Mashrafe Bin Mortaza says ‘Don’t need to go after Mushfiqur Rahim’

Sakeb Subhan from London

Thu Jun 6, 2019 04:02 AM
Last update on: Fri Jun 7, 2019 11:25 AM

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A big talking point surrounding Bangladesh's two-wicket loss to New Zealand was established long before the result, when wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim negated a sure run out of Kane Williamson by dislodging the bails with his elbows when trying to intercept a throw from Tamim Iqbal at mid on that was heading for the stumps anyway.

New Zealand were then 60 for two, and Ross Taylor and Williamson's eventual 105-run third-wicket stand was then just five runs old. The knives were out for Mushfiqur because it has long been perceived that his keeping errors had cost Bangladesh at crucial junctures.

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"Mushy, I don't think we need to go after him," Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said in the post-match press conference when asked whether Mushfiqur's keeping was up to the mark. "It could happen with anybody but he was also trying hard to get him [Williamson]. That throw was straight but as a keeper it was very difficult to know if it was straight or not. He wanted to take the ball and suddenly it [the stumps] hit his elbow. That sort of mistake happens, but I don't think we should go after him."

The question was a pointed one because Bangladesh have two other wicketkeepers in the squad. Mohammad Mithun was part of the eleven and the jury is out about his keeping abilities compared to Mushfiqur's, but Liton Das -- on the bench for the first two matches of the World Cup -- is generally perceived to be among the two best keepers in Bangladesh, the other being Nurul Hasan. In Bangladesh's 21-run win over South Africa on Sunday, Mushfiqur had dropped a straightforward chance off South Africa opener Quinton de Kock, but the error was forgotten because the South African ambled out of his crease and Mushfiqur managed to throw down the stumps and run him out.

"If you don't score big you have to take these chances. It's part of the game, it happens. No one wants to make these mistakes, but I think the big mistakes were done in batting. Getting set and getting out. If we could have scored 25-30 runs more, it could have been a different match, because the outfield was slower than other matches."

It was not the only run out of which Mushfiqur found himself on the wrong side; he was run out soon after putting on a 50-run third-wicket stand with Shakib Al Hasan earlier in the day, and Mashrafe identified that rather than the let-off of Williamson as the turning point.

"Turning point was that run out. Because they were both set, and then Shakib and Mithun got a 41-run partnership and then Shakib got out. Those two partnerships, if they got going -- to 80 or 100, it could have been a different score."

Even before the start of the World Cup, Mashrafe as the captain and elder statesman of the team has been eager to shield his players from pressure and his defence of Mushfiqur could be seen as an extension of that. However, while answering another question over bowling Shakib for seven overs up front and not having enough of the ace all-rounder in the middle and at the end, Mashrafe revealed just how important that wicket was.

"The plan was to bring in Shakib because the right-hander was there and the new ball was gripping a bit," Mashrafe said. "So we thought that if it's gripping, Shakib can play the role. Shakib got us a wicket [that of Martin Guptill off the first ball he bowled in the fifth over] and we knew we had to get either one of Ross Taylor or Williamson out; that is why Shakib bowled a bigger spell, because we really wanted one wicket in that particular time."

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England were mistakenly awarded an extra run during their nail-biting World Cup win over New Zealand at Lord’s, a member of the sport’s chief rules committee told media on Monday.

A freak fielding deflection off Ben Stokes’ bat that raced to the boundary saw the team awarded six runs with three balls to go in the final over on Sunday.

Scores were tied at the end of regular play and the resulting Super Over shootout, with England then handed their first-ever World Cup victory for their superior boundary count.

But former umpire Simon Taufel told Fox Sports Australia that umpires had made a “clear mistake”, as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run.

“They should have been awarded five runs, not six,” he said, adding that England’s Adil Rashid should have faced the second-last ball instead of Stokes as a result.

Taufel, a five-time winner of the International Cricket Council’s Umpire of the Year award, now sits on the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laws sub-committee, the worldwide custodian of cricket’s sometimes obscure rules of play.

The Australian defended the match umpires, who he said had to make a complicated judgement, and said it would be “unfair” to say the decision altered the outcome of the tournament.

“Unfortunately that sort of thing happens from time to time. It’s a part of the game that we play,” Taufel said.

“I don’t wish to nitpick, just hope it never happens in such moments ever again.” England, who have often cited a humiliating defeat by New Zealand at the 2015 World Cup as the catalyst for their climb to the top of the one-day international rankings, finally have a World Cup win to go with their three losing appearances in the 1979, 1987 and 1992 finals.

By contrast, defeat is devastating for New Zealand, who were also looking to win the trophy for the first time after being well beaten by Australia in the 2015 showpiece.

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After 44 days of cricket, we are just 2 days away from the much-awaited final of the World Cup. Be it England or New Zealand who win it on July 14 at Lord’s, one thing is sure, the game will have a new world champion. In all these days, we saw some unanticipated hits and some unexpected misses while we also saw those, who outlived the expectations. Making a comeback to the international cricket after a year-long ban, Australia opener David Warner impressed with his style. He was aggressive, throughout, as if he was there to prove a point. Shakib Al Hasan was a surprise package all together. Kane Williamson, as calm as monk, guided New Zealand to their second World Cup final with his brilliant batting. Mitchell Starc unleashed mayhem with his yorkers, while Jofra Archer proved his worth in his maiden World Cup appearance for England. A lot of them have impressed, but only one will take home the Player of the Tournament award. Here is a look at all those player who are in contention.

Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh failed to make it to the last four of the World Cup but Shakib Al Hasan was in form of his life. Shakib ended a prolific World Cup 2019 with 606 runs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the most runs scored in the group stage. The left-hander hammered two centuries and 6 half-centuries. Not only did he show his grace with the bat, the all-rounder also impressed with his spin bowling. Shakib scalped11 wickets for his side at an economy of 5.39. So this complete player is very much in contention for the player of the tournament, unless the ICC jury is in a mood to not hand the award to a player belonging to the team that did not quite contend for cricket’s greatest prize.

Rohit Sharma

With a World Cup record five centuries in the 2019 event, India opener Rohit Sharma has been ahead of all other batsmen in the race. The India opener is the leading run scorer in the tournament with 648 runs from nine matches at an average of 81. Alongisde his five tons, he also has one half-century. Rohit was only 27 runs short of surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the list of batsmen with most runs in a single edition of the World Cup, but he managed just a single run as India’s campaign at the World Cup came to an end with a semifinal defeat against New Zealand. Rohit was seen shedding tears then, but he may have something to smile about soon.

Mitchell Starc

Australia suffered their first semifinal defeat in a World Cup as hosts England crushed the five-time champions by 8 wickets to reach their first World Cup final in 27 years.

Although Australia’s World Cup journey ended, Mitchell Starc remains the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. The southpaw has picked 27 wickets in 10 innings at an economy of 5.43. Starc, also the player of the tournament in World Cup 2015, broke Glenn McGrath’s record for most wickets in a single edition of the showpiece event. The pacer also has two five-wicket hauls and two four-wicket hauls in this edition of the tournament to put a strong claim for his second player of the World Cup award in succession.

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Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan's antics during press briefings have been well-advertised, but the BCB boss probably violated the very essence of the game -- respect -- while taking a swipe at Mushfiqur Rahim's decision to skip the Pakistan tour.

Responding to a question at the BCB headquarters on Tuesday regarding Mushfiqur's prospect of travelling to Pakistan for the last leg of the three-phase tour, Hassan first said that he was yet to hear anything from the horse's mouth.

It was a reasonable response.

He then said something more at home in a political dictionary.

"Will have to think for the country. Don't always have to think about your own [welfare]. This is what I personally believe. Family is very important, but the country is even more important," he said.

After a pause, he said something quite rational again.

"Well, there was fear. We all had fears over travelling to Pakistan. Wasn't the fear-factor prevalent in those who have travelled?" he asked.

But then he uttered something that no decent professional athlete -- let alone Mushfiqur, a champion batsman and the most committed cricketer of the country -- deserves.

"[His] family member went there and played. So would nothing happen if something happened to [Mahmudllah] Riyad [his brother-in-law]? Will the family members cry only if something happens to him [Mushfiqur]? I can't believe such things," Hassan proclaimed.

His bizarre logic for Mushfiqur to travel to Pakistan next April, which can be debated, is not an issue at all. The burning question is whether the board president has the authority to mock the family sentiments of Mushfiqur or any other cricketer.

Does the BCB boss have the right to belittle a cricketer, let alone a player like Mushfiqur, who has time and again showed his utmost dedication to serving the nation during his illustrious career spanning over 15 years?

Mushfiqur decided against touring Pakistan due to security concerns raised by family members and he has every right to respond to the request of his dear ones, which is quite common in the international sporting arena.

There might be criticism among the fans but this kind of reaction from the establishment and that too against a player who publicly acknowledged that he never felt good when out of the ground, is not only uncalled for but also a serious violation of mutual respect.

The board president has reasons to be disappointed. Bangladesh badly lost the two T20Is and the first Test against Pakistan by an innings. It is also understandable that, had Mushfiqur been around, Bangladesh could have put up a better fight with the bat.

Just to show how important he is in the Tigers' batting line-up, Mushfiqur hammered a magnificent double-hundred in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe on Monday.

The day after he scored 203 not out at Mirpur, the BCB president said normal service returned to the Bangladesh camp as a reference to that easy win against Zimbabwe.

He also presented Mushfiqur with the player-of-the-match award with a smile on his face. But whether that was a compliment is anybody's guess now.

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What looked to be an interesting run chase at the half way stage of the chase turned out to be a one sided event as England won by 31 runs against India.

England moved a step closer to the World Cup semi-finals after Jonny Bairstow's 111 set up a crucial 31-run win over India in Birmingham on Sunday.

Eoin Morgan's side posted 337-7 thanks Bairstow and a dashing 79 from Ben Stokes.

Needing a record World Cup run chase to win, India finished on 306-5 as they were beaten for the first time in this year's tournament.

England can book a semi-final berth if they beat New Zealand in their final group match on Wednesday, while India, who have two games left, must wait to confirm their last four spot.

After the early departure of KL Rahul, Indian captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shared a 138 run stand which was broken as Kohli was caught by Vince. Sharma continued as he reached his century. However, the celebrations were cut short as Rohit departed soon after.

Rishab Pant never looked settled in the middle as Hardik Pandya hit the English bowlers all over the park. As Pant was sent back, there was pressure on Pandya since the next to bat MS Dhoni was out of his usual touch in the mega event.

Pandya was sent back at 45 as he was caught at long on.

India never seemed to put any effort behind the chase after Pandya's wicket. Kuldeep Yadav and Dhoni looked to rescue the team run rate as they took the safety first approach by not giving away their wicket.

India's loss meant the fate of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka hang on a thread to qualify for the final four.

Rohit Sharma scored a scintillating century before being caught by Buttler from behind the stumps as India looked to chase down the mammoth total.

Sharma reached his century in 109 balls as the ball came off a neat little chop behind point. There was really not enough room for the full blooded shot. So he checked himself. Which he did all innings considering this is a two-paced pitch.

Sharma started off his innings nervously being dropped early in his innings by Joe Root but found his flow in the later half. However, India find themselves in a spot of bother after his departure. Hardik Pandya took the field.

Virat Kohli departed for 66 as India were 146 for two.

The 138 run stand between Rohit Sharma and Kohli came to an end as Liam Plunkett scalped the prized wicket of Indian captain Virat Kohli. Steered a length ball to backward point. Another fifty but no cigar for Kohli, who has given England an opening just when things were beginning to get itchy. Eager to get bat on ball, skidded through a touch, and Vince swallowed a fat outside edge.

Rohit looked to get in his groove as he looked to power his innings. He scored 78 off 85 balls and is in search for his hundred. It is up to Rohit to carry India to the finish line if the men in orange look to chase down the total today.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli reached the half century mark in 59 balls at the end of the 20th over.

Runs have been hard to come for the Indian batsmen as the English bowlers have been tight with their line and length. The fielders have done their part as well except of missing a few half chances provided by Rohit Sharma. Virat on the other hand looked solid as he timed the balls to milk runs from the middle.

India scored a mere 28 for one at the end of the first power-play against England.

KL Rahul went early in the innings as Chris Woakes caught Rahul off his own bowling. There was an edge to the slip by Rohit Sharma but Joe Root could not hold on to it.

The English pacers have done well till now to contain the Indian batsmen from scoring runs freely. However, Virat Kohli and Sharma look to build a much needed partnership in the middle in chase of a mammoth 338 runs.

England end their innings at 337 for seven at Birmingham against India.

Jonny Bairstow hit a hundred and Ben Stokes added a blistering 79 as England posted an imposing 337-7 against India in a crunch World Cup match for the tournament hosts on Sunday.

England had to win at Edgbaston to keep qualification for the semi-finals in their own hands following successive defeats by Sri Lanka and reigning champions Australia.

Their favoured aggressive batting game came to the fore as they capitalised on captain Eoin Morgan's decision to bat first on a good pitch.

Opener Bairstow made 111, while Jason Roy more than justified his recall after missing three matches with a torn hamstring by making 66 in a first-wicket stand of 160.

Mohammed Shami, roared on by a hugely partisan crowd clad mainly in blue India shirts, took a career-best 5-69, his first five-wicket haul in a one-day international.

But despite the paceman becoming just the second player to take three successive four-wicket hauls in World Cup cricket after Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, India faced a tough task if they were to achieve a win that would guarantee their place in the last four.

"It was good to be back out there after some time on the bench. We have put a competitive total on the board," Roy said.

"We got a good start. We thought 320ish after the two openers were out so we are happy with that."

India have had 12 targets of 300 or more since the last World Cup, but have only enjoyed a successful chase in three of those matches.

Pre-tournament favourites England, looking to win the World Cup for the first time, had badly missed Roy.

Roy, however, was quickly into his stride, with the Surrey star chopping his second ball from Shami for four.

- Lucky breaks -

Bairstow, involved in a pre-match spat with former England captain Michael Vaughan after suggesting pundits wanted England to lose, had two lucky breaks when big inside edges missed the stumps.

India captain Virat Kohli brought on leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the sixth over but Bairstow soon hit him down the ground.

Roy could have been out on 21 when India all-rounder Hardik Pandya appealed for a caught behind down the legside off his fourth delivery.

But Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar signalled a wide instead and Kohli opted against a review, although replays suggested the ball had touched Roy's glove.

Roy then hit Pandya's next ball for six.

Bairstow went to fifty when he launched Chahal for a six that just cleared the back-pedalling KL Rahul at long-on, the fielder landing awkwardly as he made a desperate attempt at a catch.

Roy then followed Bairstow to the landmark in just 41 balls before, on 66, Ravindra Jadeja, the substitute for Rahul, ran in from long-on to hold a low diving catch.

Bairstow twice more clubbed Chahal over long-on for six.

A single off Pandya saw Bairstow to a 90 ball-hundred, including eight fours and six sixes. But his innings ended when he carved Shami to Rishabh Pant at deep cover.

Stokes maintained the momentum in a 54-ball innings before he was caught off Jasprit Bumrah in the last over. (AFP)

The patience of the Indian bowlers brought fruit as Bairstow and England skipper Eoin Morgan were sent back in quick succession.

Jonny Bairstow was caught at deep point as Mohammad Shami scalped the prized wicket. Bairstow looked to play pre-meditated shots as soon as he reached his hundred. He could not rotate strike as easily as he did earlier in his innings and in the process lost his wicket.

Morgan never looked comfortable in the middle as Shami scalped his wicket in the over after Bairstow's wicket. Morgan scored one off nine balls before getting giving a top edge to Kuldeep Yadav, who came diving forward from fine leg.

Ben Stokes took the field and looked to build a partnership with Joe Root as the runs looked hard to come.

Jonny Bairstow reached his maiden century in this World Cup in just 90 deliveries as England power through.

Bairstow scored runs all over the field as Indian bowlers can not find the answer to his rampage yet. As a result of his century, England were in the driving seat as Indian skipper Virat Kohli was still looking for a way to scalp Bairstow's wicket.

Jason Roy was sent back to the pavilion by Kuldeep Yadav as India got their first breakthrough.

The England openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow rampaged through the Indian bowlers as they reached 150 within 21 overs.

However, Jadeja pulled off a blinder at long-on as Roy was in disbelief, but he had to go. This was a bit of a top-spinner, Roy got to the pitch to cart it down the ground but did not get the elevation. It still looked like a one bounce four until Jadeja came sprinting to his left, dived full length and plucked the ball inches from the ground. He is a wonder in the field, and it needed that moment of outlandish brilliance to break this opening stand.

Joe Root came to the field after the loss of the first wicket.

England won the toss and elected to bat first in their World Cup fixture against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham today.

England made two changes for this crucial game. Fit-again Jason Roy replaces James Vince while Liam Plunkett comes in for Moeen Ali.

India have one change too, with Rishabh Pant getting a game in place of Vijay Shankar.

England: 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Mark Wood

India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

The two teams come into this match at opposite extremes. India, the only unbeaten team of the World Cup so far, have 11 points from six matches and a win today will confim their semifinal spot and will go a long way to ensuring top-two finish in group stages.

A win for India would also bolster the hopes of the other contenders for the semis -- Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

England, meanwhile, come into the match on eight points from seven matches and a defeat would mean they would rely on the other results for their chances of sealing a last-four berth.

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Just as he entered the Basin Reserve Stadium in Wellington, the venue for Bangladesh's second Test against host New Zealand, Mushfiqur Rahim looked up at the heavens, muttered something under his breath and joined his team mates for the warm up session yesterday.

It was at the Basin Reserve that the experienced cricketer and then captain smashed a magnificent 159 in the first Test against the Kiwis back in 2017 and, along with Shakib Al Hasan, added a record 359-run fifth-wicket stand for the Tigers.

In the second innings of that game the wicketkeeper-batsman sustained a blow on the back of his helmet off a Tim Southee bouncer and collapsed, laid on the ground for over 15 minutes before being taken off the field by an ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Despite posting a huge 595 for nine declared in their first innings, shockingly, the visitors went on to lose the game by seven wickets on the fifth day.

Two years on, the Tigers are once again in a desperate situation after losing the first Test by an innings and 52 runs in Hamilton. In the absence of regular Test skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who is also suffering from injury, it was Mushfiqur whom the team management would have wanted desperately in the middle order for stability.

Going back to yesterdays' training Mushfiqur looked determined and positive when he walked towards the outer nets, where he started batting drills after 13 days' gap since suffering multiple injuries in the third ODI.

He started the drill with soft rubber balls before switching to knocking against the cricket ball.

But just when he started middling his shots, Mushfiqur experienced pain in his injured wrist and went over to physio Thihan Chandramohan and informed him of his discomfort.

Although Mushfiqur's body language remained normal -- he was still smiling broadly with teammates after completing the batting drill -- Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes eventually revealed that the cricketer is 'extremely doubtful' for the second Test starting tomorrow.

"The situation with Mushy [Mushfiqur] is that he is trying his best to be fit as quick as possible for the Test matches. Today was his first drill hit with some tennis ball, rubber ball and he finished with some cricket ball work. When he got to the cricket ball there was still a little bit of soreness in that ligament area so it means he will be extremely doubtful for the second Test.

"It will take an amazing recovery overnight but we all hold out all the time for Mushy, but the good news may be that he is on course for the third Test. Let's hope there are no setbacks along the way," Rhodes told reporters after the training session yesterday.

Known for his determination and passion for the game, a disappointed Mushfiqur blamed his luck but was still hoping for a miracle.

"I still have some pain on my injured wrist area," Mushfiqur told The Daily Star. "Let's see I will bat tomorrow [Thursday] as well and after assessing my conditions the team management will give the final call, but it looks difficult. Obviously, I desperately want to return to the field as I have some good memories of this ground," he added.