The Bangladesh batsmen are well on their way to confine 2011 as their worst year in recent memory after yet another sub-100 score in the five-wicket defeat to Pakistan yesterday.
The first day-night one-dayer at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium was over as a contest by the first two hours after the Tigers were all out for 91 runs in 30.3 overs. The only consolation was thevisitors’ losing five wickets in the 25.4 overs they took to reach the target.
And it was spin that did almost all the damages with Shahid Afridi picking up a five-wicket haul, his fourth this year. It wasn’t as if the leg-spinner revved up the wrists, rather the turn was quite easy to find on the Mirpur surface, already established by Mohammad Hafeez who bowled a crucial first-spell after opening the bowling for Pakistan.
Hafeez removed Tamim Iqbal quite easily before Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik took care of Naeem Islam and Mushfiqur Rahim by the twelfth over. Then it was Afridi’s turn to wade into the Tigers.
Shahriar Nafees, who had plodded for 51 minutes for seven runs, was put out of his misery by an Afridi delivery that jumped on him. After taking out Mahmudullah Riyad, caught behind, and Shakib Al Hasan, who also mistimed a cut off a bouncy delivery, Forhad Reza’s ODI return after three years was also cut short by the leg-spinner. His seventh ODI five-for was completed when Shafiul Islam was caught behind in the 31st over; Bangladesh finishing up below one-hundred for the fourteenth time in ODI history.
Perhaps inspired by his teammates’ wretchedness or by his own batting enterprise, Rubel Hossain bowled two inspiring spells that gave him two wickets. Hafeez edged one to Nafees at slip off the Bagerhat paceman while Sarfraz Ahmed top-edged a short one to Shakib, who himself took two wickets.
The left-arm spinner’s spell of 9.4 overs was evident enough of the state of the wicket, Shakib removing Younis Khan and then pinging the stumps by going between Umar Akmal’s bat and pad.
But 91 is not a score for this, or any, bowling attack to defend and it is now down to the Bangladesh batsmen to validate their status in the country’s cricket.
-With The Daily Star input
