Brendon McCullum was dismissed on the very last ball of the innings; but in the twenty overs prior, the bombastic Kiwi right-hander severely punished Bangladesh and
led his team to a comfortable 59 run win in their Group D opener of the ICC World T20 at the Pallekele International Stadium yesterday.
McCullum’s colossal and record-breaking 123 saw the Kiwis post an insurmountable 191 and helped them outclass a Bangladesh side who had come into this match quietly
confident of making an impact.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) high-ups including president AHM Mustafa Kamal, had flocked to Sri Lanka to watch this highly anticipated match and there were even a
few Bangladeshi fans on show inside the stadium. But the dream swiftly dissolved courtesy of the strong blade of McCullum’s willow, much as it had done in December
2007 in an ODI, to the same player.
Despite the many empty seats, the “papare band” and the fireworks and dances provided for quite a spicy atmosphere, and in the main event McCullum did everything
possible to add more sheen with a lusty 72-ball 123 that contained eleven boundaries and seven sixes in New Zealand’s 191. McCullum crushed records underfoot with the
speed of his progress and often sent balls sailing into the grass banks beyond the boundary on way to posting the highest individual score in all T20 internationals.
191 was always going to be a steep target for the Tigers and when Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan had both succumbed in the early reckoning, it became a case of damage
limitation that saw them struggle to 132 for eight from their 20 overs. Nasir Hossain was the only batsman to show some semblance of a fight, as he chipped in with a
half-century that might have been useful under other circumstances.
It had all looked so different when Abdur Razzak snapped up the wicket of Martin Guptill in the fourth over with the score on 19. The wicket seemingly vindicated
captain
Mushfiqur Rahim’s surprising decision to bowl first, but that was all soon turned on his head with the arrival of McCullum. The dashing Kiwi was helped by some rank
poor bowling as the Bangladesh bowlers bowled too wide or too short to aid him on his record breaking endeavours. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza also gave him the gift of a
life, grassing him on 92.
McCullum became the only batsman with two hundreds in T20I. He is also the highest run-getter and the number one ranked player in Twenty20 internationals. He also
broke the record for the best individual score in the format, as he went past Richard Levi’s 117 made earlier this year. McCullum’s previous best was an unbeaten 116
against Australia at Christchurch in February 2010.
McCullum’s explosive knock simply underlined the difference between the two teams and made it clear for Bangladesh that they have a long way to go to make them a
competitive team in the newest format of the game.
Bangladesh’s hope of reaching the Super Eight almost evaporated as they will face favourites Pakistan in the second and last group match at the same venue on September
25.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
