‘NOTHING HAS CHANGED’

The gloomy weather yesterday in Cardiff, where it rained heavily until late afternoon, did no favours to Bangladesh ahead of today's World Cup match against World Cup favourites and hosts England.

Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain were all restricted to indoor practice while the rest of the team opted to take a break from practice because they could not train outdoors. For a team that places great importance on momentum, it was not the ideal preparation for perhaps the toughest examination of their campaign, especially as they are coming off a loss against New Zealand in their last match.

The defeat threw light on the less-than-ideal form of some important players, and skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza included himself and star opener Tamim Iqbal in that category. Mashrafe has conceded 81 runs from 11 wicketless overs in the two matches so far, while Tamim has scored just 40 runs from 67 balls after getting starts against both South Africa and New Zealand -- uncharacteristic for a player who has been known for cashing in on good starts for the past four years.

"We are in the middle of the tournament now, so it is not as if we can change a lot through practice," Mashrafe told reporters yesterday. "But for some players, practice sessions are very important. If you talk about me, then obviously today practice was very important to top up certain things that are not happening for me on the field. Tamim is feeling the same. In that regard, I think we have been a little unlucky. For some of us the practice session was important, to get used to the wind, not being able to do which may not be a positive sign for us. But you can't do anything about the weather; we have to try to keep our confidence levels high."

Mushfiqur is one of those in form, but he has been a target of criticism for letting off Kane Williamson in the two-wicket loss against New Zealand, when he disturbed the bails with his elbow and negated a sure run-out at a crucial juncture.

"I think Mushfiqur is completely okay, and there is no reason not to be normal," said Mashrafe when asked about Mushfiqur's state after a social media barrage against the keeper. "And of course, there will be criticism surrounding those who are working. It is easy to do that. The team is supporting each other. It is normal, the people who are talking about it are the ones not able to take it normally."

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.

Bangladesh are back at the scene of prior conquests, the stadium nestled in the middle of Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Now known as the Cardiff Wales Stadium, it is doubtful whether the former Sophia Gardens -- where they shocked Australia in 2005 and defeated New Zealand from a near hopeless position in 2017 -- will have enough inspiration to get them over the line against tournament favourites England in their World Cup match today.

Unlike yesterday, when the Tigers' practice session was reduced to an indoor one by incessant rain, the weather for the match starting at 10:30am (3:30pm Bangladesh time) is expected to be free from rain interruptions.

Both teams are coming into the match on the back of hard-fought losses. Bangladesh lost by two wickets to New Zealand at The Oval on Wednesday after being all out for a sub-par 244, and England fell 14 runs short of Pakistan's 348 for eight at Nottingham on Monday.

Other than their positive record at the ground, inspiration can also be drawn from the fact that the Tigers beat England in their last two World Cup games in 2011 and 2015. But it was the second loss that set England on the path to their current position of the team that plays lights-out cricket and aims to score 350-plus each time they walk out to bat.

That brand of cricket will make an interesting contrast to Bangladesh's. Before their opening match against South Africa, which they won by 21 runs, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza talked about not chasing England's example and instead focusing on the brand that brought them success over the last four years. It is one more focused on building partnerships at a good rate, minimising risks with cricketing shots, taking singles rather than relying on big shots throughout the innings, and bowling as a unit to extract wickets through pressure. The bowling held up its end of the bargain against New Zealand, but the batting failed to deliver in all those aspects.

Even so, Mashrafe hinted that there are unlikely to be many changes to the eleven that played at The Oval unless conditions dictate otherwise.

"The plan is to change according to conditions, and I don't think so much change is going to help the team much," he said at the pre-match press conference. "But it depends, if it keep raining like this, we have to think about it. If not, then obviously, there is the management, as well. They will think about it. If someone will come with different plans, we will think about it."

England skipper Eoin Morgan talked about the possibility of playing an extra seamer by bringing in Liam Plunkett.

"Obviously another day where the wicket is under the covers, wickets that have been played on here so far have been a bit greener and probably seamer-friendly. So that's a potential, yeah," Morgan said.

The same move, bringing in Rubel Hossain, would be a brave one from Bangladesh. It was Rubel who won them the match against England in Adelaide with a four-wicket haul, but playing four seamers -- at the expense of off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz -- would be to ignore that England are weaker against spin. The other change, after Bangladesh's lower middle order failed to fire against New Zealand, could be to bring in Sabbir Rahman for Mosaddek Hossain at number seven.

However, Mashrafe seems to place value on the part-time off-spin of Mosaddek especially as Mahmudullah Riyad is unable to bowl because of a shoulder injury.

Like against South Africa, and indeed against New Zealand, it may all come down to whether Bangladesh can play their brand of cricket successfully. Even that may not be enough against a rampant England and like Mashrafe said yesterday, with conditions and fan support favouring the hosts, the Tigers will have to be one step ahead and play better than their opposition today.

So far, Bangladesh have featured in five World Cups with the 1999 edition being the Tigers' first ever appearance at the quadrennial mega event. From being happy to simply participate in a World Cup to having the ambition to knockout whichever opposition they face, Bangladesh have undergone huge changes in mentality over the years and grown as a team. With the 2019 World Cup soon to get underway, the The Daily Star's Nabid Yeasin outlined the highlights of the five editions that the Tigers' have featured in below.

1999: The entire nation's dreams came true when Aminul Islam stepped onto the County Ground in Chelmsford for the coin toss alongside Stephen Fleming of New Zealand in what was Bangladesh's maiden World Cup match. Given that Bangladesh were happy to just participate in the tournament, the two wins they secured not only provided a huge confidence boost but also pushed forward the country's cricketing journey. In that edition, Bangladesh registered their first ever World Cup win against Scotland, who have never been considered as a powerhouse of the sport. The Tigers then shocked the world when they convincingly defeated a full strength Pakistan by 62 runs to end their campaign on a high note. It was also Bangladesh's first win against a Test playing nation, which made things easier when the side requested Test status later on.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful led the Tigers’ victory over India in Trinidad in 2007 Photo: star file

2003: Till date, the 2003 World Cup remains to be the Tigers' most abysmal campaign. So much so in fact that even the players who were a part of the squad fail to recall any good memories of that edition. Perhaps though the words of Habibul Bashar, for whom it was the first time featuring at the World Cup, provides a glimpse of how much the Tiger's suffered. "Whenever I think about that World Cup, I can only recall bad memories," said Bashar, who is currently a national selector. While the big margin defeats against Sri Lanka (10 wickets), South Africa (10 wickets) and New Zealand (seven wickets) could somehow be acceptable given Bangladesh's strength at the time, the 60-run defeat against Canada and the 32-run loss against Kenya showed that changes needed to be made to the team.

While Rubel Hossain spearheaderd their 2015 victory over England in Adelaide. Photo: star file

2007: It could be said that the 'fearless' version of the Tigers first appeared when Habibul Bashar led Bangladesh to a five-wicket win over India at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. According to players and experts alike, the Tigers' displayed their best ever cricket at the 2007 edition. In that match, Bangladesh became a team that no longer relied on the opposition's mistakes but rather created their own chances when an 18-year-old Tamim Iqbal went down the track to hit Zaheer Khan -- one of the most feared and experienced pacers at the time -- for a huge six over midwicket. To knock India out in the group stage and make their way to the Super Eight for the first time, following a victory over the mighty South Africa by 67 runs no less, Bangladesh had turned into a force to be reckoned with.

2011: With Bangladesh co-hosting the tournament, the 2011 World Cup was expected to see the Tigers create some memories they could cherish for a long time. However, it was not to be as the they ended up making some memories they would really rather forget. Bangladesh were bundled out for 58 -- their lowest ever total in a World Cup -- against West Indies and capitulated for 78 runs -- their second lowest at the tournament -- against South Africa soon after. Although the Tigers did secure a two-wicket victory over England, the feat could not mask all the disappointments of that edition of the World Cup.

2015: When Rubel Hossain knocked the stumps off England right-arm quick James Anderson at the Adelaide Oval, Bangladesh had not only just registered a 15-run victory but also knocked the Three Lions out of the tournament as they marched towards their first ever quarterfinal in the World Cup. Result-wise, that edition of the World Cup remains to be the best one for the Tigers so far. Bangladesh had started that edition by defeating Afghanistan, who were playing in their first World Cup, by a whopping 105 runs. However, while a 109-run defeat against India in the quarterfinal was not what fans expected after such a brilliant tournament, Bangladesh had to remain content with such an end.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes, the hero of the final for the hosts as they clinched their maiden World Cup title, said that he will be apologising to Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson for the rest of his life after his accidental nudge with the bat led to one of the most critical moments in the game.

With England needing nine runs off three deliveries, Stokes struck one towards mid-wicket, and while going for a double, his bat came in the way of Martin Guptill’s throw from the deep. The ball ricocheted off his bat as he dived at the non-striker’s end and it went to the boundary. England were awarded six runs and they went on to seal the match in Super Over following more drama.

After the match, Christchurch-born Stokes said: “I am pretty lost for words. All the hard work to get here and be world champions, it’s an amazing feeling. Playing against New Zealand is always a good event, they are good lads.”

“I will be apologising to Kane for the rest of my life [re: the overthrow for the six]…It was written in the stars to happen for us,” Stokes added.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson pointed to luck not working in his side’s favour after the game.

“That [Stokes’s accidental boundary] was a little bit of a shame, wasn’t it? You just hope it doesn’t happen at moments like that. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be for us,” Williamson said.