From safety to defeat

Pakistan win Test series 2-0
An unlikely resistance came from Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain on the fifth and final day but their efforts were not good enough for Bangladesh to save the second Test against Pakistan and sign off the year on a bright note yesterday.
Pakistan made a clean sweep by winning all matches on tour when they posted a seven

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Mushfiq takes the blame

The tendency to take risks in a stable position has hurt the Tigers once more though skipper Mushfiqur Rahim owned up to his error in judgment after the seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the second Test.
“Of course I will take the blame. If I didn’t get out, we could have batted 30 minutes more. I feel guilty for my shot as I let my team down,” said the Bangladesh captain during the post-match

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Misbah was waiting for new ball

Pakistan were waiting for the new ball  that they never needed to break the resistance of Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim, said skipper Misbah-ul Haq after a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second Test on Wednesday.
Nasir and Mushfiq denied Pakistan any wicket on the fifth morning and threatened to kill

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Pakistan on top despite Sakib’s heroics

Sakib al Hasan became the first Bangladeshi to hit a century and take five wickets in an innings in the same Test but his efforts look like being in a losing cause after Pakistan seized control of the second Test.
All-rounder Sakib followed his first-innings 144 with the bat by snapping up six for 82 with the ball as the hosts bowled out Pakistan for 470 on the fourth day on

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Fifth-time lucky Sakib

It was almost inevitable in some stages of Sakib al Hasan’s career. He created at least four opportunities in the past, came close on two occasions and missed it agonisingly.
But anyone with the slightest idea of his capability as an all-rounder knew Sakib would get a five-for in an innings and a century in the same Test match sooner or later in his

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It’s just not part of game

In cricket, the common phrase is that catches win matches but Bangladesh provided an example in the ongoing second Test of how catches can also cost a side a match too.
The joy of the home side of taking all 10 Pakistani wickets was short-lived as they lost five wickets for 114 runs in the second innings, which took them close to another defeat in this

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Pakistan had full faith in bowlers

Pakistan had little doubt that bowlers could take them to an winning position if they could get a sizeable total with the bat, all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez said after fourth day’s play in the second Test on Tuesday.
Two wickets each from Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema ripped the heart out of Bangladesh’s batting order as the hosts limped to 114–5 in their second innings taking Pakistan five wickets away from win

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Tigers let Pakistan off the hook

Bangladesh paid the price for poor fielding by allowing Pakistan to claw their way back in the second Test as the visitors closed in on a first innings lead reaching 292-3 on the third day on Monday.
Taufiq Umar made the most of Bangladesh’s sloppy fielding to score his seventh Test century which took Pakistan out of danger and put them in a position from where they can now even think of

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Win still an option for Pakistan

Pakistan opener Taufiq Umar did not rule out the chance of a win in the second Test match against Bangladesh after his seventh Test century brought them close to a first innings lead on Monday.
The left-hander scored 130 from 256 balls to help Pakistan reach 292-3 at the end of fog-shortened third day in reply to Bangladesh’s 338 all out in the first

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Nazmul can’t wait for another seven years

Bangladesh paceman Nazmul Hossain said it would be too much of a pain for him if he is needed another seven years to play a Test again after he was made to wait that long by the selectors for his second Test.
Nazmul was by far the best among the three pace bowlers Bangladesh picked for the ongoing second Test with his 2-51, which allowed the home side to keep the Pakistani batsmen in

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Shakib brings respectability

Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh expand upon their strong base during the second day’s play of the second Test against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
The day ended with Pakistan on 87-1 after bad light stopped play. In all, 26 overs were lost on the day after the morning session began an hour late due to the same problem as on the first

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The sign of a complete all-rounder

Sakib al Hasan proudly announced himself as a complete all-rounder after his 144 runs in the first innings that guided Bangladesh to a respectable 338 against Pakistan on Sunday.
Sakib had started his career as a batsman who could bowl but gradually turned into Bangladesh’s main strike bowler with his left-arm spin that often turned deceptive for

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Sakib, Shahriar lift Tigers

Sakib al Hasan and Shahriar Nafees defied a chilly weather and a strong Pakistani attack to lift Bangladesh to a respectable 234-5 with a record 180-run partnership on the opening day of second Test in Dhaka on Saturday. Sakib got his second Test century along the way to stay 108 not out while Nafees missed out on the feat only by a whisker having fallen for 97 runs with only a few overs to go in the final

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Ashraful axed finally for second Test

Shafiul replaces Rubel
Mohammad Ashraful has finally been axed from the Bangladesh squad for the second Test match against Pakistan beginning in Dhaka on Saturday.
The news came from the man himself who told reporters about his omission on the eve of his transfer to Old DOHS from CCS for the forthcoming

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Is Ashraful dropped?

BCB yet to name 2nd Test squad
Mohammad Ashraful is going to face the music again for his poor batting in the first Test against Pakistan in Chittagong. The national selectors have decided on the 14-member squad without Ashraful for the second and final Test to be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur from December 17.
“We submitted the team to the board today because we have only two days in hand for

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Nafees likely to face the chop

Left-handed batsman Shahriar Nafees is likely to face the chop when Bangladesh take on Pakistan in the second Test in Dhaka from Saturday.
Nafees was out for a duck in the first innings of the first Test in Chittagong and followed it with a nervy 28 that saw few catches being put down by the Pakistani

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35th innings defeat and counting

Pakistan take 1-0 lead
Bangladesh suffered yet another innings defeat, this time against Pakistan in the first Test yesterday at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, leaving many questions dangling about their sorry state of affairs in the game’s highest format. The answers must come sooner than later to salvage some pride as an Elite Member.
To secure the massive innings and 184-run victory, Pakistan hardly faced any resistance

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Captain Misbah hails team effort

Brushing aside all controversies and negative impact of Pakistan cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq thought that his side is on course to prove the rest of the world that they are a forced to be reckoned with. Pakistan cricket and controversy are always synonymous and consistency is rare case for them despite getting enormous talent and great cricketer in the

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Nothing wrong in natural game

Mushy blames structure instead
There was hardly anything left for a captain to say when his team lost the match by an innings and 184 runs. That might be the reason why Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was found at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday to be bewildering while talking about yet another heavy defeat.
It made some sense when the wicketkeeper-batsman suggested that nothing would be

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