Tigers' match against Sri Lanka abandoned due to rain

There's no point in head scratching or pondering on ways to turn back time, it's done. Bangladesh have exited the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and boarded their flight back home from England yesterday. However, on their way back, there still may be a few things lingering at the back of their minds. Perhaps such thoughts could lead to imaginary scenarios where the 'what ifs' make the difference between what was and what could have been. Just what if…

Mushy had been a little patient

What are the must-do things while defending a below-par 244, that too against a compact New Zealand side at the biggest stage -- a World Cup game? Well, the message from the pavilion would have been to grab every chance you get. If not literally, grabbing opportunities on the ground become easier when you are wearing a pair of gloves. Creating an opportunity, even a tiny error of judgement from the opposition is induced by a series of small endeavours while in pursuit of your aim. But when the moment comes, you need to wait and make the right call and time it to perfection. Maybe Mushfiqur Rahim -- the man with the gloves behind the stumps for the Tigers -- succumbed to euphoria while thinking about the result and had not been concentrating on the process that needs to be done in order to get a desired outcome when he tried to grab the ball early in an attempt to have Kane Williamson run-out in the 12th over. Mushfiqur knocked the bails off with his arm before grabbing the ball and the Kiwi skipper -- batting on eight at that time -- who was nowhere near the crease, had eventually made his ground and survived, courtesy of that error. Williamson, who was finally dismissed on 40 in the 32nd over, went on to string together a 105-run third-wicket stand with Ross Taylor in a game that the Tigers lost by just two wickets.

GOD LET THE SUN SHINE!

The persistent drizzle at the Country Ground in Bristol on June 11 might not have had a huge impact on the lifestyle of the city's inhabitants but it did mar Bangladesh's chalked out plan or intended route to the semifinal of the World Cup. Going into the World Cup, Bangladesh were expected to beat the likes of Afghanistan, West Indies -- which they did eventually -- and Sri Lanka. And when Bangladesh started their campaign with an unexpected yet well-deserved 21-run victory over South Africa, the Tigers had just made their chances brighter, needing to do the regulation work from then on and a few surprise wins over the powerhouses of cricket to pave their way to a maiden World Cup semifinal. However, it all depended on that game against Sri Lanka -- a side that are one place lower in ICC ODI rankings than Bangladesh -- where the Tigers were clearly the favourites. Unfortunately, the Tigers were kept waiting, maybe with hopes of the rain to stop in Bristol, till the official announcement of the match being abandoned was made, forcing the Tigers to remain content with one point from the inexperienced Sri Lankan side.

SABBIR IMPACTED THE RIGHT TEAM

The team management was probably right on money to give Sabbir Rahman the nod ahead of Mosaddek Hossain for the game against Australia on June 20 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, given Sabbir's reputation and proven ability of playing pace well and better than most in the Tigers' XI. But little did they know that Sabbir's impact in the game would see Australia opener David Warner's bat shine instead of Sabbir himself. Often the destructive Warner does not provide his opposition with any chances but Bangladesh were probably lucky to have been presented with two chances by the left-hander which were both relinquished in the same game. The first opportunity came as early as the fifth over, when Warner went on his back foot to cut a Mashrafe Bin Mortaza delivery towards backward point only to see a perfectly positioned Sabbir going low to his right with both hands and spilling the ball onto the ground. Warner, on just 10, breathed a sigh of relief. By the time the next opportunity came, Warner had inflicted just the right amount of pain as expected after being handed a life early on, as the 32-year old was then batting on 70 in the 26th over. A slight mix-up between him and Usman Khawaja saw Warner run a quarter way to other end but he soon realised that he had to sprint back. A fumble by the same culprit, Sabbir, at mid-on allowed Warner to reach home safely. And this time Warner would stop only after hitting a 147-ball 166 in a game where the Tigers lost by 48 runs and were left wondering what could have happened had they restricted Australia to 30 or 40 runs less than their mammoth 381 for five.

TAMIM HAD NOT DONE THAT

Tamim Iqbal usually takes these types of catches nine times out of ten during fielding drills at practice sessions. But the one time he would miss the catch was unfortunately during Bangladesh's must-win game against India on July 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This time it was not a call for catch by a fielding coach after hitting the ball in the air with a willow during practice sessions as it was India opener Rohit Sharma who had mistimed an attempted pull shot off Mustafizur Rahman in the fifth over of a high intensity World Cup tie. Tamim, running to his left from deep square leg, covered almost 15 yards and did all the hard work before applying the finishing touch -- catching the ball. But to everyone's surprise he spilled the ball after touching it with the palm of his hand before watching it ricochet off his chest and fall to the ground. Rohit, who was on nine, moved onto 10 after taking a single and survived. But you don't expect a batsman of Rohit's calibre to stop there, right? Shrugging off the heart in hand moment, Rohit kept on inflicting misery on Bangladesh, scoring a magnificent 104 off 92 deliveries. The right-hander was adjudged player-of-the-match in their 28-run victory over the Tigers. 

THERE WAS A CLONE OF SHAKIB?

While wondering about what could have happened for Bangladesh in the ongoing World Cup, imagining something totally absurd would not do much harm. The Tigers are out of the World Cup but one particular Tiger from the squad still remains in the mega event. Bangladesh's ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is well in contention for the player-of-tournament award after his excellent World Cup campaign. The prestigious award would certainly be at the top of Shakib's personal achievement's shelf and it would not be a surprise to see him add the trophy to his other accolades. Playing in eight matches, Shakib has scored fifty or more in seven of them -- with a score of 41 against Australia being the only anomaly. The all-rounder scored back-to-back hundreds in this World Cup and also smashed five fifties. Shakib, who finished with 606 runs, became only the third player ever after Sachin Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden to have scored 600 runs in one edition of the World Cup. While Sachin and Hayden did not part-take with the ball, Shakib has also scalped 11 wickets in the mega event to see him ahead of anyone else in the race to be adjudged the player-of-the-tournament. Maybe now the team management will be left pondering on ways to get a clone of Shakib to further bolster the side.

Bangladesh bowling coach Andre Adams was not impressed with his side letting opportunities slip through dropped catches on Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram on Saturday.  

The Tigers missed three chances, including two dropped catches, and were made to pay the price as the Lankans ended the first day on top with 314 on the board for the loss of four wickets.

After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka amassed 96 runs for the first wicket, courtesy of a 57-run knock from the latter.

Both capitalised on reprieves, with Madushka adding 48 runs to his tally after being dropped on nine by Mahmudul Hasan Joy at second slip in the sixth over, while Karunaratne, who was given a life when he was on 22, ended by scoring 86. He would have to thank Shakib Al Hasan for his knock as he fumbled the opportunity over the boundary while fielding at deep fine leg in the 22nd over. Pacer Hasan Mahmud was the bowler on both occasions.

"You will struggle if you drop catches in any game of cricket. Our fielding has been impressive since I joined Bangladesh. Our ground fielding is excellent. There's been some excellent catches," Adams told reporters after the day's play. 

"However, when you drop a catch early, you can pay the price. We have dropped too many catches. We are working on it. Nobody means to drop it. They are doing the work, but they are dropping catches. We have to continue to work on taking catches."

Another chance went begging late in the day when an outside edge off the blade of Angelo Mathews slipped between the wicketkeeper and the fielder at first slip.

This time, it was off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz who was left ruing. 

The tigers also dropped several chances when they suffered a 328-run battering in the first Test against the Lankans in Sylhet.  

"Dropping catches will continue to cost us if we keep doing it. Like the Sylhet Test, there were periods of pressure but not for long enough. For us to compete and be excellent, we need to be excellent for longer," Adams said. 

Debutant Mahmud, who opened the bowling along with Khaled Ahmed, had to wait 55 overs to make his mark on the innings. He dismissed Karunaratne in the second session of the day to pick up his maiden Test scalp before dismissing Mathews nine overs to stumps.

"Hasan was excellent today. He bowled with pretty good control. He is a young bowler. Lots of talent," Adams said.

"I think he has bowled really well. He controlled his line pretty well. His pace was good. He is ready physically. He has to bowl the same throughout the day. The only way to do that is to play at this level. I think he is an exciting bowler. He has got seam movement. He has got swing and pace. Everything you want from a young pace bowler," he added. 

Sri Lanka batters Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis missed out on scoring centuries but managed to put Sri Lanka on top with respective fifties on Day 1 of the second Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday.

The duo put together a 114-run stand to help propel the Lankans to 314 for four at stumps. Karunaratne played one onto the stumps off the bowling of debutant Hasan Mahmud when batting on 86, while Mendis, who scored 93, fell short of his hundred as he edged one to slip to give Shakib Al Hasan his first wicket in the match.

Dinesh Chandimal and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, with 34 and 15 runs respectively, had the Lankans on top at the end of the day.

After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka openers Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka amassed 96 runs for the first wicket, courtesy of a 57-run knock from the latter. Both capitalised on reprieves, with Madushka adding 48 runs to his tally after being dropped on nine by Mahmudul Hasan Joy at second slip. Meanwhile, Karunaratne scored 64 after he was dropped on 22 by Shaklb at deep fine leg.

The Lankans lost two wickets each in the two session after Lunch. The first breakthrough came in the form of a run out when the openers got into a mix up. It was Madushka who pushed for a double after fending it to covers but was left stranded in the middle of the wicket as Liton Das whipped off the bails after Hasan's throw. After almost 17 overs, Hasan was rewarded for his perseverance when Karunaratne played one on while trying to drive through the covers. The Tigers were relived to see the back of Mendis who was seven runs away from a ton. Shakib managed to make his mark on the innings after his initial struggles and Hasan came back to nick off a well-set Angelo Matthews, who scored 23 off 71 balls.  

Hasan strikes just before tea but Sri Lanka on top

Bangladesh struck at the start and end of the post-lunch session which was otherwise dominated by Sri Lanka who have reached 214 for 2 at tea break on Day 1 of the second Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today.

Debutant Hasan Mahmud had a part in both dismissals, as it was his throw from the deep that caused the run out of Nishan Madushka in the second over of the session. Hasan then struck with his first ball in the 29th over of the session when Dimuth Karunaratne, who was batting on 87, dragged the ball onto his stumps, giving the right-arm pacer his first wicket in Tests.

In between the two wickets, the Sri Lankans dominated the session, with Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis adding 114 runs for the second wicket.

Mendis, who completed his 18th half-century, is batting on 65 with Angelo Mathews unbeaten on one at the other end.

Bangladesh finally break the opening stand

Bangladesh finally broke the opening stand in the second over after the lunch break as Nishan Madushanka got run out at the striker's end courtesy of an accurate throw from debutant Hasan Mahmud from the boundary on the opening day of the second Test in Chattogram today.

Dimuth Karunaratne played Mehedi Hasan Miraz to deep cover and completed a single. His partner Madushanka then pushed for a second run and Karunaratne initially responded to the call before stopping in his tracks.

Madushanka ran back and dived but before he could make his ground Liton had already collected Hasan's throw and dislodged the bails.

Madushanka departed for 57 and the opening stand ended on 96.

Karunaratne has now been joined in the middle by Kusal Mendis.

Sri Lanka unscathed in first session as Tigers rue missed chances

Bangladesh would be ruing the missed chances as Sri Lanka made a commanding start on the opening day of their second Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today. 

At lunch, Sri Lanka amassed 88 for no loss in a 27-over session with Nishan Madushka unbeaten on 55 off 97 and Dimuth Karunaratne not out on 33 off 65 deliveries. 

Despite a few close shaves, Madushka and Karunaratne played brilliantly. Early in the innings when pacers Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud were getting the cherry to move a bit, they took their time and offered no shots to deliveries away from their bodies. However, whenever pitched full or on the pads, the duo were quick to punish those. 

Their patience paid off as Madushka got to his second Test fifty, helping Sri Lanka to a dominating position in the game. 
 
Chances came very rarely for Bangladesh but the hosts were wasteful on every occasion. The best and the easiest chance came in the sixth over when debutant pacer Hasan Mahmud had induced an edge off the bat of right-hander Madushka -- on nine at that time -- only to see Mahmudul Hasan Joy fumble at second slip. What makes it the most disappointing is that the ball came directly at Joy at a very comfortable height. 

Karunaratne, the other Sri Lankan opener, then survived a run-out scare in the 16th over. The Sri Lankan batters were caught in two minds while trying to sneak a single, playing a Khaled Ahmed delivery towards point region. Karunaratne, at 18, went almost halfway through the pitch before deciding to come back, and a direct hit from Mehedi Hasan Miraz at point could have seen the end of the left-hander's innings. 

Karunaratne, on 22, once again survived in the 22nd over when he top-edged a Hasan bouncer and saw Shakib Al Hasan at fine leg unable to position himself properly for the catch and eventually pushing it over the boundary for a maximum. It was a tough chance, but reachable if judged properly. 

For Bangladesh, Hasan has been the most impressive, troubling batters early in the innings with enough swing and movement. He came back at the latter stage of the session as well and kept on asking questions.

Another good sign for the hosts was that spinners Shakib and Mehedi Hasan Miraz got some turn with the latter beating the edge of Karunaratne once.
 

Joy drops Madushka as debutant Hasan left frustrated

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud, playing his first Test, was left frustrated when Mahmudul Hasan Joy dropped a sitter at slip to give life to Sri Lanka's Nishan Madushka early on the opening day of their second and final Test in Chattogram today. 

Hasan has been asking questions, swinging the cherry, and beating the edges of the batters since being handed the new ball after the Tigers were asked to bowl on a dry surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 

Bangladesh's best chance in the Test so far came in the sixth over when a back-of-a-length Hasan delivery induced a thick edge off the bat of right-hander Madushka. However, despite being at a comfortable height, Joy fumbled as Madushka breathed a sigh of relief on nine. 

Bangladesh are yet to scalp a wicket as Sri Lanka made 37 for no loss in the first 10 overs. Madushka remains unbeaten on 25 off 36 deliveries while Dimuth Karunaratne is not out on 12 off 24 deliveries. 

Shakib returns, Hasan debuts as Tigers bowl in second SL Test

Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first in the second and final Test against Bangladesh at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today. 

Premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returned while pacer Hasan Mahmud has been handed his Test debut for the Tigers, who will be hoping to bounce back following a 328-run drubbing in the first Test in Sylhet. 

Shakib, who had been suffering from an eye problem and had opted out of the entire Sri Lanka series initially, is returning to red-ball cricket after almost a year. He last played in the Test against Ireland in Mirpur in April 2023. 

Bangladesh made two changes from the eleven that played in Sylhet. Hasan replaced pacer Shoriful Islam while young and exciting pacer Nahid Rana, who made a promising debut in Sylhet, had to be dropped to make way for Shakib. 

Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud gets his Test cap. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

Hasan has already represented Bangladesh in 22 ODIs and 17 T20Is. 

With the Chattogram surface expected to aid the spinners more, Bangladesh went with three spinners and two pacers for the game. While Shakib will bolster the spin department, also including Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, it will be Khaled Ahmed and Hasan who will form the Tigers' pace battery. 

Bangladesh will also be without head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who travelled back to Australia for personal reasons. The Tigers's assistant coach Nic Pothas will be in charge of this game. 

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are missing pacer Kasun Rajitha, who injured his back in the Sylhet Test in which he took eight wickets. His replacement Asitha Fernando starts the game.  

Playing XIs: 

Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando