Pakistan across the Irish sea, specifically from a bowlers perspective, the eye watering number of runs being scored.
It’s a given that on good batting surfaces during the World Cup, the most successful teams will be those with an effective and varied bowling attack tasked with bowling sides out. To this end when Mashrafe and Saifuddin failed to make an early breakthrough against in- form openers, the supporting bowling suddenly looked brittle.
Mustafizur appears to still be searching for true rhythm while the spinners were unable to exert control and defend the invitingly small boundaries. The Bangladesh bowlers are unlikely to be the only ones from the bowling fraternity to feel a sense of trepidation towards their plight over the next few weeks, specially prepared batting wickets will only compound their nausea.
The West Indies in no small part were responsible for their own downfall, they couldn’t be blamed for losing the toss and being put into bat, but as the signs of inclement weather were plain for all to see and therefore a shortened game highly likely, the game plan they adopted was curious. Although both openers were going along at a decent rate, a greater sense of urgency would have reaped huge dividends in the final outcome.
The conservative approach of the West Indian batsmen after the rain delay had confirmed a 24 over match, was even more baffling, as they were seemingly content to pick up singles. Perhaps the vagaries of the DLS system led them to incorrectly assume that avoiding the loss of wickets was paramount – a moot point that confuses even the most knowledgable cricket watchers.
The West Indies fielding also at times verged on the comical, Tamim was dropped early in his innings, Nurse unable to hold onto a gently looping ball while running backwards from first slip. The ground fielding was equally untidy, at least 2 boundaries were gifted from misfields. Not that the Bangladesh team are likely to dwell on West Indian shortcomings, instead they will take great heart from a successful tournament and their dreams of replicating today’s feat and winning the World Cup final will now be more vivid than ever.
