Rain not the only cloud

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's eyes were firmly on the game at Nottingham between India and New Zealand although the match had not yet begun due to rain. He was ready to go out with his family but the worry and tension in his eyes were apparent.

Mashrafe explained the reason behind his unease a bit later.

He was sure about semifinal berths for India, England and Australia, which meant thwarting the Kiwis and usurping the fourth and final spot. Although a lot remains to be played out, this one point grants New Zealand a key advantage.

Rain has disrupted quite a lot of equations at the World Cup. It is bringing different kinds of fates to the teams here.

While New Zealand had the ability to win against India under normal circumstances, India were heavy favourites. The skipper's demeanour suggested that in cricketing terms, the 'Big Three' [England, India and Australia] could not be thwarted and plans were being developed with that scenario in mind.

Even as New Zealand won their first three games, they faced relatively easy opponents in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. What remained were tougher prospects. Mashrafe's concern lay with whether rain ultimately favoured the Kiwis in that regard.

Bangladesh are on the other end of that spectrum. The Tigers had tough opponents in their first three outings. They started with a win against South Africa and fought valiantly against the Kiwis before losing heavily to England.

The loss of one point against Sri Lanka in the last match is bothering the players at this point. While they are enjoying a relaxed time within the mega-event due to a few off days, that reality is a plugging away at their mental wellbeing.

Although Mashrafe was not straightforward about his concerns, his demeanour suggested that it was the New Zealand game that was still on his mind.

"Losing a point in that match [against Sri Lanka] was disastrous. Yet, that would not have been an issue," said the skipper before shifting his focus to the New Zealand game. What were the shortcomings? Much had been made of Mushfiqur Rahim's missed run out of Kane Williamson. If the Tigers do not fulfill expectations in this tournament, more will be said. Apparently the skipper was disturbed by the tactical blunder that took place in that game.

He was not ready to explain in full detail but said: "In no way was that a 300-plus wicket."

What we learned from sources within the team management is that the team flayed their bat aggressively in order to achieve a bigger total. They however lost tempo in the middle overs trying to up the ante. Mohammad Mithun sacrificed his wicket trying to meet the team's demands. The focus could have been more on a 270-280 score. In the end Bangladesh's innings stopped at a middling 244.

The tranquil town of Taunton attracts Mashrafe in particular, but he was not in a position to enjoy it. The washout and the blunder from the New Zealand linger on his mind.

The West Indies match is now a do-or-die game. It is time to focus on the upcoming challenges. After the miss against Sri Lanka, the Tigers do not want to miss out on another target in West Indies.



Translated from Bengali by Abdullah Al Mehdi