Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto: Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer criticised Bangladesh’s senior players for their repeated failures in ICC events, stating that they once again crumbled under pressure in their five-wicket loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy in Rawalpindi.
Bangladesh’s latest exit was marked by an all-too-familiar pattern: a batting collapse, a below-par total. Despite a decent bowling effort, Bangladesh’s failure to post a competitive score saw them knocked out of the tournament with back-to-back defeats.
In what was effectively a knockout match against New Zealand, Bangladesh stumbled to 236 for 9 in their 50 overs, a total Jaffer believed was at least “50 to 60 runs short” on a Rawalpindi surface that had little for the bowlers.
“We’ve only seen probably Shakib (Al Hasan) with that 2019 ODI World Cup where he was a standout player. But I don’t know if it’s the pressure that gets to them or they put too much pressure on themselves; they just don’t turn up. They could have easily put 300-plus on that pitch, but they were 50 to 60 runs short. They have got themselves to blame. It is too much to ask from the bowling unit to get a team from New Zealand all out for below 240,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day.
Their troubles were magnified by poor shot selection from key batters. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, two of Bangladesh’s most experienced campaigners, both perished to reckless strokes in the 27th over, leaving their team in deep trouble.
“Even the shot selection we’ve seen today was very disappointing. Mushfiq Mushfiqur playing that shot, Mahmudullah playing that wild shot. And this is a must-win game. You want them to step up in these kinds of games and make themselves count. So that’s been the story in the ICC events, unfortunately,” he added.
The rest of the batting order failed to pick up the slack. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was on the positive with 77, after all the other batters got starts but failed to convert them into match-winning contributions.
In the fielding department, Bangladesh squandered opportunities that could have changed the game. Rachin Ravindra, who played a match-winning knock, was dropped twice—first a run out on 93 by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and then on 106 by Mahmudullah.
Despite the loss, former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond saw promise in Bangladesh’s bowling attack. “I like the look of their bowling attack,” Bond said. “They have got the heat; they have got the left-armer Mustafizur Rahman, which New Zealand and a team like England don’t have. The spinners are good.
In the fielding department, Bangladesh squandered opportunities that could have changed the game. Rachin Ravindra, who played a match-winning knock, was dropped twice—first a run out on 93 by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and then on 106 by Mahmudullah.
Article Source: IANS
