Sudden death looms, but Tigers hopeful

Bangladesh take on Australia in their first T20 World Cup Super 8 fixture at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday.

Highlights

*Australia have six wins to their name against Bangladesh's four in 10 T20Is. All four of the Tigers' victories came in Mirpur.

*Bangladesh have never beaten Australia in the T20 World Cup, losing in five meetings.

*Average first innings total at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is 118. Pacers and spinners have had similar experiences at the venue as both have conceded runs at less than seven an over. In this T20 World Cup, however, spinners have conceded more, 8.45 runs an over, than pacers (7.74).

*Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib has taken seven wickets in the Powerplay, joint-most with Afghanistan Fazalhaq Farooqi for most scalps taken in the first six overs in the tournament. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman's 67 dot balls is the joint-most in the group-stage of the tournament alongside New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson.

*At the batting front, Marcus Stoinis (10) and Travis Head (9) both are in the top five for most sixes hit in the edition so far. Towhid Hridoy is in the top 10 with six maximums.

*Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib, who will be on a hattrick whenever he comes to bowl against Australia, needs one wicket to become the first player to take 50 wickets in T20 World Cup history. He is also two wickets away from becoming only the second player after Tim Southee (164) to take 150 scalps in the format.

The umpire who awarded England six runs from a freak overthrow in the last over of the World Cup final has admitted he made an "error" and should have given one run fewer, a report said Sunday.

A throw to the stumps deflected off the bat of a diving Ben Stokes as he tried to complete a second run and raced to the boundary, with Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarding six. Three balls later the scores at 50 overs were tied as England reached 241 all out replying to New Zealand's 241-8. It took the nail-biting final to a Super Over which again was tied but England lifted the trophy by virtue of having scored more boundaries. 

Critics, including former leading umpire Simon Taufel, said England should have been awarded five runs, not six, as the batsmen had not crossed for the second run at the moment the ball was thrown.

Former Sri Lankan Test player Dharmasena told the Sunday Times he did not have the benefit of television replays which showed the batsmen had not crossed.

"I agree that there was an error of judgement when I see it on TV replays now," Dharmasena, who was umpiring the final with South Africa's Marais Erasmus, told the local Sunday Times. "But we did not have the luxury of TV replays at the ground and I do not regret the decision I made."

Dharmasena said he signalled six after consulting the other match officials. "So, I did consult the leg umpire (Erasmus) through the communication system which is heard by all other umpires and the match referee," he told the newspaper.

"While they cannot check TV replays, they all confirmed that the batsmen have completed the second run. This is when I made my decision."

Taufel had told Fox Sports Australia the umpires made a "clear mistake" as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run.

But the Australian also 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 as it was impossible to now what would have happened in the final balls had five been awarded.

Not all of us are cricket gurus or analysts. Some watch the game purely for entertainment. And the Bangladesh national cricket team brings a stroke of joy into our otherwise mundane lives. However, this iota of joy comes at the cost of our frazzled nerves.

I don't understand cricket much, but I have wholeheartedly loved the game ever since I saw flamboyant Ravi Shastri hitting fours and sixes back in the day.

I watch each game from start to finish; watch the pre- and post-game analysis, eagerly await the toss, and pray constantly that they have a good day on the field. And then, read all about it in the newspaper the next day.

Yes, I put that much time into Bangladesh cricket! That much blind faith in their performance, much to my foolhardiness. Although they never fail to enthuse a fan like me to no limits, their antics, both inside and outside the field, are as good as any soap opera.

Now, I don't want to go into the nitty-gritty of the board's and selection team's inanity. Sports politics is very complex to me. Yet, I will vote for my Tigers on any given day, setting aside their arrogance, overconfidence, and so on.

I will also overlook facts that we don't have quality openers, our top batting order is unable to build partnerships, choking at crucial games, or their inability to win outside the borders of Mirpur stadium.

Sadly, fans like me will always hope that the next game will be better and that they won't repeat their old mistakes. We console ourselves by thinking that it was just a bad day on the field. However, these bad days are trending hashtags at the Tigers' den. We hardly ever get to see a good day.

And yet our hopes remain high; we always stand by our Tigers, old or new. In our daydreams, we see them triumph in their next tournament and bring home a trophy.

In all honesty, the Tigers' fan club, consisting of members like me, are the real losers for always believing in their fabled abilities. Our team supposedly contains top-ranking players in the world. So where is this supposed performance?

Like I said before, I don't understand the subtle dynamics of the game; I am not a cricket guru. My rantings are purely from the point of view of a die-hard fan. Consider this a therapy session of me, venting out my frustrations about my broken heart after every game.

This sounds especially silly because every time they lose, I promise myself never to watch them play again. And yet, like an unashamed fool, whenever the Bangladesh Tigers are on the pitch, I follow the game through whatever means. I hear the game on the radio (quick shoutout to Radio Bhumi's commentary style) while I am in the car, constantly check updates on Cricinfo when I am not near a television set, and glued to the TV when at home.

If they are losing wickets or the game, I turn off the TV and pretend I don't care about them missing a catch and dropping someone twice or getting run out or caught behind. Although, every few seconds, I sneak a peek on Cricinfo with half an eye open, like I do when watching a horror film.

I cannot stay away from them. I have a bitter love story with the Tigers, jam-packed with superstitions and delusions. If they score a four when I am not in the room, I will stay on that spot until they run dry of fours. If one gets out while I was munching on a packet of chips, then chips are forever banned as a choice during game munchies!

If switching off the TV somehow changes the score for the better, then that TV will stay off, while I stay seated in front of the switched-off TV. I even repeat the same kurti I wore when they won a game!

You see, for me, these small rituals matter more than their statistics and performance figures. They are an unpredictable team. They will lose a winning game and win a losing one. So, I rely on my antics more than theirs.

As predicted, this ongoing tournament is playing havoc with my hypertension — it goes up and down like the scores of their top-order batsmen. I have emotionally invested so much in them, with no hopes of any return, that my soppiness can only be compared to a supporting role in a bad Bangla cinema script.

I might die before the Tigers mature and grow some claws. From a fan who doesn't understand much, the Tigers need to play their best game instead of focusing on game politics, fat cheques, and endorsement.

My head cannot take any more cricketing riddles. I think I will finally call it quits. I give up on the Tigers. Promise (not)!

Mustafizur Rahman pointed to the sky knowingly, a smile spread across his face. The delivery to Rahmat Shah, only his second of the first ODI against Afghanistan, got him a wicket. But it was the satisfaction in execution of his plan that brought assuredness for Bangladesh's 'cuttermaster', who managed his first four-for in ODIs yesterday in over a year's time.

The last-moment cocking of the wrist, just before the point of delivery, angled to leave the right-hander from over the wicket, worked its charm. The delivery moved just slightly outward, taking the edge and through to Mushfiqur Rahim's gloves. The other important bit in that delivery, of course, was the length. Mustafizur bowled it three-quarter length, just enough to induce a shot but not enough for the batter's feet to adjust to middle the shot as he found the nick.

Left-handed Sediqullah Atal got one that nipped back in sharply, the length again full enough to induce the drive but movement also sharp enough to trap the batter in front. The 29-year-old pacer made it three wickets in two overs with another gem of a delivery, which moved away sharply from Azmatullah Omarzai, taking the nick through to the wicketkeeper. All three deliveries that got him wickets had that wrist position to thank for.

Since the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Mustafizur's form has been under scrutiny. In 11 matches he has averaged 50, his strike-rate just short of 50. His career average of 25.98 and strike-rate of 30.1 show that the champion pacer has suffered greatly during this period.

He went wicketless in four World Cup matches but it was the expensive spells against the big sides that hurt the left-arm pacer. But what possibly was becoming a point of concern was how ineffective he often looked with the new ball, bar that one match against New Zealand in Chennai at the World Cup. In the 11 matches from the start of that World Cup in India, the left-armer has managed more than one wicket just twice.

Yesterday, his first three wickets had come with the new ball. He and Taskin Ahmed left Afghanistan in trouble at 71 for five in 20 overs.

Mustafizur, allowed to attack with the new ball, found a new avenue where he did not altogether have to rely on the cutters.

A 104-run stand between Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi allowed Afghanistan to get out of trouble. It would be Bangladesh bowlers' only negative in the match as they were not able to break that all-important partnership sooner. Both Taskin and Mustafizur went for over 50 runs but Shoriful Islam, the other pacer, kept things nice and tight.

From Afghanistan's point of view, despite Taskin and Mustafizur's four-fors, the fightback had been effective, especially how Nabi managed to keep Taskin at bay.

Nabi and Shahidi would have hurt Bangladesh more in the death overs had Mustafizur not removed the Afghan skipper in the 41st over as Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 235 in the final over.

More than the four-for, however, Mustafizur would be keen on building on his work after the ball did the talking for him in Sharjah.

England batter Joe Root is banking on his team using the lessons they learnt in 2019 when they try to defend their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title in India later this year.

Root was part of the victorious England side that lifted their inaugural World Cup trophy at home four years ago and they get the chance to become just the third team to claim back-to-back titles when they travel to the sub-continent for this year's 50-over showcase.

The memories of a thrilling Super Over clash in the World Cup Final at Lord's in 2019 are still fresh in Root's mind, and the star right-hander is hoping he will be able to emulate that victory in India in November.

"Having the experience of 2019 and how good that was and how much that meant to the group and for them to go out and get the opportunity to defend it is something we are relishing and really looking forward to," Root said.

"We are going to have to play some really good cricket, we are going to have to adapt to different conditions and have that consistency that you need so we will see how we go."

England are one of the teams that have already named a preliminary squad for the six-week tournament and the defending champions revealed a few surprises in their initial group by leaving out young batter Harry Brook and including uncapped pacer Gus Atkinson.

Root has confidence in the squad chosen to get the job done for England during the World Cup and knows his team must play their best cricket at the pointy end of the tournament.

"It is very exciting to play in a World Cup event is something that you always look forward to as a player," Root said.

"Big tournaments and big moments is where you want to go out and perform and impress and deliver for your country.

"You have to get to those last two games - the semi-final and the final - and it is about turning up and putting in the performance when it really counts."

And unsurprisingly Root nominated a pair of his teammates as the most likely players to be the leading run scorer and wicket-taker at the eagerly-awaited event that commences on October 5.

"I am going to go for Jonny Bairstow (to be the leading run scorer)," Root suggested.

"He is someone that always has a point to prove, he is a wonderful white-ball player and he has been so consistent for us at the top of the order."

Root expects conditions teams will face in India will suit the slower bowlers and believes Adil Rashid can thrive by being the leading wicket-taker.

"He (Rashid) has so many different skills and variations to call upon," Root added.

"We know how important it is to take wickets in the middle overs...he has done a wonderful job for us for a long time and I anticipate him being very difficult on these wickets."