The post Absolutely Awesome appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>
Who says bowlers should have all the fun? Ask Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal, and they will tell you that that opening period of the second innings, when they literally demolished one of the best bowling attacks in the world, was the highlight of the series against South Africa.Ask the fans who braved the rains at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium and they will probably be taunting the spectators in Dhaka, for they managed to witness something that the capital could not; a total annihilation orchestrated by Bangladesh’s batsmen.
The left-handed opening duo blew away any remaining doubts of a series win, after South Africa were restricted to 168 for 9 in rain-reduced 40 overs, with a record stand, 154 to be precise, that left spectators at the edge of their seats.
The fierce partnership led Bangladesh to a 9-wicket win with 13.5 overs to spare after their target was revised to 170 and thereby helped them clinch a historical 2-1 series win, their first ever, over the Proteas.
There wasn’t anything different about Soumya’s batting. He punched in the boundaries through covers, pulled a massive six in front of mid-wicket and even found time to cheekily lift boundaries over the keeper’s head. He just continued from his unbeaten 88 in Dhaka.
The highlight of his innings came as early as the fourth over when he smacked the much talked about Kagiso Rabada for three consecutive boundaries, two of which, flicked with sheer precision to the leg-side, would have been any left-hander’s delight.
The difference though was in Tamim’s technique. The batsman, who was guilty of going down the track and charging the bowler on too many occasions in the last two matches, displayed plenty of patience and composure. He let his younger partner dominate, and dominate he did with a flow so powerful that it left the South African fielders frustrated.
Earlier, Soumya had given one real opportunity to the visitors and that was in the 20th over when he charged Morne Morkel down the track and smashed him over point. A running Farhaan Behardien though failed to get a hand on the ball, which on any other day would have been grasped by a South African fielder in the deep.
Soumya ended up hammering 13 boundaries and a six for his 90, while Tamim played a rather laidback half-century of 61 not out to complement the youngster.
Earlier, Hashim Amla found his side in trouble on a slow and low Chittagong track after the visitors elected to bat first.
Once again, it was a disciplined bowling effort that stifled the visitors. It began with the young Mustafizur Rahman uprooting Quinton de Kock’s stumps with a fuller delivery in the third over. That was followed with Shakib Al Hasan removing Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla.
Shakib used the wicket to perfection and troubled the batsmen with his flighted deliveries. With runs difficult to come by, du Plessis had attempted to sweep Shakib for a boundary but only managed to sky one up in the air.
Amla, who was trying to manoeuvre the innings for his side, edged one to the keeper while attempting to play an inside-out drive and that brought up Shakib’s 200th ODI wicket.
After South Africa were four down, the match witnessed a three-hour break due to the incoming showers. As a result, the match was reduced to 40 overs per side.
Upon resumption of the innings, Rilee Rossouw and David Miller were in the process of stitching a comeback with a half-century stand.
But that was broken in the 30th over by skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, whose wide delivery got Miller caught at point, courtesy of a smart diving catch from Sabbir Hossain.
That wicket brought Mashrafe his 200th. At the end of 35 overs, South Africa had lost their top half and the tail-enders, in an attempt to up the run-rate lost their wickets. There wasn’t a lot that they could do with the likes of Mustafizur and Shakib bowling towards the end.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
The post Absolutely Awesome appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Tigers add another feather in the cap appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The Tigers faced little trouble to achieve the revised target of 170 runs after the bowlers did a tremendous job to restrict the Proteas to 168-9 at the rain-soaked Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Opener Soumya Sarkar began from where he ended in the series-equaling second match in Dhaka, hitting 90 off 75 balls to take the Tigers home with nine wickets and 83 balls to spare.
Local boy Tamim Iqbal, playing his 150th ODI, complemented with an unbeaten 61 as the duo put 154 runs in their epic opening stand to make the win look very easy.
The win capped another historic success for Bangladesh after their maiden appearance in the World Cup quarter-final and successive series wins over neighbours India and Pakistan earlier this year.
The series win however is unique in a sense that the Tigers for the first time managed to come back from 0-1 deficit to win a three-match series after three futile attempts in the past.
The Tigers came within sight of their first ever win by 10-wicket margin before Somuya wasted it with a moment of lapse in concentration that allowed
South Africa to get their only success in the match.
One-down Liton Das took the honour of completing the win as he smashed leg-spinner Imran Tahir for four over the midwicket to spark a huge celebration in the Tigers’ dressing room and across the country.
Left-arm spinner Sakib al Hasan and skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza will also remember the game forever for not just the historic win but for also reaching a highly commendable milestone.
Both of them reached their 200-wicket landmark being the second and third Bangladeshi respectively, after left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, setting up the massive win in the rain-reduced 40-over-a-side game.
Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman made the first breakthrough but it was Sakib, who delivered the telling blow with a double strike, to leave South Africa hobbling at 4-50.
When Sakib forced Amla to edge a catch to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, he joined a select group of elite allrounders who have taken 200 wickets and scored 4,000 runs in ODIs.
Only Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzak and New Zealand duo Chris Harris and Chris Cairns achieved the double before the Bangladesh all-rounder.
Rain provided South Africa a chance to regroup after they were reduced to 4-78, as David Miller and JP Duminy launched a counter attack to take the momentum away briefly.
Mashrafee ended their 63-run fifth wicket stand to help the Tigers regain control and get his own milestone, as Miller (44) became his 200th victim in ODIs with Sabbir Rahman completing the catch at backward point.
Duminy held one end to score 51 off 70 balls before he became the last man dismissed in Rubel Hossain’s final over, but his effort was too little to stop an indomitable side at their brilliant best.
Mustafiz and Rubel played their part in the win by grabbing two wickets each giving away 24 and 29 runs respectively.
The two teams will play a two-Test series after the ODIs with the first Test starting in Chittagong on July 21.
-With New Age input
The post Tigers add another feather in the cap appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Tigers eye bigger scalp in decider appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>South Africa won the first match with eight wickets and 53 balls to spare after they won the Twenty20 series 2-0 only giving an indication that this series was going to be a one-sided affair.
But, the Tigers came back in style by winning seven wickets and 134 balls to spare in the second match to bring their confidence and restore the parity in the series.
Not only the contrasting results but also the way those matches were determined made this match not only the series decider but also a very unpredictable one.
Ace all-rounder Sakib al Hasan said on Tuesday that winning the series against mighty South Africa will be a greater achievement than winning against India and Pakistan.
The Tigers, who have been enjoying an amazing winning run at home after they reach their first over World Cup quarter-finals, won two consecutive ODI series against two Asian giants Pakistan and India.
The win in the second ODI, their only the second against the African side and the first one in eight years, only confirmed their status as the new giants-killers in world cricket.
Yet, Sakib believes that a series win against much high-ranked Proteas will be a major accolade in their history.
‘It is bigger than India and Pakistan series,’ Sakib said in Chittagong. ‘We have not done these things yet. Naturally what we have not achieved yet is a big thing,’ the 28-year old added.
However, he did not undermine the wins against the Asian giants and hailed those as big achievements.
‘We have never beaten South Africa in a series so this would be a big thing if we can clinch the series, but what we have achieved yet is also big.’
The top ranked all-rounder in three formats in world thinks that teams only think match by match but as a series decider this very game has some extra importance.
‘Every match is important. We think of winning every time we get in the field. It is a series decider so it is more important.’
‘As we have won the second game big things are beckoning us. We shall focus on that, so that we can win and continue our winning run at home.’
Bangladesh team have been playing a positive brand of cricket since the World Cup and endowed with many talents and match winners but Sakib, who will make his 9th anniversary in international cricket on next month, is still regarded as best of the lot.
Sakib’s home performance is one of the best in the world but whenever he played in the Zahur Ahmed Stadium, the venue of today’s game, he achieved some unbelievable things those exceed anything.
Sakib got his best Test match bowling figure of 7-37 against New Zealand, best ODI bowling of 4-16 against West Indies and his amazing all-round achievement of a century and four-wicket haul in the same ODI against Zimbabwe all in this ground.
But the southpaw thinks that past is past and only the performance of the day counts.
‘We must play good cricket wherever we play. No one thinks prior to a match about the luck of the ground, pitch and so forth.’
-With New Age input
The post Tigers eye bigger scalp in decider appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Time to seal a dream 2015 appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>Chandika Hathurusingha dropped his crutches on the ground, cautiously stretched his right foot forward and, with an imaginary bat in his hands, kept playing straight drives in front of Tamim Iqbal just as the left-hander was about to begin his batting session in Chittagong yesterday. The effort taken by the coach, who required the support due an injury, perhaps displayed how desperate he was to see his number one opener hit form again.
Tamim may not have been among the runs lately, but then again there’s no better place than the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium to change that when Bangladesh take on South Africa in the third ODI — the series decider — today.
With 391, Tamim has scored the most number of runs in ODIs on this ground and Hathurusingha and co will hope that the left-hander rediscovers his form in his hometown in a crucial match against a very strong side to complete a series victory.
Shakib Al Hasan, during the pre-match press conference yesterday, described the match as a ‘big opportunity’ for Bangladesh; and when one looks at the statistics, the reasoning behind Shakib’s choice of words was obvious.
Bangladesh have never beaten South Africa in a series. They have also never won a series against a team ranked in the top-eight after losing the first match. The only two occasions when they successfully managed to complete a comeback was against Zimbabwe in 2005 and 2009.
The stat depicts the defensive mindset that the Tigers had in the past when they were satisfied with a mere victory. However, things will be a lot different when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s side take the field today.
The way the skipper marshalled his players in the second ODI suggested that there was only one target on his mind: a victory.
Seldom does one get to see a Bangladesh captain using all his strike bowlers before the 40th over of the match, but Mashrafe did exactly that. In his hunger for wickets and control of the game, the 29-year-old finished the quotas of Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib early and had an extra fielder inside the circle throughout most of the second ODI.
The last ODI was one of the rare occasions when Shakib had finished his ten overs before the 40th over mark. He had never done that in the first innings of an ODI while playing against a side ranked in the top eight.
The attacking mindset on the field in turn helped his batsmen — who have been lacking confidence throughout the series — romp to the small target.
South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir yesterday chose a different route from Shakib and referred to the deciding ODI as a challenge.
Having been outclassed in the second ODI, Tahir believed that a score of around 250 would be good enough on a Chittagong track which is — like in the first two ODIs — expected to aid spinners.
Considered a lucky ground for the hosts, Bangladesh have won nine out of their 15 ODIs here. While Tamim is the highest run-getter, Shakib is the highest wicket-taker. That stat might as well encourage the left-armer to get the two remaining wickets that he requires to become the second Bangladeshi bowler to scalp 200 wickets after Abdur Razzak.
Skipper Mashrafe, who is on 199, is also in line for that landmark.
A series that began disappointingly for the Tigers now has turned into an opportunity for the Tigers to complete a most memorable ODI year.
Sure enough, the dominant performances against Pakistan and India will remain high on the list. However, few things can match the joy of a turn-around, because that’s a scenario that the Tigers haven’t painted too often.
-With The Daily Star input
The post Time to seal a dream 2015 appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Luck on Tigers’ side? appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>A practical Shakib expectedly brushed aside the notion of a lucky venue.
“We have to play well to win no matter where we play. If we want to win we will have to perform.
“Nobody says that Chittagong is lucky or the other grounds are unlucky. We have won on all our grounds and they are all lucky for us because this is our home,” said Shakib.
While there is logic in the left-hander’s words, no one can deny that the port city has given the cricket fans of this country several cherished memories. The West Indies, for instance, were bundled out for just 61 runs here in 2011. That was the only match of the three-match series that Bangladesh won.
However, the crucial group stage victory against England during the 2011 World Cup perhaps tops the list. The half-century stand for the ninth wicket between Mahmudullah Riyad and Shafiul Islam surpassed all comebacks.
This is also the ground that saw Bangladesh almost pull off a Test upset against New Zealand in 2008. Had it not been for a defiant 76 from Daniel Vettori, Bangladesh would have achieved something that they are denied even today; a Test victory against a top-flight nation.
In October 2013, Shohag Gazi took a six-wicket haul including hattrick and then scored a century on this ground.
With the series-decider due today, will Chittagong witness another memorable victory for the Tigers?
-With The Daily Star input
The post Luck on Tigers’ side? appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Tigers up against history in Ctg appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>In the past Bangladesh faced the prospect at least three times when they came from behind to level the series only to fall at the final hurdle.
In 2004, Bangladesh post their first win on home soil to square off series against India before losing the third and final game by 91 runs. Two years later in 2006, the Tigers stunned Sri Lanka in Bogra with a win in the second match before they lost to the islanders by 78 runs in the last game in Chittagong.
The last time a similar opportunity occurred in 2010 when they lost by 144 runs after leveling the series with England.
During all three previous series, Bangladesh’s wins were considered as upsets and therefore it was unsurprising to see them facing the backlash of opponents in the final match.
However, things have changed considerably this time, meaning no one is calling their win now an upset and writing them off for the final game. They reached Chittagong with as much prospect as visiting South Africa, which is also a testament of their new-found tag of emerging Asian force.
Chief selector Faruk Ahmed firmly believes that Tigers’ coming from behind against the Proteas erased all doubts about them by showing their true character.
It only suggests they are capable of crossing the final hurdle, said Faruk.
‘The strength of a good side is judged on how they respond to a situation when chips are down,’ Faruk told New Age on Monday.
‘It speaks volume of their depth,’ said the selector. ‘The win against Proteas is clearly indicating we are on the track.
‘We would be definitely eyeing to win the series as we believe we are capable of beating them, though it wont be easy against an opponent of their stature,’ he said.
Bangladesh recently clinched their maiden ODI series win against Pakistan and India to prove their worth raising a great expectation on them.
Hence, their dominating win came as no surprise and it will not be also much unexpected to see them carry the momentum to win the series in Chittagong.
‘It’s called logical sequence,’ said Faruk adding ‘It’s important to follow the process correctly as the result is bound to come through,’ he said.
‘We only emphasised on it and kept our patience. It pays off so far and hopefully it will give us another success in the third ODI,’ he said.
-With New Age input
The post Tigers up against history in Ctg appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Tigers’ win comes as no surprise to SA appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>But the visiting Proteas’ blew away this theory and gave credit to the hosts for their tenacity and execution on the day.
‘We weren’t surprised at all,’ said the South African all-rounder Farhaan Behardien after the Sunday’s defeat.
‘The way they have been playing in the last couple of months against Pakistan and India has been good, it was not a surprise at all,’ said the South African, indicating the back-to-back series wins of the Tigers against the Asian neighbours.
‘We know what they are capable of. We were off the mark today, they started really well with a few early wickets,’ Behardien added.
The Tigers, who reached their first ever quarter-final of the World Cup early in the year, also made a record of winning 10 consecutive matches at home en route to seal the Pakistan and Indian series.
The Sunday’s win was their 17th at home in bilateral series since 2012, only second to Sri Lanka during this period, who won 21 matches.
Behardien who scored 36, rallied the tail to take the Proteas to a respectable score of 160, a total he says the team was hopeful of defending.
However, it was their lowest score against Bangladesh and ultimately they conceded their second loss to the Tigers after they faced the ignominy back in 2007 in the Caribbean.
‘We are always hopeful, no matter if we score 100 or 350, said Behardien, indicating that they were in the attacking mood during defending the paltry score.
Facing the defeat, the Proteas were also losing their temper at times, which was clearly visible in Rilee Rossouw’s attempt of shoving batsman Tamim Iqbal.
Tamim was walking off the ground after dragging a wide ball of Kagiso Rabada on to his stump before a dejected Rossouw, who earlier contributed just four off 24 balls, gave the left-hander a shoulder barge.
But all desperate attempts of the South Africans went in vain as Tigers reached home in just 27.4 overs, sparing 134 balls and seven wickets.
That sort of aggression is the key behind success of Tigers’ recent success and Beherdien also admitted that by saying ‘they got a fast start, despite the two early wickets, but Soumya played really well.’
-With New Age input
The post Tigers’ win comes as no surprise to SA appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Bangladesh beat South Africa by 7 wickets appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>
It was not a full house at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. But the half-packed audience at Bangladesh’s home of cricket in Mirpur witnessed a turnaround that only suitsa team affectionately called Tigers.
With their back against the wall after three demoralising defeats including the first one-dayer that put their Champions Trophy berth in the balance, the Tigers needed something to answer back at their critics in the second one-day international. And they did it with some style, hammering South Africa for seven-wicket defeat.The victory levelled the three-match ODI series at 1-1, and more importantly guaranteed Bangladesh’s place in the eight-team Champions Trophy to be held in England in 2017, going into the decider at Chittagong on July 15.
Set to score a modest 163 to win following a magnificent bowling and fielding performance, the Tigers, after an early hiccup, raced to victory in 27.4 overs with opener Soumya Sarkar hitting a majestic unbeaten 88 off 79 balls. The southpaw, who hit the winning runs with a massive six over mid-wicket, also struck 13 sweetly-timed boundaries.
Bangladesh’s World Cup hero Mahmudullah Riyad might have scored a duck upon his return from a finger injury in the first game, but the right-hander more than amended with a composed 50 in hostile conditions.
It was a match in which the Tigers needed to solve a puzzle of what type of wicket they required to fire in every department. And in the end it was proved that they needed a sporting wicket not only to excel but also to end a long wait of defeating the mighty Proteas.
It was Bangladesh’s second win against South Africa after their famous 67-run victory in the 2007 World Cup in Guyana. But this win has a special meaning as in this match they not only bowled their opponents to their lowest score against them, but also dominated their opposition right from the word go.
It was a match where South Africa captain Hashim Amla hardly found anything other than winning the toss going their way.
If anybody wants to know how well the Tigers bowled yesterday, it’s better to find the biggest partnership in the visitors’ innings, which was a mere 29, for the second wicket.
There was a debate on whether Bangladesh would be able to handle South Africa’s pace attack on a responsive wicket, and it was quickly buried by the youthful pacer and wily spinners. The Tigers have over the years showed that they love to play their shots and it was quite evident in the World Cup down under.
But what the bowlers did yesterday can only be compared with military drill at the famous Tiananmen Square in China. The moment young pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman, a magnificent find for the Tigers, had Quinton de Kock with a perfect short ball, the hosts with their tail up, irrevocably pressed the panic button for a team dubbed as a choker. It may be an overstatement but the fact is that on a wicket, which was a paradise for a stroke-maker, they went into a shell from where they never came out once Amla was clean bowled by Rubel Hossain. And then there was a moment when a comedy of errors saw their confused fielders dropping a sitter at mid-on.
Mustafizur finished with three wickets and gave ample evidence that he is increasingly becoming an asset for Bangladesh. But there was one special effort from a busy cricketer. Almost thrown into oblivion after a series of bad performances, Nasir Hossain’s return to form, and that too with the ball, was a special treat for the home fans. He has not only claimed three wickets, but made his strong presence felt in an overall eye-pleasing display of fielding by the Tigers.
And yesterday their fielding effort was even better than that of South Africa, who are regarded as a benchmark in this art for a long time.
If a captain can inspire others, then Mashrafe Bin Mortaza showed how inspirational one can be. He did not bowl that many overs, but the way he rotated his bowlers with aplomb and set his field was something to behold. He may limp on his bad legs, but his commitment and aggression is the driving force behind the Tigers, who have now made it a habit of felling one frontier after another under his stewardship.
There might be a tinge of disappointment the way Tamim Iqbal threw his wicket away. But he can be excused on a day the Tigers have hardly put a foot wrong in a never-seen-before turnaround.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
The post Bangladesh beat South Africa by 7 wickets appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Tigers return to brilliant best appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>A sense of déjà vu gripped the Tigers when Tamim Iqbal (five) dragged a delivery of Kagiso Rabada onto his stump in the second over and Liton Das (17) played a fuller delivery down the wicket to miss the line and suffer the same fate four balls later.
But Soumya and Mahmudullah made sure Bangladesh did not suffer any more jitters with a firm 135-run third wicket stand, taking them safely home in just 27.4 overs of the innings.
Soumya led the batting charge shrugging off his ill-reputation of not being able to convert his start, hitting 13 fours and a six in his 79-ball innings.
The left-hander swept Imran Tahir over midwicket fence for his only six to complete the emphatic win, Bangladesh’s only second against South Africa in 16 matches and first since they upset the Proteas in World Cup 2007.
The win, which followed Bangladesh’s steady progress in one-day rankings, also cemented their place in the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in the United Kingdom from June 1-19, 2017.
Nasir Hossain finished with a career best 3-26 and left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman grabbed 3-38 to set up the win, as Bangladesh condemned South Africa to their lowest score against them in a completed innings.
Seeking to level the series, Bangladesh abandoned their strategy of all-out spin attack and returned to the formula
that worked for them well in the preceding series against Pakistan and India.
As a result, Rubel Hossain joined the lineup for leg-spinner Jubair Hossain, and the wicket also looked visibly different from what it was during the two Twenty20 internationals and first one-dayer against the visitors.
Mustafizur Rahman struck only in the fifth over when he forced a leading edge from opener Quinton de Kock and Sabbir Rahman took a simple catch at backward point.
Coming as second change bowler, Rubel Hossain provided the x-factor when he knocked off the off stump off Hashim Amla (22) to create a sense of panic among the South African batsmen.
South Africa began to feel the pressure as Rubel choked Rilee Rossouw in the middle with his brilliant first spell that cost him just 12 runs in four overs.
Rossouw was finally bowled by Nasir off his first ball after scoring four off 24 balls, and David Miller not much better better, before Mahmudullah caught him off Mashrafee bin Murtaza at short midwicket, for nine off 24 balls.
With South Africa wobbling at 74 for four, Faf Du Plessis had the chance to lift the side but once he holed out a catch at long on to Soumya off Nasir for 41 off 64 balls, the game swung Bangladesh’s way.
Mustafiz compounded South African’s problem deceiving JP Duminy (13) with an off-cutter and Rubel trapped Chris Morris leg-before for 12 to ensure there was no late recovery by the South Africans.
Farhaan Behardien, who had seen a leg-before decision against him overturned by the TV umpire, scored 36 which saved South Africa from getting dismissed for a more embarrassing total.
The third and final match of the series will be held in Chittagong on July 15.
-With New Age input
The post Tigers return to brilliant best appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>The post Puzzled BCB chief summons ‘experts’ appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>But their services were not required until Saturday when the BCB appeared panic-stricken in the wake of national cricket team’s poor form against South Africa in the two Twenty20 internationals and in the first one-day international.
Nazmul also called upon the national players at his office and held separate meetings with coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza before the team’s training session.
‘We were not even able to put up a fight against South Africa. This was what I wanted to know from the technical committee, why we are not being able to do this,’ Nazmul told reporters after the meetings.
‘They more or less agreed what I thought about the team. They said the team is playing good cricket and they could turn the things around. They recommended some changes in some places which I conveyed to the coach, selectors, captain and the manager,’ he said.
Nazmul added that the technical committee mostly recommended two changes in the team and gave him their observation about certain things.
‘I spoke to all the members regarding the team combination for the second match as it is a do-or-die battle for us,’ said Nazmul.
‘We’ve already finalised the team combination. More or less 10 members are sure while we are not sure about one member, who is a bowler.’
Shafiqul Haque, a member of the technical committee, said they recommended of bringing up changes in three places — Rubel Hossain in place of Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny for Jubair Hossain and Anamul Haque for Liton Das.
Nazmul also revealed the subject of his discussions with the players.
‘Basically I wanted to meet them at hotel but since they were here for practice, I decided to meet them on the ground,’ said Nazmul.
The reason was to motivate the players ahead of the second match and to find out the reasons why they were losing the track from the matches after being in a considerable position.
‘The players said that the South Africans are a very professional unlike from India and Pakistan. But it’s not that we can’t beat them’, said Nazmul.
‘Our bowling was up to mark, so even the South African batsmen had to pay a due respect. It’s not that their batsmen took our bowlers in utter derision, so there is no reason to be worried of.
‘Their professionalism is evidenced in their strategy. They studied our bowlers and batsmen very well and stuck to the basics.
‘Our batsmen told me that they hardly got any loose deliveries in the three matches they played. It means they knew well about our weakness.
‘What went against us was our batting. I even asked Mushfiq why he played such shots when there was a partnership in the making. That was a cordial discussion,’ said Nazmul.
-With New Age input
The post Puzzled BCB chief summons ‘experts’ appeared first on Dhaka Mirror.
]]>