Tigers fell final frontier

With the whole world pensively waiting for a grand World Cup football final, Bangladesh silently yet boldly created a small piece of history on a cricket field on Saturday by defeating England by five runs at Bristol.
The Bangladesh camp erupted into unbridled joy when young paceman Shafiul Islam, blowing the last over of a high-voltage match, deceived Jonathan Trott with a well-disguised slower delivery that the batsman could only nick behind the wicket to Jahurul Islam. The stumper, who stood behind the wicket in place of injured Mushfiqur Rahim, gloved the ball diving to his right and then ran in a way as if he has just taken the catch of his life.
The momentous win, first-ever against England, completed a full circle of victories for Bangladesh against all the other nine Test playing nations.
It was Bangladesh’s third win on English soil with their famous triumph against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup in Northampton and against World champions Australia at Cardiff’s Sofia Garden in 2005.
The win also ended a dismal run for the Tigers this year in which they failed to win a single match.
Bangladesh were tantalisingly close to winning against England at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in March this year, only to be denied by a resolute Eoin Morgan.
This time around Trott stood in the way till the third ball of the final over with a magnificent 94. He was looking to take the match away from the firm grip of the Tigers when he clobbered 13 runs in the penultimate over bowled by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, leaving England with a rather easy task of scoring 10 runs form the final seven deliveries.
But captain Mashrafe gave Bangladesh a lifeline when he had James Anderson caught and bowled with his last delivery.
Bangladesh players started to celebrate after the departure of Anderson sensing that Ian Bell, who broke a bone in his left foot while fielding, would not come out to bat. But much to their dismay Bell, ruled out for six weeks, limped to the ground with a runner in a last ditch effort to save the hosts’ blushes.
Trot took four runs off the first two deliveries turning singles into doubles in a desperate effort to keep Bell away from the strike. But his third shot, an attempted drive, took a faint nick off the bat. And it turned perhaps the sweetest sound in the ears of millions of Bangladesh fans.
Shafiul, a matured head on a young shoulders, capped off a brilliant bowling performance after a middle-order collapse saw the visitors finish with modest 236. The highlight of innings was a polished 76 from opener Imrul Kayes and a timely 40 by Jahurul.
The right-arm paceman not only held his nerve when it needed most but also bowled a maiden over at a crucial stage after dismissing Morgan, who denied Bangladesh a glory at home.
Back in the side after missing the first game, Rubel Hossain gave Bangladesh the belief that they could still defend the modest total by removing both the England openers — Andrew Strauss for 33 and Craig Kieswetter for 20.
Spinners Abdur Razak and Shakib Al Hasan then tightened the noose around the English neck bowling a tidy line. Both finished with two vital wickets each. Mashrafe once again looked vulnerable at the death, but the never-say-die Tiger also had his share of success with the wickets of a menacingly poised Chris Broad (21) and Anderson.
With this win Bangladesh now levelled the three-match series at 1-1. The third and final match will be held at Edgbaston tomorrow.
SCORES IN BRIEF
BANGLADESH: 236 for 7 in 50 overs (Imrul 76, Jahurul 40, Mahmudullah 24, Mashrafe 22, Junaed 21, Tamim 18; Shahzad 3-41, Collingwood 1-16, Broad 1-60)
ENGLAND: 231 all out in 49.3 overs (Trott 94, Strauss 33, Broad 21, Kieswetter 20, Wright 15; Shafiul 2-38, Shakib 2-40, Mashrafe 2-42, Razzak 2-43, Rubel 2-52)
Result: Bangladesh won by five runs and level 3-match series at 1-1.
Toss: England.
Man-of-the-match: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

Courtesy of The Daily Star