"A truly special victory in Cardiff" : Habibul Bashar

[MenInG]

The ICC Champions Trophy is almost upon us, and as a Bangladeshi, I am proud that our team will be playing the inaugural match of the tournament, against host nation England. It will be a fantastic occasion, though there will also be a sobering moment when the victims of the Manchester bombing will be remembered.

It has been a hectic last couple of weeks for both teams. Bangladesh is coming off a tri-series tournament in Ireland, while England has rounded off its preparations with a 2-1 series win against South Africa.

Being the first game, it is obviously a huge match, and more so for Bangladesh. Given that Australia and New Zealand are the other two opponents in the group, Bangladesh has no option but to start well. If it does not start well, then it will be extremely difficult for it to qualify for the semifinals.

If Bangladesh can play its best cricket and get the better of England, it will not just help it in its quest for a knockout berth, it will also do wonders for its confidence and morale.

Already, tickets for the opening game have been long sold out, and there will be plenty of support for both teams. It is a home game for England, but there will be a lot of Bangladeshi fans who will turn out at The Oval to cheer for their team. I don’t think Bangladesh players will feel that they are playing away from home.

Bangladesh’s most famous global win has to be against England at the Adelaide Oval in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Can it beat England again? Bangladesh’s most famous global win has to be against England at the Adelaide Oval in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Can it beat England again?
Having said that, it won’t be easy because England is playing great cricket. England has a different team from the one at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and is playing an entertaining and intrepid brand of cricket. England in England has always been difficult to beat. But if you want to be the champion, you must beat the best, and I am sure Bangladesh is aware that it must be at its best at all times.

Bangladesh is the only team from the sub-continent in this group, but in the past, India and Pakistan have shown that Asian teams can court success in English conditions in 50-over cricket. Bangladesh can take heart from that, as well as from its victory over New Zealand in the last game of the Ireland tri-series, which gave it a ranking boost.

Bangladesh started slowly but gradually got its acts together, and must now be fully acclimatised with the conditions. Admittedly, the New Zealand side it beat didn’t have many players who will be playing in the ICC Champions Trophy, but there is nothing like a good win to bolster confidence.

I just hope we have a sunny day in London. The pitch will be good for cricket, but if it is overcast, then batting in England is always tough for teams from the sub-continent who find swing a tricky prospect. There is no greater comfort than the sun beating down on your backs, so Bangladesh will hope to hit it lucky with the weather.

Bangladesh’s most famous global win has to be against England at the Adelaide Oval in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Can it beat England again? I think it can. England is a much better and different team now, but I sincerely believe history can be repeated.

Bangladesh has reached a stage where it has nothing to prove, it has shown over the last two years that it is good enough to beat any side. I would say that if it doesn’t win, it will be a kind of failure for them, which is good because it has raised expectations with its quality and consistency.

A genuine all-rounder, Stokes can win matches on his own either with the bat alone or the ball alone A genuine all-rounder, Stokes can win matches on his own either with the bat alone or the ball alone
The teams appear reasonably matched. Openers Jason Roy and Alex Hales are experienced and playing good cricket, but the Bangladeshi pair of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar aren’t too far behind. Tamim has matured immensely, while Soumya plays the same role as Roy, and he if gets going, will be brilliant for Bangladesh because he always scores quickly.

England has a solid middle-order core comprising Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, but Bangladesh can reply in kind through Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan, whose presence means Bangladesh has the edge in the spin department.

England clearly has the better pace bowlers, some who are quick and some others who can swing the ball, but what gives them the big edge is the presence of Ben Stokes.

A genuine all-rounder, Stokes can win matches on his own either with the bat alone or the ball alone. He is explosive and exciting, and can take the game away in the blink of an eyelid.

England will begin the favourite, but cricket has always had a way of proving statistics and the experts wrong. I am sure we will see a wonderful game, and I am hoping it is Bangladesh which comes out smiling at the end

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-zone/news/404840

 

[captain crook]

Surprisingly well written. Good luck to Bangladesh!

 

[Executioner]

Well said by Habibul Bashar

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Well said Bashar.

As bd ambassador he can root for bd.

And yeah there's no tax on hoping. If SL,Pak can hope to win CT then why not BD? Hope.

 

[Poison]

I expect a lot more 'we won hearts'-type threads to crop up during the CT.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

I expect a lot more 'we won hearts'-type threads to crop up during the CT.

'won hearts' type dialog disgusts me a lot. Whether you are a looser or winner,there's nothing in between them.

 

[Coconut]

'won hearts' type dialog disgusts me a lot. Whether you are a looser or winner,there's nothing in between them.

Yes there is. There's a difference between losing to the opposition and getting thrashed by the opposition.

If Bangladesh can fight valiantly in all of their matches they will win hearts of many neutral fans which is quite important especially when they r performing on a global stage.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Yes there is. There's a difference between losing to the opposition and getting thrashed by the opposition.

If Bangladesh can fight valiantly in all of their matches they will win hearts of many neutral fans which is quite important especially when they r performing on a global stage.

Like you i don't consider bd as minnow nowadays ,that's why don't consider their fighting effort as an achievement. So that so called 'winning hearts' disgust me.

 

[BDfanforever]

Like you i don't consider bd as minnow nowadays ,that's why don't consider their fighting effort as an achievement. So that so called 'winning hearts' disgust me.

Yeah, those days of winning hearts should be over.

 

[Rayyman]

I really hope Soumya Sarkar plays tomorrow. He is in my fantasy team.
[MENTION=130260]Executioner[/MENTION] [MENTION=142481]Nil Dhumrojal[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] will Sarkar play or not?

 

[Coconut]

Bangladesh will get thrashed in today's match. A score of 500 isn't impossible either,especially if we consider bangladesh's rubbish bowling attack.

 

[Executioner]

I really hope Soumya Sarkar plays tomorrow. He is in my fantasy team.

[MENTION=130260]Executioner[/MENTION] [MENTION=142481]Nil Dhumrojal[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] will Sarkar play or not?

Definitely. Has somewhat regained his form.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

I really hope Soumya Sarkar plays tomorrow. He is in my fantasy team.

[MENTION=130260]Executioner[/MENTION] [MENTION=142481]Nil Dhumrojal[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] will Sarkar play or not?

He is playing surely. Kayes will be out this time.

 

[MenInG]

Bangladesh would have fancied its chances at the halfway stage of its opening ICC Champions Trophy fixture against England at the Oval. Even though the general consensus was that it was perhaps 25-30 runs short, 305 was still an excellent score, especially when one considers that a score in excess of 300 had never been chased down in the ICC Champions Trophy previously.

But when your frontline bowlers don’t take wickets early on and you are playing one bowler less, then I think you will always struggle, no matter what total you put on the board.

I felt Bangladesh was a little conservative in its approach by picking the additional batsman in its playing eleven. It appeared as if the scars inflicted by the Indians in the practice game were still weighing on their minds.

I wouldn’t say Bangladesh was fearful of a repeat of 84 all out two nights back, but its first aim seemed to be to pack the batting, which left it a bowler light. I don’t think, given the attack Bangladesh put out and the way Alex Hales, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan batted, that another 30 runs would have made a real difference.

Bangladesh ought to have a little more faith in its top-order batting. I know conditions in England can change quickly, and as we have said earlier, the way the batsmen shaped up would be crucial, but I also feel that not too much should be read into how the warm-up games unravel.

Bangladesh will reflect on what could have been had they played an extra, wicket-taking spinner. Bangladesh will reflect on what could have been had they played an extra, wicket-taking spinner.
If seven batsmen don’t get you runs, I don’t think the eighth batsman will necessarily make a difference.

That’s probably where Bangladesh missed a trick, by sacrificing a specialist bowling option. And when you are a bowler light and your principal bowlers don’t pick up wickets up front, then protecting any total can become a very difficult task.

That being said, Bangladesh began the defense of its challenging total with promise by getting rid of the out-of-sorts Jason Roy early, but Hales and Root batted brilliantly. They put on a master-class in the art of chasing a 300-plus total, never panicking, never trying anything outrageous, and yet keeping in touch with the required rate.

Root was particularly pleasing on the eye while Hales was punishing, and once Hales was dismissed with a hundred there for the taking, Morgan came in and fed off his recent form and experience to make what could have been a tricky chase appear straightforward.

I do understand that The Oval surface was flat and extremely good for batting, but that’s where the quality and the streets-marts of the bowlers must come into play. Also, given that the track was so batsman-friendly, you needed the additional bowling resource. It wouldn’t have been just a statement of intent, it was also the most practical option available.

Bangladesh will reflect on what could have been had they played an extra, wicket-taking spinner.

Tamim Iqbal will be particularly disappointed that his brilliant century didn’t bring the desired result. Tamim has been Bangladesh’s most consistent batsmen in recent times and he built his innings beautifully.

Soumya Sarkar took his time initially and Imrul Kayes looked good during his brief stay in the middle, but the real damage was done by the seasoned pair of Tamim, who brought up a richly deserved century, and Mushfiqur Rahim. As Root and Morgan were to do later, these two batted without taking undue risks and still scored at a rapid clip, setting the foundation for a large total.

However, when the two fell off successive deliveries, the lack of firepower in the extended batting order became apparent. For all the depth in their batting, Bangladesh didn’t have that one man who could have come in and tonked the ball around, using the long handle to good effect. Sabbir Rahman did that for a little while, but Bangladesh needed more sustained fireworks at the death, which wasn’t to be.

There is no need for Bangladesh to beat themselves up, however. It played extremely good cricket, especially up front with the bat, but it probably let itself down tactically, more than anything else.

Bangladesh can take plenty of confidence from the batting effort going into its next match, and if it can clean up its bowling act, it will still have a good tournament. This was perhaps a case of not seizing the moment, but Bangladesh has shown that it has what it takes to create, and then capitalise, on chances, and that’s exactly what it must do going forward.

 

[Hasan123]

Was always going to end in tears. England are far too strong for Bangladesh.

 

[MMHS]

Was always going to end in tears. England are far too strong for Bangladesh.

Performance was good actually, but not the mindset. It was a knee jerk reaction to play one less bowler. Overall, beating ENG, in ENG is really tough call for us - almost impossible batting first.

 

[Hasan123]

Performance was good actually, but not the mindset. It was a knee jerk reaction to play one less bowler. Overall, beating ENG, in ENG is really tough call for us - almost impossible batting first.

Suprised Taskin didn't play.

The only team who can beat England in England is the Australians for me.

 

[BDfanforever]

Taskin or a target of 340 would not have made any difference. Subcontinental bowling in general is toothless.

 

[MMHS]

Suprised Taskin didn't play.

The only team who can beat England in England is the Australians for me.

IND as well - Poms won't defend any thing below 300 against them; won't chase anything over 300 either against their spin attack.

 

[Hasan123]

IND as well - Poms won't defend any thing below 300 against them; won't chase anything over 300 either against their spin attack.

They can chase 300 vs India.

 

[MMHS]

They can chase 300 vs India.

In odd days any team can, like SAF hot ENG 20/6 one morning. But, in a 5 match series, I'll put IND favourites to edge past 3-2. Interestingly, in ODI, IND is probably a better team in U.K. than home for their seem attack.

 

[Hasan123]

In odd days any team can, like SAF hot ENG 20/6 one morning. But, in a 5 match series, I'll put IND favourites to edge past 3-2. Interestingly, in ODI, IND is probably a better team in U.K. than home for their seem attack.

On flat pitches England will beat India. In bowling friendly conditions, it will be a closer game.

 

[MenInG]

Bangladesh gets one final chance to make an impression in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, in what is a must-win contest in Cardiff on Friday not just for it but also for its opponent New Zealand.

Both teams have just one point after two Group A matches each, and a victory will far from assure either of a place in the semi-final, but that is not in their control. What the teams can target is a complete all-round show and two points, which will keep their interest alive until the England-Australia showdown the following day at Edgbaston.

Bangladesh hasn’t had a great run in the competition so far, but it has the opportunity to put its disappointing performances behind it. The one standout feature of its campaign thus far has been the lack of consistency.

The batting was fairly good in the first game against England, but the bowling was a big letdown. In the second match against Australia, with the exception of Tamim Iqbal, the batting failed to rise to the occasion, but the bowling was reasonably disciplined. Had that match gone the distance, there is every possibility that Australia would have still scaled down the modest target, but the washout has given Bangladesh a theoretical chance at making it to the next stage, and it must now marry its good fortune with good skills.

This being last-chance salon, Bangladesh can ill-afford any more slip-ups. It needs to play its best game of the competition. With qualification looking a little difficult, perhaps it will free its mind and play the kind of cricket that has brought it so much success, most of it at home, in the last two years.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the 2017 captain, was around when Bangladesh defeated Australia at Cardiff Wales Stadium in 2005.
As we have said in the past, I don’t think it is a question of lack of skills or ability in the Bangladesh ranks. What has been conspicuously missing is an aggressive, positive mindset, free of the fear of failure. The core group of this side has been together for the better part of a decade now and has showcased its quality across the globe; on such a massive stage, this will be as good a time as any to shed the diffidence of the last two games and play with freedom and confidence.

New Zealand will be determined not to allow that, of course. Traditionally, New Zealand has tended to fly under the radar. It is not the most glamorous team, but it has always been a force to reckon with in ICC events, which is a tribute to its resilience and determination. It made it to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and even though it doesn’t have the talismanic Brendon McCullum to fall back on any more, it can only be taken for granted at your own peril.

I just hope the weather doesn’t have the final say, because one point each is not going to help either side. At the end of the day, you would rather be eliminated on the field of play than through extraneous factors, so for the sake of the competition, I hope we have a full 100-over game at a venue that is special for Bangladesh cricket.

Only Mashrafe Mortaza from this current squad was around when we defeated Australia at Cardiff Wales Stadium in 2005. That was one of our biggest victories then, and I was fortunate enough to not just captain the side but also have the best seat in the stadium during my 130-run partnership with Mohammad Ashraful that set up our five-wicket victory.

In those days, we hardly played the big boys on a regular basis, therefore, that stunning win over a full-strength and very intimidating Australian team will remain one of the highest points in Bangladesh cricket.

Bangladeshi cricketers with local school children during an ICC Champions Trophy Cricket for Good clinic at Cardiff, Wales.
I am sure Mashrafe will have spoken of that victory to his younger team-mates; sometimes, returning to a venue that has happy memories for the country can work wonders, and that’s what Mashrafe and the whole of Bangladesh will be hoping is the case.

The Bangladesh team of today is a lot more rounded and experienced outfit that has rubbed shoulders with the best in the business on a consistent basis. Therefore, there should be no danger of awe or stage-fright holding it back.

For a while now, however, there is this feeling among the other cricketing nations that Bangladesh are tigers only at home. The team went some way towards exploding that theory with its recent win against New Zealand in the tri-series in Ireland.

Admittedly, this New Zealand side is a lot stronger than the one which played in Ireland, but if Bangladesh can take some of the feel-good from that result and produce its ‘A’ game, we should have quite a contest. Weather permitting, of course.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Nothing to feed of. New day new match. Should go for win.

 

[MenInG]

This must rank as one of Bangladesh’s finest One-Day International wins ever, on par with our victory, also in Cardiff, against Australia in 2005, and against England at the Adelaide Oval in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It wasn’t just the fact that Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by five wickets, but the manner and the circumstances under which victory was achieved, that made it truly special.

Both teams had to win this game to stay alive in the ICC Champions Trophy, so it wasn’t merely about skills but also about desire and hunger. In the end, Bangladesh’s strong will and commitment to the cause was greater than New Zealand’s, which is why Mashrafe Mortaza’s men are now within sight of a place in the semi-final.

Of course, that berth in the last four is far from guaranteed, but I can assure you that never will England have gone into a match with as much support as they will on Saturday, when they take on Australia. Upwards of 160 million Bangladeshis will be squarely in England’s corner, rooting for the home side! After all, an England victory will secure a historic semi-final berth for Bangladesh, and I am sure Eoin Morgan will welcome all the backing his team can get as it prepares to face the old enemy.

Back to this game, an historic one for Bangladesh. As I have mentioned in these columns previously, Bangladesh had yet to put in a complete, all-round performance in the tournament. It couldn’t have chosen a better occasion to rectify that anomaly. The bowling was spot-on after Kane Williamson opted to bat, and the batting was shored up by the old, wise heads of Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan after an early collapse threatened to undo all the good work of the bowlers in the morning.

It turned out to be a good toss to lose because Bangladesh had the chance to exploit any early advantage there might have been. New Zealand got off to a rapid start, but once past the first PowerPlay, Bangladesh was always in the game. It didn’t allow Williamson and Ross Taylor to get away even when they were in the middle of a solid partnership, and I feel Shakib’s bowling had a big part to play in that.

Shakib came into this game without much to show with either the ball or the bat, but he is a special player, and he chose a special occasion to galvanise himself. He was probably unfortunate not to pick up wickets, but he kept things very tight. The scoreboard might eventually show that Williamson was run-out, but I think Shakib had a part to play in that dismissal, because his tightness through the middle overs forced New Zealand to look elsewhere for run-scoring options.

I thought the decision to field Taskin Ahmed was both bold and correct, and I don’t say it with the benefit of hindsight. Taskin is a wicket-taking bowler, and as New Zealand was to find out later in the day, a wicket-taker is always of greater value than a line-and-length bowler. In many ways, every move by Mashrafe Mortaza turned out to be a master-stroke. He took a gamble by introducing Mossadek Hossain’s off-spin late in the innings, and it paid rich dividends as New Zealand was restricted to 265 when it looked on course for a total in the range of 290.

Even so, 266 in a pressure situation wasn’t an early chase. Bangladesh’s hopes revolved around the in-form Tamim Iqbal, but of course, no batsman can score in every game. I wasn’t too concerned when Tamim went cheaply, but the alarm bells began to ring when Tim Southee picked up three wickets in his opening spell and Bangladesh rapidly tumbled to 33 for four.

Neither Mahmudullah nor Shakib had shown great touch with the bat, the target was a long way off and this was a do-or-die game. All those factors combined to put the two centurions’ efforts in perspective.

Despite the match situation, they weren’t to be bogged down by pressure. The required rate was never allowed to mushroom beyond seven an over, and the batsmen combined the big blows with judicious running to ensure that New Zealand never got a look-in.

I think like Bangladesh had done in its first game against England, New Zealand missed an attacking bowling option in the middle overs. Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham are good bowlers but they aren’t exactly the types to run through batting line-ups; as a Bangladeshi, however, I am not complaining!

"I was even more delighted to see Mahmudullah back among the runs. He is a big-tournament player."
While Shakib’s hundred was brilliantly conceived, I was even more delighted to see Mahmudullah back among the runs. He is a big-tournament player, and had made two hundreds in the 2015 World Cup when we reached the quarter-final. There has been some uncertainty over his position in the batting order, but I feel he must bat at No.4, because he is best suited to control the innings and the greater responsibility will make him feel more accountable. This knock should go a long way towards restoring his confidence, and I look forward to greater things from him.

Bangladesh can savour this win, and then come out and back England to put it past Australia. Its fate is no longer in its hands, but it has done everything possible to keep itself afloat, and it can be very proud of what it achieved on Friday. I sure am!

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-zone/news/418340

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Hope England win Saturday and later bd win CT.

 

[Shutdown Corner]

I'd rate it right up there with the win vs England in 2015. Although people might say that that England team sucked, etc...the batting lineup in Adelaide was almost the same batting lineup that is now scoring 300 runs as a matter of habit (Hales, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Moeen, etc). Only the bowling has been totally changed (Anderson, Broad, Jordan for Wood, Plunkett, Ball) but even then both sets of bowlers are more or less equal, IMO.

Both games were must-wins for Bangladesh and resulted in the opponent being eliminated. However this NZ side was widely expected to challenge the top teams. Plus of course the back-from-the-dead nature of Bangladesh's game makes this one more remarkable.

The conditions in Cardiff were also more sporting than Adelaide's flat batting wicket.