Imrul rises to the call

Bangladesh kept on breaking Afghanistan's momentum in phases to eventually come out on top and level the three-match ODI series with a 68-run win in the second ODI at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday.

The win also marked Bangladesh's first win in 10 international games at the venue as the Tigers bundled the hosts out for 184 in 43.3 overs after posting a challenging 252 for seven.

Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed was the most impactful player for the Tigers, scoring a valuable 24-ball 25 at the death, hitting one four and two maximums, before finishing with figures of three for 28 in 8.3 overs, including a maiden.

It was fitting that Nasum wrapped things up for the Tigers, shattering the stumps of AM Ghazanfar, who went for a big heave and failed to connect.

After a decent start by the top order, led by skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto's 119-ball 76, Bangladesh had lost way in the middle to be left struggling at 184 for six.

It was then Nasum and debutant Jaker Ali who helped Bangladesh get to a respectable total, stitching together a 46-run seventh-wicket stand. Jaker remained unbeaten on 37 off 27 deliveries, smashing one four and three maximums.

"The way they [Jaker and Nasum] finished, it looked like we got the momentum," skipper Shanto praised the duo for their contribution during the post-match ceremony.

"That is what I want with Jaker and from someone like Nasum in the lower and middle order. Hopefully, they [Jaker and Nasum] can continue batting [like this]," Shanto said, adding that he was 'not very happy' with the way he batted even though he was adjudged the player-of-the-match for his ninth ODI fifty.

Afghanistan got a decent start in their chase, with opener Sediqullah Atal scoring 39 off 51 deliveries and Rahmat Shah hitting his 30th ODI fifty.

However, the Bangladesh bowlers managed to keep the scoring rate in check for most parts of the game, managing to get wickets at the right time.

Afghanistan lost momentum when skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (17 off 40), Rahmat Shah (52 off 76), and Azmatullah Omarzai (0 off 1) fell in the space of just six deliveries to go from 118 for two to 119 for five in 29.5 overs.

Mustafizur removed Shahidi in the 28th over before Nasum cleaned up Omarzai for his second successive duck while Rahmat fell victim to a run-out due to a horrendous miscommunication -- a collapse akin to what the Tigers faced in the first ODI.

All-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib looked to have regrouped with a 44-run sixth-wicket stand, but the partnership was ended by Shoriful when he had the latter drive one straight to extra cover in the 37th over.

Rashid Khan scored 14 off 16 deliveries before being Mustafizur's second victim of the day, but Afghanistan could never look to match the asking rate.

Imrul Kayes, who has been out of the national set up for a few years, believes that Bangladesh need to play attacking cricket against England in their upcoming white-ball home series next month.

The Tigers will host England after over six years but Imrul, who scored a hundred during that previous three-match ODI series, added that it would be important for the hosts to play fearless cricket against defending champions.

"I think you can't be complacent against a team like England, who are in great form. Obviously, they have a great pace-bowling attack and a few spinners in their side. But I think we are capable of beating them on our own soil. I can remember the last time they toured Bangladesh, I scored a hundred and I think my attacking mindset helped me play my natural game. I think our batters need to keep that in mind," Imrul told The Daily Star during the multimedia show 'Non Striker's End' yesterday.

Imrul, who led Comilla Victorians to a fourth Bangladesh Premier League title recently, also praised the re-appointment of Chandika Hathurusingha.

"I played under him during his first tenure and I must say Hathurusingha is one of the best tactical coaches I have ever worked with. He might have his own way of doing things, but he knows how to get the best out of players," he added.

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz claimed that the pitch used for the first ODI of the three-match against Afghanistan on Wednesday changed abruptly to cause a thumping collapse in the Tigers' batting effort, leading to a 92-run loss at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.  

The Tigers experienced a massive batting meltdown in which they lost seven wickets in 24 balls while adding 11 runs in pursuit of a modest 235-run total. The visitors were 132-4 midway into the 31st over and four overs later, they were all out for 143. 

Miraz, who scored a 51-ball 28 after coming into bat at four in the match, admitted that set batters should have steered the Tigers across the finish line but credited their downfall to how the wicket changed its behaviour.  

"When Shanto and I were batting, the wicket seemed easy to bat on but after the 20th over when the ball became soft, it started to turn a lot all of a sudden," Miraz told reporters on Friday.

"You could see that the two of us were struggling in the middle despite being set. But yes, one of us should have finished it considering the fact that we were set. I kept telling Shanto that since we were struggling on this wicket, the batters after us would find it way more difficult.

"All of a sudden, there was so much slow turn off the wicket and [the ball] kept coming on straight. You could not predict which ball will turn and which will come on straight. It just happened all of a sudden. At that time, I made a mistake, Shanto did too. We have discussed it. The set batters should have finished things on a wicket like this."

Not all of us are cricket gurus or analysts. Some watch the game purely for entertainment. And the Bangladesh national cricket team brings a stroke of joy into our otherwise mundane lives. However, this iota of joy comes at the cost of our frazzled nerves.

I don't understand cricket much, but I have wholeheartedly loved the game ever since I saw flamboyant Ravi Shastri hitting fours and sixes back in the day.

I watch each game from start to finish; watch the pre- and post-game analysis, eagerly await the toss, and pray constantly that they have a good day on the field. And then, read all about it in the newspaper the next day.

Yes, I put that much time into Bangladesh cricket! That much blind faith in their performance, much to my foolhardiness. Although they never fail to enthuse a fan like me to no limits, their antics, both inside and outside the field, are as good as any soap opera.

Now, I don't want to go into the nitty-gritty of the board's and selection team's inanity. Sports politics is very complex to me. Yet, I will vote for my Tigers on any given day, setting aside their arrogance, overconfidence, and so on.

I will also overlook facts that we don't have quality openers, our top batting order is unable to build partnerships, choking at crucial games, or their inability to win outside the borders of Mirpur stadium.

Sadly, fans like me will always hope that the next game will be better and that they won't repeat their old mistakes. We console ourselves by thinking that it was just a bad day on the field. However, these bad days are trending hashtags at the Tigers' den. We hardly ever get to see a good day.

And yet our hopes remain high; we always stand by our Tigers, old or new. In our daydreams, we see them triumph in their next tournament and bring home a trophy.

In all honesty, the Tigers' fan club, consisting of members like me, are the real losers for always believing in their fabled abilities. Our team supposedly contains top-ranking players in the world. So where is this supposed performance?

Like I said before, I don't understand the subtle dynamics of the game; I am not a cricket guru. My rantings are purely from the point of view of a die-hard fan. Consider this a therapy session of me, venting out my frustrations about my broken heart after every game.

This sounds especially silly because every time they lose, I promise myself never to watch them play again. And yet, like an unashamed fool, whenever the Bangladesh Tigers are on the pitch, I follow the game through whatever means. I hear the game on the radio (quick shoutout to Radio Bhumi's commentary style) while I am in the car, constantly check updates on Cricinfo when I am not near a television set, and glued to the TV when at home.

If they are losing wickets or the game, I turn off the TV and pretend I don't care about them missing a catch and dropping someone twice or getting run out or caught behind. Although, every few seconds, I sneak a peek on Cricinfo with half an eye open, like I do when watching a horror film.

I cannot stay away from them. I have a bitter love story with the Tigers, jam-packed with superstitions and delusions. If they score a four when I am not in the room, I will stay on that spot until they run dry of fours. If one gets out while I was munching on a packet of chips, then chips are forever banned as a choice during game munchies!

If switching off the TV somehow changes the score for the better, then that TV will stay off, while I stay seated in front of the switched-off TV. I even repeat the same kurti I wore when they won a game!

You see, for me, these small rituals matter more than their statistics and performance figures. They are an unpredictable team. They will lose a winning game and win a losing one. So, I rely on my antics more than theirs.

As predicted, this ongoing tournament is playing havoc with my hypertension — it goes up and down like the scores of their top-order batsmen. I have emotionally invested so much in them, with no hopes of any return, that my soppiness can only be compared to a supporting role in a bad Bangla cinema script.

I might die before the Tigers mature and grow some claws. From a fan who doesn't understand much, the Tigers need to play their best game instead of focusing on game politics, fat cheques, and endorsement.

My head cannot take any more cricketing riddles. I think I will finally call it quits. I give up on the Tigers. Promise (not)!

No shortage of excitement, tension, and twists with the semifinals spot at stake: one could not have expected more drama than what unfolded during an absorbing T20 World Cup Super Eights contest between Bangladesh and Afghanistan at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Saint Vincent yesterday. 

Eventually, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side were on the wrong side of the outcome as Rashid Khan's Afghanistan secured a famous eight-run victory, booking their semifinals ticket while sending title-aspirants Australia back home.

Bangladesh, however, can only blame themselves for squandering a glorious opportunity to sneak into the last four, especially if they question themselves on whether they truly aimed to achieve the jackpot -- what appeared to be a near-impossible feat following back-to-back heavy defeats against India and Australia in the Super Eights.

If India had set the stage for this drama after beating Australia by 24 runs, leaving the qualification hopes of the 2021 champions hanging by a thread, then the

Bangladesh bowlers, who deserved all the credit for completely saving the team's blushes, combined to set the stage for a great climax by restricting Afghanistan to a modest total of 115-5.

What initially appeared as only a mathematical equation for the Tigers, the bowlers turned into a reality. But ultimately, Bangladesh's batting once again proved that they lacked the firepower and right mindset to overcome the challenge.

Achieving the target in 12.1 overs to secure the semifinal spot was tough but not impossible. However, it required some clarity in approach, which was missing in the Bangladesh batting unit or the team management throughout the tournament.

As a result, the Tigers had to finish the campaign with the consolation that they won three first-round matches and qualified for the Super 8s. Once the dust settles after a sordid campaign, the team management must realize the obvious: with an amateurish batting approach and mindset, a team cannot succeed in a tournament where the challenges and stakes are so high.

Back to the Saint Lucia classic, what did the Bangladesh team's think-tank want to achieve: a mere win or a place in the semifinals? If the batting order is scrutinized, for instance, where Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan were sent ahead of someone like Soumya Sarkar – an opener by trade and known for his exploits against the pacers in Powerplay – during a chase requiring over 10 runs per over, we can get a grasp of the negative mindset of the team management.

Another contentious decision was not promoting a power hitter in Rishad Hossain ahead of Mahmudullah Riyad, while the asking rate required for a semifinals berth begged for a few lusty blows in quick succession to peg back the Afghans.

It did not reflect well on the team when captain Shanto revealed that they gave up hope after losing three early wickets and focused on winning the match from then on -- quite baffling that in a match of such magnitude, there should not have been any line of thinking other than what ensured a semifinals entry.

Then again, when head coach Chandika Hathurusingha marked his charges' Super 8s entrance as a "bonus" rather than a new challenge, one could not have expected more from this team than what transpired.

At the end of the day, an increased number of wins may save someone's job, but it will not serve the purpose of the team. While Rashid's team, having stunned Australia in the Super 8s, made their people back home happy with "a big achievement," Shanto apologized for letting down their fans.

Unlike his coach and a more decorated senior teammate, the Bangladesh captain was honest enough to admit that as a team they have "disappointed" fans and, as a batting group, they weren't able to deliver, irrespective of the fact that this T20 World Cup churned out their best-ever results.

Bangladesh won three first-round matches, despite firing without the batting cylinder, but their overall performance was nowhere near to showing any improvement as a team.

As the Tigers sign off from another global event, leaving many questions unanswered, will anybody be held accountable? If the past trends are anything to go by, there may not even be a sliver of hope.