Let the emotional override subside

Bangladesh batter Mominul Haque claimed that his teammate Shakib Al Hasan had been falsely accused of murder, underlining that such a case was filed to harass the star all-rounder.

A murder case was filed against former Awami League lawmaker Shakib with the Adabor Police Station in Dhaka on Thursday over the death of a garment worker during the mass protests on August 5.

"Shakib Al Hasan has been representing Bangladesh cricket for 18 years. He has led the team to so many victories. That same person is now being falsely accused of murder," Mominul wrote in a Facebook post after Bangladesh won the first of the two-match Test series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Shakib played a key role with the ball to help the Tigers romp to a memorable victory. 

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Murder case filed against Shakib

"Shakib was playing in Canada when the incident happened. He wasn't even in the country for a long time. A case such as this is unexpected. Such events can damage the reputation of the country's cricket.

"It is not expected that the new Bangladesh that emerged at the cost of the blood of students would harass someone on the basis of questionable charges. We want everyone to get justice here."

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a few top former ministers and lawmakers were among 147 accused named in the case, with Shakib noted as No. 28 accused in the FIR.

Rafiqul Islam, the father of the deceased MD Rubel, filed the case also accusing at least 400 unidentified AL leaders and activists.

The return of India "top-gun" Jasprit Bumrah for the World Cup could not come soon enough for bowling coach Paras Mhambrey as he hailed the paceman's strong start to the hosts' campaign.

India have won all three of their opening games, with the 29-year-old Bumrah taking eight wickets at a meagre average of just over 10 apiece.

But his career has been blighted by injury, with the unorthodox Bumrah sidelined for over a year following back surgery before returning in August.

"You have seen him in the last three games that he has played," Mhambrey told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of India's match against Bangladesh in Pune.

"What he brings to the table -- he is a world class bowler. He gives you that breakthrough that you require in the power-plays.

"He's well adapted to bowl in the middle overs and he's a top-gun 'death' bowler. I think in that sense, we really missed him."

Mhambrey added India had yet to consider "rotation" as they look to maintain their unbeaten start in a quest to win a third one-day international World Cup title and second on home soil following their 2011 triumph.

And that means the likes of proven performers in seamer Mohammed Shami and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are set to remain on the sidelines.

Ashwin especially has often found himself omitted across all formats in recent times.

The 37-year-old was also left out of the team that lost to Australia in this year's World Test Championship final at The Oval.

"He (Ashwin) has been a great lad," said Mhambrey. "He understands that, he's a great team guy.

"I've never seen him grumpy; I haven't seen him complaining any time for any of the last few years that he's been with us.

Mhambrey added: "Even after so many years, I think he's there, he wants to do well for the team, he turns up every practice session, goes through the rigorous grinds and he keeps bowling."

Mhambrey said the India bowlers that did play on Thursday would face a "challenging surface".

"It (Pune) is a small ground, comparatively...It is at high altitude. So, I think here, more boundaries will be scored."

Bangladesh have lost their last two matches at the World Cup after starting with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan.

They defeated India by six runs when the teams met in the Asia Cup in Colombo last month, with Mhambrey, highlighting the quality of Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and "champion" all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan

With Afghanistan having already pulled off a shock defeat of champions England and non-Test nation the Netherlands beating South Africa by 38 runs, Mhambrey said: "When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge. So, from our perspective, I don't think we'll take anyone (lightly).

"Bangladesh or the Netherlands, I think we want to treat those games as equally important."

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s World Cup career was brought to an inauspicious end as the Tigers saved their worst performance for their final 2019 World Cup match, which they lost to Pakistan by 94 runs at Lord’s yesterday.

Although on paper it was a dead-rubber match, with Pakistan needing to win by an outrageous margin to find a semifinal place and Bangladesh already booted out of the race by their 28-run defeat to India on Tuesday, the Tigers had much to play for.

A win would have extended a dominant run against Pakistan to five successes on the trot and would also have given Bangladesh the fifth spot in the table. But their failings throughout a campaign that impressed outsiders came back to haunt them with a vengeance, resulting in Pakistan benefitting from a poor fielding effort and scoring around 30 or 40 runs more than what seemed to be a par score on a slowish track. For once in the tournament, Bangladesh’s batting could not put a positive spin on a defeat as the Tigers folded for 221 in just 44.1 overs in chase of 316. It was Bangladesh’s lowest total in eight matches of this edition.

The only positive for Bangladesh from the match, and it has been the same for much of the World Cup, was Shakib Al Hasan’s continued brilliance with the bat. The left-hander top-scored with 64 and that saw him make it back to the top of the tournament’s run-scorers’ list. He also became the only batsman after Sachin Tendulkar in 2003 to have seven 50-plus scores in a World Cup. Having finished on 606 runs, he is also the third batsman in World Cup history -- after Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden -- to go past the 600-run mark in a single edition of the mega event.

Mustafizur Rahman also picked up his second five-wicket haul on the trot, which shot him up to second in the tournament’s wicket-takers’ list, but that he gave away 75 runs while doing so spoke volumes of Bangladesh’s plight in this tournament -- a bowling and fielding unit that has just not been up to scratch.

In chase of a total that seemed manageable, especially after Bangladesh had cantered past West Indies’ 321 in Taunton on June 17, the disheartening aspect was the lack of fight displayed by the Tigers in the chase. Tamim Iqbal’s underwhelming World Cup met a tame end when a brilliant off-cutter from Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 11th over snuck through his defence and disturbed the furniture, dismissing Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer for eight off 21 balls. Soumya had departed earlier, hitting Mohammad Amir straight to point in the sixth over. That it was not going to be Bangladesh’s day was evident when Mushfiqur Rahim -- the other man in form -- inside-edged a Wahab Riaz delivery onto his stumps in the 18th over to leave the score on 78 for three.

Shakib persisted, seemingly batting on a different wicket than his teammates, and put on 58 for the fourth wicket with Liton Das, but Liton’s second soft dismissal in a row, check-driving Afridi to cover, was followed swiftly by Shakib’s dismissal, caught behind off the same bowler in the 33rd over.

With their talisman back in the hut and the score reading 154 for five, the fight had left the Tigers completely. Mahmudullah Riyad, coming back into the side after missing the match against India because of a calf muscle tear, scored 29 as Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin came and went. Mahmudullah was eighth out to Afridi, who completed a five-wicket haul with a swinging yorker that bowled Mahmudullah off his toes. Mashrafe came in and gave the crowd something to cheer about with sixes off Shadab Khan and Afridi, but was stumped off the former in the 44th over. Afridi then did not waste any time, bowling Mustafizur with a yorker to end up with figures of six for 35 -- Pakistan’s best individual figures in a World Cup.

Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was based around a 157-run second-wicket stand between centurion Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam. Babar, however, was given two lives in successive overs. Mosaddek Hossain dropped him off Mustafizur at point in the 26th over when the batsman was on 57 and then Mushfiqur Rahim failed to get a glove to an edge in the following over off Mosaddek’s bowling.

Instead of halting a threatening partnership that was yet not past the century mark after seven overs and leading up to Babar’s life had produced just 24 runs, Bangladesh conceded 43 runs in the five overs following Mosaddek’s miss. Mohammad Saifuddin was taken for two boundaries in the 32nd over but he broke through with the last ball, trapping Babar in front for 98-ball 96.

Imam then picked up the pace and reached his seventh ODI century off 99 balls, but was out to a freak dismissal off his next ball, when he stepped on to the stumps while flicking Mustafizur off his hips to be out hit-wicket in the 42nd over.

The score was then on 246 for three and Mehedi Hasan Miraz  -- the only Bangladesh bowler to make use of the slow conditions and keep a lid on the scoring -- made it 248 for four in the next over by getting Mohammad Hafeez caught at deep square leg.

Mehedi ended with figures of one for 30 from 10 overs -- no one else other than Shakib conceded runs at less than six an over. Mustafizur dismissed Haris Sohail to bring up his 100th ODI wicket in his 54th match.

In the 48th over, he surprised everyone and perhaps even himself when he took a brilliant catch, diving to his left and plucking the ball one handed inches off the pitch, to dismiss Shadab Khan off his own bowling.

Like he had done against India, Mustafizur took two wickets in the last over, dismissing Imad Wasim -- whose 26-ball 43 gave Pakistan the late-overs momentum -- and Mohammad Amir.

Like against India, however, it proved to be too little too late as Bangladesh’s fielding and bowling in the early stages cost them one last time.

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has predicted the four teams he believes will reach the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

Tendulkar tipped the four semi-finalists while speaking to the ICC at the start of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 after carrying the trophy out onto the pitch to signal the start of the event in India.

"It was a surreal experience to carry that trophy out on the field," Tendulkar said.

"We ended up playing here, a quarter-final against Australia, and that night was a special night for us. To come back here, same stadium, 12 years down the line…

"Something nice has happened actually. Before 2011, no host nation had won the tournament. Post that, all home nations have won. India's hosting so, keeping those fingers crossed."

The World Cup winner believes that India can repeat their historic effort on home soil from 2011.

"I hope so, because our team is playing good cricket, and if the team continues to keep things simple and stick to basics, they have the ammunition," Tendulkar said.

"We've got strong batting line-up, a very good all-round bowling attack, we have good balance."

As for the four teams that Tendulkar believes that the host nation are certain to make the semi-finals.

"India without any doubt. We have a very, very good, balanced team," Tendulkar told Tanvi Shah, ICC's Digital Insider.

"So is the case with Australia, I feel they have a balanced team.

"The third one I would say would be England. England again are a very strong team, a combination of experience and some new faces.

"My fourth team would be New Zealand. They have played the finals in 2015 and 2019. If you look at their track record, New Zealand in world championships have always done well and I see them getting to the semis."

The Black Caps started their tournament well, supporting Tendulkar's assertion that they perform well in World Cups by hammering England by nine wickets in the opening match of the World Cup.

Tendulkar's third pick, England, have work to do, although they did qualify for the final four in 2019 despite losing three matches, and went on to win the tournament.