Do-or-die for Tigers

Weather and spinners could be the decisive factors when Bangladesh take on Ireland in their must win final group match of the Twenty20 World Cup at Trent Bridge today.
With the India game already lost, the Tigers now face a make-or-break situation against a side that have shown abilities to beat them in the past and things become more tricky for them with the prospect of rain.
The weather has turned from gloomy to rainy over the last two days in Nottingham and there is forecast for more rain which could force a shortened game, causing worries for them.
Bangladesh, who abandoned their scheduled practice at Lady Bay Cricket Ground and had to travel to National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough University, half-an-hour drive from Nottingham city centre, for indoor practice, have another reason to worry.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who did not make the team against India, but was certain to play against Ireland, a team that tend to be weak against spin attack, suffered a back strain during a gym session on Saturday.
Team physio Michael Henry said Razzak’s condition improved but the chance for him to play was still uncertain. And if he misses the game finally, it will be a serious blow for Bangladesh as the role of a spinner in Twenty20 is now widely acknowledged.
‘In any Twenty20 game, spin has really taken off. It’s a real key element of the game. We’ve seen in IPL and in this tournament already that spin is a key factor – taking pace off the ball,’ also confessed Ireland captain William Porterfield.
Without Razzak Bangladesh have only one specialist spinner in Sakib al Hasan with Ireland pinning their hopes on two specialist spinners in Kyle McKallan and Legan Nest.
‘We’ve got good strength in depth with the bowling, two good spinners and good death bowling. The key for us is to try to get wickets up front,’ said wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien.
Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful, however, said they would not allow Ireland to repeat their World Cup feat in Trent Bridge.
‘It was a match we were too anxious to win I guess because we thought that if we didn’t then all our good work in that tournament will be ruined,’ said Ashraful about the match in Bridgetown.
‘We brought pressure on ourselves with the fear of losing to a team below us. But that’s not the case here,’ said Ashraful.
The match will start at 6:30pm (Bangladesh Standard Time) and will be followed by Australia-Sri Lanka match.

Courtesy of NewAgebd