ICC Champions Trophy 2017
By Manoj Narayan
At the time of writing, there are few people happier than Bangladeshis. England comfortably saw off Australia in the final Group A match in the Champions Trophy on June 10, and it was the exactly the result the passionate supporters of Bangladesh were hoping.
Those who havent actively followed the tournament might find that a bit confusing, but the result essentially meant Australia were knocked out of the tournament, thereby allowing Bangladesh to progress to the semi-finals.
Given how they went about treating New Zealand the day before, Bangladesh are deserving qualifiers a mark of their progress in the international arena over the last few years.
Bangladesh headed into the tournament with hype and expectations, something their fans usually have in plenty, but not so much the rest of the cricketing world. This time around, there was recognition that the side had improved exponentially over the years, that it had gone from strength to strength since making the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup. Opponents knew Bangladesh were a side they could no longer take too lightly.
In the first two matches, however, the extent of that improvement was not evident: they were comprehensively outplayed by England, the hosts easing to an eight-wicket victory. In their subsequent clash against Australia, they were bundled out for 182, and would have surely gone on to lose the match had rain not intervened and forced abandonment.
The washout gave them a valuable point though, and in their final game against New Zealand, when even victory wouldnt guarantee qualification, they built on that point in a manner that New Zealand finalists in the 2015 World Cup just couldnt handle.
New Zealand were first restricted to 265 for 8, as Mashrafe Mortaza called the shots expertly and Mosaddek Hossain, the offspinner, returned an imperative 3 for 13.
But the familiar troubles seemed to surface when the top four were dismissed in quick succession and Bangladesh were reduced to 33 for 4. That could easily have been the point at which Bangladesh crumbled at the weight of expectations, but instead, they made a statement.
Two of the old guards Mahmadullah and Shakib Al Hasan got together for the knock of their lives. They grinded and waited, counter attacking when they could to reach their half-centuries by the 31st over. However, with much of the work still to be done Bangladesh still needed 121 runs from 19 overs at that point they shifted gears, eventually going a rampage. Both scored centuries, their association lasting 34.5 overs during which 224 runs were amassed. It was Bangladeshs highest partnership for any wicket. I never thought they would get 200-partnership. That was phenomenal, Mashrafe later said, apparently still in disbelief.
By the end of it all, New Zealands shoulders had drooped. Bangladesh had knocked them out, but more than that, it was just a tiresome day out in the middle. As for Bangladesh, it was another statement victory, the latest in a series of them.
We have been improving over the last three years and performances like this really help us move forward, said Mashrafe Im not sure if that means we can be in the semis, but wed definitely like to. Obviously if we go there (semis), I hope we can play better cricket than what weve played last three matches.
It was a performance that would feature highly in Bangladeshs highlights reel, and Shakibs was a knock that epitomised Bangladeshs rising stock in international cricket. Typically, however, Shakib was dead-pan later on when asked how he went about his knock.
There was nothing in my mind at that time. I was just thinking of batting as long as I can because there were so many overs left and not many wickets. When we had a 100-run partnership and were still in the game, then we were thinking we had a chance. The ball was doing a bit, the first 10 overs I thought they did really well and created a lot of chances. Once it stopped swinging it became easier, said Shakib.
That historic partnership, along with some luck, has now confirmed Bangladeshs spot in the semifinals. More evident, and important, was the pluck they displayed against New Zealand, despite facing a dire circumstance there was every chance they would have won and still be knocked out. Having reached the semifinal, this is already a memorable tournament for Bangladesh, but it can be a great one.
As striking as their achievement is, they have been here before. In the 2015 World Cup, they made a statement in packing off England in the group stages and secured their own place in the quarterfinals. They competed well in the quarterfinal against India as well but allowed a moment of controversy to unravel their plans the no-ball that wasnt to Rohit Sharma that should have seen him dismissed.
Bangladesh lost the plot and let that set back get the better of them, and ended up losing the match by 109 runs. There was much outrage thereafter, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board even considering appealing to the ICC to say it was an overreaction would to be to understate it.
This time around, Bangladesh need to be more composed, both on and off the field. They will face the winner of the clash between India and South Africa, and both are teams that will pose a stern test to Bangladeshs current status in world cricket. They have a shot at making it to the final of an ICC event if they can make it count, it would be a historic achievement.
Source: www.india.com
Photos : Agencies
