Trackback URL
Download PDF Bangladesh’s fifth match in the World Cup Super Eights in Barbados against debutants Ireland tomorrow will be a different kind of mission than what the Tigers have faced against the top-ranked sides earlier in the competition.
Anything but a victory against the ICC associate members would not simply take the gloss off their fairytale run in the game’s showpiece event in the Caribbean, but also shatter the team’s new target of finishing sixth.
The four-wicket defeat against England in the previous game all but ruined the Tigers’ hope of clinching a semifinal berth but this match, which starts at 7:30pm with state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and SET Max beaming live coverage from the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, gives them an opportunity to lift their reputation as ‘the team of the competition’.
It will be the Tigers’ maiden one-day international against Ireland, who made an unlikely second round entry after eliminating former world champions Pakistan but have yet to make an impression in the Super Eights. The only time the two sides had met previously was in the ICC Champions Trophy in Malaysia in 1997. The match was abandoned due to rain and interestingly, after ten years, only two players have survived from each side: Mohammad Rafique and Peter Gillespie.
The recent form and record against the associate member countries, however, speak fully in favour of Bangladesh who have already won the hearts of their critics by pulling off great victories against India and South Africa.
In the recent past, Dav Whatmore’s charges have won all the matches against Kenya, Scotland, Bermuda and Canada quite convincingly to draw a line and another consistent performance from the Tigers will bring them their second win in the second phase of competition in the World Cup.
However, there lies a different kind of challenge for Bashar and co as they face the wounded West Indians, who have already crashed out of the semifinal race, in their last match on April 19 at the same venue.
It would not be exaggerating if said, so far, what the youthful Bangladesh side have achieved in the competition has been beyond their expectation.
But the reality is that the inconsistent top-order batting still remains a concern despite remarkable success courtesy of brilliant efforts by the bowlers, particularly by the left-arm spin trio. The long-term headache over the opening partnership has also returned after Shahriar Nafees’s sudden run drought.
That’s why they would definitely want to see improvement from the top-order in the remaining two games, especially with a demanding home series against India next month.
Although Bashar — who set a new target to finish sixth by winning the last two games — has been enjoying a great Caribbean trip with the team’s progress, but the 34-year old skipper has failed to deliver the goods with the bat. It will be a personal challenge for him to get back the confidence before the next home series after scoring only 61 runs in his six World Cup innings.
April 14th, 2007 at 3:23 am
Why our fickled minds going round the chandlier of fragile hope that our cricket team will jump forward stright in to semi Final. We have seen the beam of liitle sunrise! Should we not be complacent?
Let us be contentended that Our team have created
a golden history in the World of International Crickets & earned an enormous fame for our country while our bygone leaders have defamed our country internationally!Made themselves Loughing stocks!
Why then unneccesary criticism about Bangladesh Criketers. All sensible people will be happy with the team on their present achievement.Rome was not built in a day!
England is not a easy team to defeat.So let us
congratulate our team whole heartedly for their success till today!
B.Ahmed