‘Not a one-man army’

Bangladesh are knocked out of the World Cup after their 28-run defeat against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham today. 

Despite an unbeaten 38-ball 51 from Mohammad Saifuddin, Bangladesh were bundled out for 286 runs in their chase of 314 for nine posted by India in Birmingham today. After the Tigers were left reeling on 179 for six in 39.5 overs, a 66-run seventh-wicket stand between Sabbir Rahman and Saifuddin gave a glimmer of hope for Bangladesh to win the do or die tie. Although Sabbir was dismissed in the 44th over after scoring a run-a-ball 36, Saifuddin remained unbeaten. Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets with back to back deliveries in 48th over -- removing Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman -- as Saifuddin's heroic knock went in vain. With this victory, India who are currently on second position, go through to semifinals. 

[Wicket] 48.5, Ban- 286: Mustafizur Rahman b Bumrah 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

A brilliant yorker by Jasprit Bumrah that gets through Mustafizur Rahman even before he could react. That's it Bangladesh lose by 28 runs. Bumrah will be on a hattrick when he bowls in the next match.

[Wicket] 47.5, Ban- 286/9: Rubel Hossain b Bumrah 9 (11b 1x4 0x6) SR: 81.81

Rubel could not get his bat in time to defend a well directed yorker from Jasprit Bumrah. He goes for nine.

47.3, Ban285/8

A brilliant shot from Saifuddin. He smashes it straight down the ground for a glorious boundary. Brings up his fifty.

[Wicket] 44.2, Ban 257/8: Mashrafe Mortaza c †Dhoni b Kumar 8 (5b 0x4 1x6) SR: 160.00

After smashing a six in the previous delivery, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza gets an edge in the next delivery as he goes for a wild slog. The keeper takes an easy catch. Bangladesh eight down. 

Sabbir departs after reviving a glimmer of hope for Tigers

[Wicket] 43.1, Ban245/7: Sabbir Rahman b Bumrah 36 (36b 5x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

Sabbir Rahman decieved by a slower ball again. He tries to smack a length delivery from Bumrah but misses it completely and loses his stumps. The partnership between the last recognized pair of batsmen has been broken.

Sabbir, Saifuddin star in fifty-run stand

40.6, Ban-229/6

Sabbir Rahman pushes Chahal down the ground to take a single. That brings up a fifty-run stand between Sabbir and Saifuddin in just 46 balls. Bangladesh require another 86 from 56 balls.

37.3, Ban-200/6

After hitting two back to back boundaries, Sabbir Rahman plays one towards the third man off a Mohammad Shami delivery to take a single. That brings up the 200 for Bangladesh.

[Wicket] 33.5, Ban 179/6: Shakib Al Hasan c Karthik b Pandya 66 (74b 6x4 0x6) SR: 89.18

Another slower ball from Hardik Pandya and this time he gets Shakib Al Hasan. BIG WICKET. Shakib makes room and tries to play it over extra cover but the lack of pace does the trick again as the ball gets a leading edge. Easy catch for the fielder. That puts a big dent on Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the semifinal.  

[Wicket] 32.2, Ban 173/5: Mosaddek Hossain b Bumrah 3 (7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 42.85

Mosaddek could not pick a slower ball from Jasprit Bumrah as he drags a cutter onto his stumps. Mosaddek tries to play it down the third man but mistimes and gets an inside edge and loses his stumps. Mosaddek departs. Shakib keeps on losing partners and Tigers are in a spot of bother now.

[Wicket] 29.4, Ban  162/4 - Liton Das c Karthik b Pandya 22 (24b 0x4 1x6) SR: 91.66 Shakib is running out of partners as another soft dismissal sees Liton Das lose his wicket. A short-length delivery and after hitting six in the second delivery of the over, this time the ball gained on him. He was late and a easy catch at mid wicket.

28.2, Ban 150/3 - Shakib runs two and everything is happening. Dhoni takes the bails off again. Close call as umpire asks for review. Phew! Shakib survives. Bangladesh also bring up their 150. The all-rounder has hit fifties in each of his innings except the one against Australia when he fell for 41.

Shakib Al Hasan. Photo: AFP

27.6, Ban 147/3 - Shakib brings up his fifty. Shakib cuts a Pandya length delivery towards point and runs two to bring up his fifty off just 58 deliveries.

27.3, Ban 140/3 - Run out chance! Shakib plays Pandya towards mid wicket and runs a single but Liton wants two! Umpire reviews. Liton got back to his crease just in time.

[Wicket] 22.6, Ban 121/3- Mushfiqur Rahim c Mohammed Shami b Chahal 24 (23b 3x4 0x6) SR: 104.34 Mushy on his knees as he looks to sweep Chahal against the turn but is holed out at mid wicket.

19.3, Ban 101/2- 100 up for Bangladesh. The Tigers are rolling along after the departure of both openers with Shakib and Mushfiqur in the middle.

17.6, Ban 88/2: 500 for Shakib. Shakib pulls one of Pandya to run one and in the process reaches 500 runs in this tournament. No batsman in World Cup history has scored this many runs and also taken 10 wickets.

Wicket] 15.1, Ban 74/2 - Soumya Sarkar c Kohli b Pandya 33 (38b 4x4 0x6) SR: 86.84 Soumya looks to slam this over cover and is holed out at extra cover with Kohli taking the catch. Lots of power but did not place it away from the fielder. 

11.2, Ban 51/1: Huge shout for leg-before but umpire gives not out. Kohli goes for the review. The third-umpire looks at it closely and finds that it might have hit Soumya's bat at the same time as it hit his pads. Replay inconclusive and third-umpire stays with the decision of the on-field umpire. Probably going too far down the leg side as well and ball tracking showed it would have clipped the leg stump. Kohli not happy with the onfield umpires though. He is arguing animatedly with the umpires who are calmly explaining the situation. India lose their review.

[Wicket] 9.3, BD- 39/1: Tamim Iqbal b Mohammed Shami 22 (31b 3x4 0x6) SR: 70.96

Tamim Iqbal chops a ball from Mohammad Shami onto his stumps and has to go after a steady start. The left-hander was standing still on the pitch as he looked to guide it down to third man but had no feet movement whatsoever. Pays the price for it. Big wicket. 

Tamim, Soumya give Tigers a decent start

End of over 7, BD- 28/0

Both Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar look comfortable in the middle as the Tigers got off to a good start. Tamim struck three boundaries and moves on to 20 off 26 balls while Soumya is batting on seven off 16 deliveries.

Soumya Sarkar             7 (16b)

Tamim Iqbal                20 (26b)

Jasprit Bumrah             3-1-13-0

Bhuvneshwar Kumar    3-0-10-0

Fizz bags a fifer as Tigers restrict India to 314 for nine

Mustafizur Rahman bagged a fifer to help Bangladesh restrict India to 314 for nine at Edgbaston in Birmingham today.

All did not start well for the Tigers as India won the toss and elected to bat in this crucial matchup. That point was being further driven home when Rohit Sharma was dropped in just the fifth over by Tamim Iqbal off the bowling of Mustafizur Rahman with Sharma’s only on 9 and India on 18. India continued to dominate with Sharma striking ton in an 180-run opening stand with Lokesh Rahul.

With the Tigers in disarray, shoulders dropping, wicket came from the most unlikely of sources. Soumya Sarkar removed Sharma after a 92-ball 104, laced with one six and six fours to break the opening stand. Rahul threatened to break lose but Rubel Hossain denied him a ton by removing him for 77. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant then started to look for the big runs before Fizz changed the complexion and the tide of the match.

It was Fizz’s cutter that saw Kohli holed out at midwicket and the left-armer then removed the dangerous Hardik Pandya for naught in the same over with an angled length-delivery which Pandya poked to wide slip. Fizz’s double strike curbed the run-scoring for India. He came back later and picked up Dinesh Karthik. The left-armer ended with a five-wicket haul in the end as he bagged MS Dhoni and Mohammd Shami in the last over. Shakib Al Hasan also bagged one wicket as India reached 314 for 9 after threatening to go over the 350-run mark.

49.6, Ind 314/8 - Mustafizur removes Bumrah. Fullish length ball angled across sixth stump at 130 kph/81 mph, Shami shuffles across to try to create an angle into the leg side but only manages to drag onto the stumps. Just three runs in the over and three wickets to match.

49.6, Ind 314/8 - Mushfiqur runs Bhuvneshwar out. Bouncer outside off stump left alone. Signaled a wide on the line by the umpire and they tried to steal a bye. Mushfiqur underhanded to Mustafizur in front of the stumps at the non-striker's end and he flicked on from a yard away with Bhuvneshwar two yards short. B Kumar run out (†Mushfiqur Rahim/Mustafizur Rahman) 2 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

49.3, Ind 311/7 - Mustafizur removes Dhoni. The young pacer got his fourth in this atch as he removed Dhoni in the last over of the innings with three balls remaining. Short ball fetched another wicket for the Fizz. Bouncer at full pace at 137 kph on fifth stump, Dhoni tried to bully this over mid-on but was beaten for pace leaping on his toes, skied it over the umpire at the non-striker's end and it came down safely into Shakib's hands jogging 20 yards left. MS Dhoni c Shakib Al Hasan b Mustafizur Rahman 35 (33b 4x4 0x6) SR: 106.06

47.2, Ind 298/6 - Mustafizur removes Karthik. Slow off-cutter bouncer swallowed up Karthik.  It was that rubbery wrist of the Fizz that ripped across the ball to throw off Karthik's timing on a short ball angled across on a fifth stump line. He tried to muscle a pull over the ring but the ball knuckled in the air toward Mosaddek at midwicket, who backpedalled left and calls off mid-on to take a simple catch five yards inside the edge of the ring. KD Karthik c Mosaddek Hossain b Mustafizur Rahman 8 (9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 88.88

44.1, Ind 277/5 - Shakib dismisses Pant. Pant went for the slog sweep on a fullish length ball spinning in from fourth stump. He went for the long boundary for the left-hander square of the wicket, did not come close to getting enough power behind it. Mosaddek settled 15 yards in from the rope but produced a shaky effort reaching forward at neck height with palms faced out and fingers pointed up. It bursted through and actually deflected off his shoulder before popping up for him to take on the second effort. RR Pant c Mosaddek Hossain b Shakib Al Hasan 48 (41b 6x4 1x6) SR: 117.07

38.4, Ind 273/4 - Mustafizur removes Pandya. Mashrafe wanted wickets out of Mustafizur in this situation, and how well had he delivered. Angled this on a good length, and wide slip came into play. Pandya had a tentative poke, and it went low to the left of Soumya Sarkar, who made no mistake. HH Pandya c Soumya Sarkar b Mustafizur Rahman 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

38.2, Ind 273/3 - Mustafizur removes Kohli. That cutter again from Mustafiz that did the trick. May have stuck in the pitch for a bit more than Kohli expected. He was aiming for that short boundary once again, and he placed it right down Rubel's throat. Kohli fell for the first time in six knocks without getting to at least 50. 

V Kohli c Rubel Hossain b Mustafizur Rahman 26 (27b 3x4 0x6) SR: 96.29

32.4, Ind 195/2 - Rubel removes Rahul. No century here for Rahul, as he looked to slash away a ball that was a touch too full for the shot he looked to play. Took the outer edge - may have been a change of pace too - and droped away to Mushfiqur Rahim's right. He took a good catch low down to his right. KL Rahul c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Rubel Hossain 77 (92b 6x4 1x6) SR: 83.69

29.2, Ind 180/1 - Soumya removes Sharma. A slower off-cutter and Sharma, upon completion of ton, looks to slice it over extra cover but is holed out as Liton Das takes the catch. Sharma c Liton Das b Soumya Sarkar 104 (92b 7x4 5x6) SR: 113.04

Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul during the match against Bangladesh. Photo: AFP

28.6, Ind 176/0 - Sharma strikes ton. Having survived a dropped catch in just the fifth over of the innings while Mustafizur Rahim was bowling, Rohit Sharma has capitalized fully to strike a ton. Tamim Iqbal dropped him while he was batting on only 9 runs.

18.2, Ind: 111/0 - Rahul brings up fifty. Lokesh Rahul flicks Rubel off his pads in the second delivery of the over following a classic straight drive to welcome Rubel to the bowling crease in the first delivery. 

After 17 overs, drinks has been called at Edgbaston. Plenty to ponder for Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza as India reach 99 without loss in 17 overs.

14.4, Indi: 85/0 - Rohit Sharma reaches his 50. Bangladesh had pulled things back through Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza conceding just nine runs in four overs after the first Powerplay. But Shakib bowls a long hop at Rohit Sharma, and the Indian opener hammers it over midwicket for six, and a ball later drives to sweeper cover for a single to bring up his half-century off just 45 balls. 

India 69 without loss after 10 overs. Sharma 38 (29b, 4x4, 2x6), Rahul 28 (32b, 4x4, 0x6); Mashrafe 2-0-20-0, Mustafizur 2-0-23-0.

Bangadesh bowlers have failed the early-overs test for the fifth time in seven matches this World Cup. It was the fifth time that they failed to take a wicket in thie first 10 overs. They could have picked up the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, then on nine, in the fifth over had Tamim Iqbal not dropped a catch. But the missed opportunity and poor bowling from Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman sees India score 69 without loss after the first 10. That is the most Bangladesh have conceded in the first Powerplay in this World Cup so far -- two more than the 67/0 England scored in Cardiff on June 8.

4.4, Ind: 18/0 - Tamim drops Sharma on 9! If there was a fielder Mashrafe Bin Mortaza would have picked to get under this miscued pull from Rohit Sharma off Mustafizur Rahman, it would have been Tamim Iqbal. But Tamim runs around from deep square leg, gets there, and just drops the ball. An early wicket was what Bangladesh desperately needed against a top-heavy Indian lineup, and an early wicket is what Tamim let slip from his hands. Will be interesting to see what this does to the Tigers' body language. 

Bangladesh and India players warm up before their game at Edgbaston. Photo: BCCI

India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first in their crucial game against Bangladesh at Edgbaston in Birmingham today. 

Both teams made two changes to their side. Pacer Rubel Hossain replaces Mehedi Hasan Miraz while Sabbir Rahman comes in in place of yet-to-be-fit Mahmudullah.

India's two changes are: Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar replacing spinner Kuldeep Yadav and batsman Dinesh Karthik replacing all-rounder Kedar Jadav.

Playing XIs: 

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

India have just lost their first match against England following a nervy win against Afghanistan while Bangladesh are hanging there with three wins against three defeats and a washed-out affair.

A win for India would ensure a semifinal berth for the two-time champions while extinguishing the slimmest hopes for the Tigers.

The India-Bangladesh contests have, in recent past, produced some nail-biting finishes and heated moments both on and off the pitch, and given the hig stakes of this match, it would be a surprise if this one goes without any incident.

Aaron Finch: Australia

If former Australia skipper Steven Smith and former deputy David Warner had not been handed a one-year ban in March last year following the infamous ‘sandpaper-gate scandal’ during a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town earlier that month, Australia could have had a different leader in this World Cup. Aaron Finch, who was not even the immediate successor -- only after Tim Paine’s five-match winless stint as captain was Finch called upon to take charge -- has already ensured that Australia were the first team to book a place in the semifinal, with two group matches in hand no less. Smashing two hundreds and three fifties, Finch is second on the top run getters’ list with 496 runs to his name. Inspired by a 116-ball 100 from Finch, Australia strolled past archrivals England in their most recent encounter to take their place atop the points table. If anyone seems to be in total control, it is undoubtedly Finch, who could also reach the finish line ahead of the pack.

Kane Williamson: New Zealand

Calm, collected and lethal at the same time, Kane Williamson steered New Zealand to a very commanding position in the World Cup. Up until a six-wicket defeat against Pakistan on Wednesday, the Kiwis remained unbeaten in their first six games. However, had it not been for Williamson, things could easily have been worse for the Black Caps. Chasing a modest 241 for six posted by South Africa, New Zealand faltered to four for 80 in the 19th over. And when Williamson got down on one knee and smashed an outside off a slower delivery from Andile Phehlukwayo over mid-wicket in the final over to bring up his ton, the 28-year old took off his helmet and made a simple gesture with his bat towards the pavilion while everyone had anticipated an animated jubilation for ensuring an eventual four-wicket win that would come off the next delivery with a boundary. Williamson’s calm nature indicated that he knew it was long from over and that he would keep on rescuing his team, just like he did in the next game with a 154-ball 148 against West Indies.

Virat Kohli: India

For a team where all the players seem to know their particular roles and have been delivering consistently for a considerable amount of time, often the skipper does not have to come up with something extraordinary as just playing his role becomes enough. India skipper Virat Kohli has not yet pulled off something extraordinary for his troops, who are yet to be defeated. While his four fifties in five games is an average display considering his own abilities, India’s stern grip at the top-three shows that Kohli is yet to take a wrong step in the flagship event.

Eoin Morgan- England

England skipper Eoin Morgan must be scratching his head and trying to figure out how they have landed in a situation where the hosts are now required to win the remainder of their two matches against India and New Zealand. While Morgan’s best display -- a match winning 71 off 148 -- came against a weak Afghanistan side, his worst was reserved for classic rivals Australia at Lord’s as the English skipper could only manage four off seven in their 64-run thumping.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza: Bangladesh

44 overs, 279 runs and just a solitary wicket -- not very captain-like figures from Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, whose prime task as a frontline pacer is to scalp wickets and contain runs. Considering individual performances, it has not been a dream World Cup for Mashrafe as he had more contributions off the field, such as during the post or pre match conferences, than he had contributed on the field. However, to see Bangladesh among the top-five teams with seven points from as many games, it must be said that the skipper is doing something right to guide his team to that position.

Sarfaraz Ahmed: Pakistan

Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has so far been discussed for almost only embarrassing or wrong reasons. While images and videos of him yawning during Pakistan’s high-voltage game against India had been the topic of banter throughout social media, his visible unwillingness to take the strike and put the finishing touch on the game against Australia, where Wahab Riaz’s heroics was only complemented by Sarfaraz’s hilarious run-out, was widely criticised by journalists and cricket experts the world over. However, it is not the first time that Pakistan have bounced back from such situations. In fact, the results of this World Cup have been identical to those of the 1992 edition -- when Pakistan went on to lift the trophy. And while Pakistan fans would love to see it happen all over again, skipper Sarfaraz, who’s highest till now is an unconvincing 55 against England, would need to transform into a pragmatic leader if he is to walk the path of the great Imran Khan, who captained Pakistan in 1992.

Dimuth Karunaratne: Sri Lanka

Even after becoming only the second batsmen to have carried his bat through an innings in the World Cup, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne could not avert a 10-wicket thumping in their World Cup opener against New Zealand in Cardiff. Karunaratne again saw his team stutter after he had fallen for a valiant 97 -- his career best ODI score -- against mighty Australia in chase of a mammoth 334 for seven. However, Sri Lanka still have their semifinal hopes alive, courtesy of a magnificent 20-run win over England. Karunaratne, who has a comparatively inexperienced team, needs to not only play well but also inspire his troops to achieve what no one expected.

Jason Holder: West Indies

Jason Holder could have guided West Indies to a magnificent win over Australia -- a game that the Caribbean lost by just 15 runs. West Indies required 37 runs from 25 deliveries with three wickets in hand when Holder decided to pull a Mitchell Starc bouncer on the leg stump line but reacted late only to see it ricochet off his gloves and be taken by the keeper. However, it was the best match for Holder in the ongoing World Cup as he scored 51 off 57 before returning economical figures of one for 28 in seven overs. While Holder remained expensive -- conceding 42 runs for three wickets in five overs -- in a dominating seven-wicket victory over Pakistan, Holder is yet to be the captain they need.

Faf du Plessis-South Africa

South Africa were the second most consistent team in this World Cup so far after Afghanistan as Faf du Plessis’ men lost five of their seven games with the game against West Indies being washed out and a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan. While du Plessis could point out factors such as Dale Steyn’s injury and Lungi Ngidi’s unavailability for the same reason in crucial matches, the skipper himself failed at crunch moments. His decision was also questioned when he opted to bat on a relatively slow track in Southampton against a spin-heavy India. Du Plessis’s two fifties in the tournament, which came against Bangladesh (62) and Pakistan (63), were all for lost causes, indicating the impact he had for a team who have already exited the tournament.

Gulbadin Naib-Afghanistan

“We are already drowned darling, but we’ll take you with us.” were the words of Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib ahead of their 62-run thrashing at the hands of Bangladesh. As it stands, that was the highest level of threat he posed in the tournament. Naib’s highest score in the tournament -- a 75-ball 47 against Bangladesh -- never looked threatening. And while Naib could be credited giving India a good scare in a nail biting encounter, the only thing that the Afghans can do now is focus on their captain’s words and make it difficult for Pakistan and West Indies.

The aim of any global sporting showpiece should be to provide a level playing field, and it was note-worthy that -- whether by chance or design -- Bangladesh’s Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib were the two captains sitting on either side of the World Cup trophy during yesterday’s official World Cup captains’ press conference in London. It would be easy to say that these are the two nations least likely to win the World Cup as in the general perception they are not yet contenders, but the first question Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was asked during the presser revealed that Bangladesh’s performances over the last four years -- since their march to the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals -- has caught the eye of people who assess the different teams’ chances.

Moderator Mark Chapman asked about the nine ODI series Bangladesh have won between the two World Cups, all under the stewardship of Mashrafe. The Narail express answered on stage that they now have a good bunch of cricketers, with a nice mixture of experienced players and talented, exciting youngsters.

“Cricket is a game that on your day you can beat anybody. If you start well, you can hang in there. We are very much confident, but it depends on starting well,” he said on stage.

But on the sidelines, when talking to a few Bangladeshi journalists, Mashrafe appeared pleased with the attention that Bangladesh had gotten because of the results over the past four years.

“When we [captains] were talking among ourselves, they asked about us winning nine series since the last World Cup,” Mashrafe said after the event. “That they know about this, that our win percentage over the last two years is very good… these analyses, maybe once I didn’t even think that they thought about these things.

“That means that big teams think about these things about us; that they know means that they have discussed about these things. This is an improvement. I hope that if we keep performing like this, we will have the ability to get to the next level. I hope we are at the next level, now it is about doing well in this tournament. But it obviously feels good that they are respecting Bangladesh cricket.”

Bangladesh have a lot to be happy about heading into the official training camp in Cardiff from tomorrow, then the warm-up matches against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively, before tak-ing on South Africa in their World Cup opener on June 2. They just won their first ODI multi-team trophy in Ireland a week ago, and while Mashrafe thought that oft-doubted players like Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Mosaddek Hossain firing made them as well prepared as ever, the Tigers would do well to put the euphoria of Ireland behind them.

“I have to say that it is hard to be better prepared than we are now. And of course it is a huge confidence boost to win our first trophy after so many disappointments, but we cannot be holding on to that for long. Instead of thinking of winning our first three or four games, we have to focus on the first game. I think the Ireland win was a great thing for us, but now the focus needs to shift to June 2.”