With the senior national team producing a recent series of heartbreaking results against Sri Lanka, the Under-19 side joined them in a week of disappointment for Bangladeshi cricket.
The Bangladesh Under-19 national cricket team were eliminated from cup-contention in the group stage of the Under-19 World Cup after a 74-run defeat against Australia at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Bangladesh will now compete in the Plate Championship quarter-finals, along with Namibia and the bottom two finishers from each of the other groups.
Bangladesh, who were atop Group B with two consecutive victories before playing their last match, failed to go through to the Super League quarter-finals due to an inferior run-rate to those of Australia and Afghanistan. Afghanistan beat Namibia by six wickets with 24.3 overs in hand on Wednesday to seal Bangladesh’s fate.
Australia reached the last eight as group B champions with a +0.927 run-rate, while Afghanistan finished with a +0.881 run-rate. Bangladesh’s run-rate was +0.097.
Bangladesh captain Mehedy Hasan sent Australia in to bat first, and the decision proved correct when Australia lost their first four wickets for just 61 runs. But left-handed batsman Jake Doran gave Australia a fighting chance with a magnificent 99 not out, guiding his side to 244-6 in 50 overs.
Doran hit eight boundaries in his 124-ball innings, while Alex Gregory (48) and James Bazley (24) helped Doran post a competitive total.
Left-arm spinner Nihaduzzaman took two wickets, while Mustafizur Rahman and Abu Haider took one wicket apiece.
Opener Shadman Islam and wicketkeeper Litton Das responded well to the challenge, putting together a 70-run second-wicket partnership after losing opener Joyraz Sheikh
(1) earlier. Thomas Andrews broke the partnership with Bangladesh on 80 by dismissing Litton Das, who scored 43 runs from 54 balls.
Mosaddek Hossain was then caught behind off Andrews for 29 after putting on 48 runs with Shadman, who soon followed after getting run out just one run shy of his fifty to leave Bangladesh in 130-4.
The Junior Tigers failed to come back in the match after that, capitulating for 170 runs in 42 overs.
In the day’s other match, Afghanistan used only 25.3 overs to chase down Namibia’s 192, giving them a better run rate than Bangladesh and sending them through to the Super League quarter-finals.
Two quick half-centuries from Hashmatullah Shaidi (52) and Mohammed Mujtaba (50) paved the way for the much needed victory for Afghanistan, and captain Nasir Ahmadzai added 39 not out to end Bangladesh’s dream.
-With New Age input
