12:00 AM, June 16, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 06:53 AM, June 16, 2019

Finch, Starc shine in 87-run win over SL

Australia captain Aaron Finch struck 153 to help post 334 for seven against Sri Lanka in a World Cup match yesterday. Photo: Reuters

AFP, London

Australia captain Aaron Finch and pace bowler Mitchell Starc stole the show as the World Cup holders eased to an 87-run win over Sri Lanka at the Oval yesterday.

Finch equalled his career-best one-day international score with a masterful 153 and Steve Smith chipped in with 73 as Australia scored an imposing 334-7.

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Needing a World Cup record run-chase to claim a shock win, Sri Lanka got off to a flying start thanks to a first-wicket partnership of 115 between captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera.

But Perera departed for 52 and when Karunaratne fell on 97 the game swung back in Australia’s direction.

Starc was the catalyst, with a fiery spell of three wickets in six balls, Australia eventually dismissing Sri Lanka for 247 thanks in large part to his 4-55 from 10 overs.

Kane Richardson added three wickets of his own as Australia made it four wins from their five group matches after previously beating Afghanistan, the West Indies and Pakistan.

Their lone defeat in the 10-team tournament came against India and their latest victory puts them well on course for a semi-final berth.

“I thought we were a tad short with the new ball and it’s so hard to pull it back after that,” said man-of-the-match Finch.

“We were a bit slow to change our plans and lost a bit of momentum.”

“With each game we’re improving,” he added. “Through the middle overs today we were excellent with the way we pulled it back with our pace bowlers and Maxy (Glenn Maxell). Mitch was all over them, he is a world-class bowler.”

Sri Lanka, who lost their last seven wickets for 42 runs, have only one win from their five matches, a disappointing run that includes two washouts.

They face a struggle to reach the semifinals with only four matches left, a spell that features encounters with title contenders England and India.

Sri Lanka had briefly looked capable of surpassing the World Cup chase set by Ireland, who made 329-7 to beat England in 2011.

Karunaratne and his opening partner Perera blasted 24 from the first two overs and reached their fifty partnership in just the seventh over.

But Starc bowled Perera and Jason Behrendorff dismissed Lahiru Thirimanne for 16 as Australia hit back.

Karunaratne stumbled short of his maiden World Cup century when he carelessly flicked Richardson to Maxwell at backward point.

That left Sri Lanka on 186-3 and Pat Cummins then had Angelo Mathews caught behind by Alex Carey.

That set the stage for Starc to turn the screw by dismissing Milinda Siriwardana, Thisara Perera and Kusal Mendis in quick succession.

Mendis’s mistimed drive off Starc reduced Sri Lanka to 222-7 and shattered their resistance.

Earlier, Finch took the Sri Lanka attack apart with a dazzling display that included 15 fours and five sixes.

He was well-supported by Smith’s 73 from 59 balls and the pair put on 173 runs for the third wicket.

Sri Lanka had no answer to Finch’s brutal assault and by the time he departed, caught by Karunaratne off Isuru Udana, Australia were in a commanding position.

Maxwell’s quick-fire 46 from 25 balls rubbed salt into Sri Lanka’s wounds.

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England ended their 44-year wait for a maiden 50-overs World Cup title by beating a gutsy New Zealand side on boundaries after a tied Super Over amidst heart-stopping drama on Sunday.

Chasing 242 for victory, Ben Stokes' scintillating 84 not out helped the hosts tie the see-saw contest, forcing the Super Over where more nail-biting excitement unfolded.

Buttler and Stokes took 15 runs off Trent Boult's Super Over without losing their wickets.

New Zealand also scored 15 runs off Jofra Archer's over but England won on boundary count, triggering wild celebrations at Lord's as the hosts capped a stunning turnaround.

Since being unceremoniously dumped out of the 2015 edition of the marquee tournament in Australia, Eoin Morgan's England side have reinvented themselves as a white-ball juggernaut, heading into this World Cup as overwhelming favourites.

Back-to-back defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage helped England rediscover the attacking brand of fearless cricket which has been the hallmark of the current team.

They dismantled India and New Zealand to storm into the semi-finals, where they crushed Australia with another ruthless display of all-round excellence.

Sunday's final, England's first since 1992, pitted them against a New Zealand team chasing their own slice of history after spending decades as the tournament's bridesmaids.

CONTROLLED BOWLING

Morgan lost an important toss, but Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes led England's controlled bowling display to restrict New Zealand to 241 for eight on a two-paced wicket.

Henry Nicholls made 55 and Tom Latham chipped in with 47 but lack of significant partnerships hurt New Zealand, who eventually settled for a below-par total.

Nicholls and Williamson put on 74 runs to bolster the New Zealand innings but Plunkett's two-wicket, cross-seam masterclass took the wind out of their sails.

Plunkett dismissed both batsmen just when the partnership was looking dangerous and he eventually finished with 3-42.

Woakes claimed three as well, including the wicket of Latham just when the batsman was looking poised to provide the late charge that could have taken New Zealand past the 250-mark.

New Zealand's new ball pair of Trent Boult and Matt Henry returned determined not to let it become a cakewalk for the hosts.

Henry dismissed the in-form Jason Roy for 10 and Colin de Grandhomme put a struggling Joe Root (7) out of his misery.

England could have been in a bigger hole had de Grandhomme not dropped a waist-high return catch from Bairstow, then on 18.

England were gasping on 86-4 when Stokes was joined by Buttler for a 110-run stand to revive the chase and tie the scores, producing one of the most thrilling matches in the history of the game. (Source: Reuters)

England win a thriller to clinch their maiden World Cup after tied match. England lift the World Cup courtesy of more boundaries in the match as the Super Over also finished on a tie. Both teams scored 15 runs in the Super Over. England are ecstatic after this unbelievable game that created heart-stopping drama right till the last ball of the tournament.

The Kiwis fought till the end and in the final ball of the Super Over, they needed two but Guptill fell short of his crease after hitting it towards mid wicket. Jason Roy picked the ball up at midwicket before he threw it at the striker's end and Buttler took off the bails to hand England the trophy. It took a tie-break rule to seperate the two sides and England won it because of more boundaries in the match.

New Zealand need 16 runs in the Super Over to win the World Cup. Neesham and Martin Guptill are batting for New Zealand.

0.1 - Wide ball from Archer

0.1 - NZ runs two

0.2 - A humongous hit from Neesham. What a hit. Six!

0.3 - Neesham takes two again. NZ need five runs from three deliveries.

0.4 - Another two from Neesham

0.5 - A single this time and Guptill to play last delivery. NZ need two

0.6 - Guptill tries two but he is short of his crease. Run out ! The match is tied but England win the World Cup

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler has come into bat for England in the Super Over. Boult to bowl the Super Over for the Kiwis. England gets 15 in the Super Over.

Super Over England

0.1 - Three runs. Stokes gets a top edge and goes over third man and England run three.

0.2 - Buttler takes a single

0.3 - Stokes plays it fabulously over mid wicket for four

0.4 - Buttler takes a single

0.5 - Two runs

0.6 - Stokes gets a four.

49.6, Eng 241 all out - The final between New Zealand and England has gone to Super Over in what is the most thrilling final ever in a World Cup match. England needed 15 in the last over and 2 runs were needed off the last delivery bowled by Trent Boult and Stokes who has been batting brilliantly, checked his stroke in the last delivery that he played at long on and tried to steal two. He runs two but his partner Mark Wood at the other end is short of his crease. Run out! What a game of cricket! The World Cup final is tied and there will be a Super Over to decide the fate of the game. Rashid run out (Santner/Boult) 0 (0b 0x4 0x6)

48.6, ENG 227/8: Jofra Archer clean bowled by Neesham by a slower ball.

48.3, ENG 220/7: Plunkett looked to score a six but was caught at long off as Jimmy Neesham scalped his second of the day.

46.1, ENG 203/6: Another wicket as Lockie Ferguson sent Chris Woakes sent back. Ferguson banged in short and a top edge led the ball high in the sky. Wicket keeper Tom Latham went behind to take a comfortable catch at the end to bring life to this chase. Nail biting as Ben Stokes still in the middle. Liam Plunkett in the middle to accompany Stokes.

44.5, ENG 196/5: Lockie Ferguson breaks the hundred run partnership as the substitute fielder Tim Southee took a catch at sweeper cover to send Jos Buttler back. It seemed like this pair would take the England over the line but the batsman sliced a 123kmph ball and never looked in control. New energy in the New Zealand players as they feel like they can defend the total.

New Zealand bowlers have no answer to the Buttler, Stokes pair as the batsmen look to hammer through to victory. Jos Buttler jabbed a Trent Boult ball off the mid wicket for four to bring up his half century, whereas, a ball later, Ben Stokes took a single as he pushed a ball towards to bring up his half century. This one hundred run partnership was the one thing England needed and the New Zealand looked to have no answers to the havoc. Game slipping away from the Kiwis.

A fifty run stand between Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler as England look to chase the total of 242. The batsmen had to toil hard for each run in the initial stages of their innings but as the partnership grew, the players looked to play more freely. A long way to go for the English side to lift their first World Cup as New Zealand do not seem to have lost any energy in the middle. The Kiwi bowlers and fielders have done everything possible to subdue the run rate and create pressure till now. However, this partnership looked dangerous for the New Zealanders.

20.1, ENG 86/4: A stunning catch by Lockie Ferguson sent an unsettled Eoin Morgan back to the dressing room for nine in 22 balls. The whole stadium was in awe as Ferguson came running from the boundary line and dive infront towards the ball only to scalp one of the best catches in this tournament. The umpires sent it upstairs to get a closer look but the catch was clean. Jimmy Neesham gets his first of the day. EJG Morgan c Ferguson b Neesham 9 (22b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.90

England's Jonny Bairstow (R) walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal during the 2019 Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Photo: AFP

19.3, ENG 73/3: Jonny Bairstow chopped himself out as Lockie Ferguson scalped his first of the day. Bairstow scored 36 runs off 55 balls as England lost wickets in quick successions. Runs have been hard to come as New Zealand's fielding made sure the English had to work hard for every run. In desperate need of a partnership, Ben Stokes came onto the field in hope to steady the ship for England. JM Bairstow b Ferguson 36 (55b 7x4 0x6) SR: 65.45

New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme celebrates taking the wicket of England's Joe Root. Photo: Reuters

16.3, ENG 59/2: Colin De Grandhomme sent back Joe Root, as the batsman nicked the ball to the keeper Tom Latham. The England number three never looked comfortable in the middle as he scored seven off 30 deliveries. JE Root c †Latham b de Grandhomme 7 (30b 0x4 0x6) SR: 23.33

England bring up their fifty within 15 overs with major contribution from Jonny Bairstow who looked to score with ease in the middle. The batsmen scored 30 runs with Joe Root on the other side. New Zealand bowlers and fielders have been excellent to keep the runs in check.

5.4, ENG 28/1: Mat Henry got the prized wicket of Jason Roy as New Zealand got their first wicket. Angling in towards the off stump, the ball was inviting as Jason Roy nicked it to give the Kiwi wicket keeper Tom Latham a comfortable catch behind the stumps. A huge blow for England as Roy always ensured England got a perfect start at the beginning. Joe Root came onto the field to accompany Bairstow in the middle. JJ Roy c †Latham b Henry 17 (20b 3x4 0x6) SR: 85.00

England came down to chase a total of 242 runs after their excellent display of bowling and fielding in the first innings.

New Zealand bowlers were on top as Jason Roy survived an early scare of a LBW. However, after the umpire adjudged it not out, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson took some time before deciding to review it. Fate was not on his side as the ball just clipped the stumps, thus the on field umpire had the last say.

The ball looked to swing in and out and also stuck on the pitch in the first five overs but the England openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, despite having started shakily, upped the tempo.

New Zealand's Colin De GRANDHOMME sent back. Photo: Reuters

England restrict New Zealand for 241

Having chosen to bat after winning the toss, New Zealand could only manage 241 for eight at the end of their 50 overs.

England restricted New Zealand to 241-8 in the World Cup final as the hosts boosted their bid to make history by winning the tournament for the first time on Sunday.

Eoin Morgan's side were fuelled by three wickets each from Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes on a green-tinged pitch in cloudy conditions that aided the pace bowlers at Lord's.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had elected to bat first, but his gamble backfired, with only Henry Nicholls (55) reaching a half-century for the 2015 World Cup runners-up in their 50 overs.

England struck early when opener Martin Guptill was dismissed by Woakes, before Williamson and Nicholls put on 74 for the second wicket.

Plunkett restored England's grip on the match with two quick wickets to remove star batsman Williamson for 30 and then Nicholls.

New Zealand, who are aiming to win the World Cup for the first time, could not establish any momentum after that as economical bowling from Plunkett, Woakes and Mark Wood turned the screw for England.

Plunkett finished with impressive figures of three wickets for 42 runs from his 10 overs, while Woakes took 3-37 from nine overs.

Derek Pringle was the only previous England player to take three wickets in a World Cup final, his haul coming against Pakistan in 1992.

Pringle's efforts were in vain as they lost that final against Pakistan 27 years ago.

England were also beaten in their two other World Cup finals, against Australia in 1987 and the West Indies in 1979.

Thanks to Plunkett and Woakes, England are within touching distance of finally ending their long wait to join England's footballers in 1966 and the 2003 rugby union team as world champions.

(AFP)

49.3, NZ 240/8: Mat Henry just looked to hit the ball over the boundary without looking for proper timing. A full ball right on to the stumps as Jofra Archer bagged his first of the day.

48.3, NZ 232/7: Another soft dismissal as Tom Latham lofted one to mid off fielder James Vince. Chirs Woakes was the second man after Liam Plunkett to scalp three wickets. England completely in control as they look to finish strong. TWM Latham c sub (JM Vince) b Woakes 47 (56b 2x4 1x6) SR: 83.92

46.5, NZ 219/6: A soft dismissal as Chris Woakes scalped his first wicket of the day. Colin De Grandhomme never looked comfortable in the middle after he was struck on the head by Jofra Archer. England seemed to be in charge as New Zealand were not given a chance to free their hands too much in the third power-play yet. Mitchell Santner came on to the field to accompany Latham. C de Grandhomme c sub (JM Vince) b Woakes 16 (28b 0x4 0x6) SR: 57.14

39, NZ 173/5: A big bump in the road for New Zealand as Jimmy Neesham was sent back by Liam Plunkett. A straightforward catch at mid on by Joe Root as Neesham had to walk home despite having scored freely in the middle. The partnership of Jimmy Neesham and Tom Latham looked to be dangerous for England but Plunkett who was brought in by England skipper Eoin Morgan to break this partnership struck gold again. JDS Neesham c Root b Plunkett 19 (25b 3x4 0x6) SR: 76.00

33.1, NZ 141/4 : Mark Wood sent Ross Taylor back as England do not seem let New Zealand build a partnership. The ball angled in from wide, as the ball struck the pads of the New Zealand batsmen Ross Taylor, given out by the umpire. The Kiwis were not able to review the decision as Martin Guptill used the allocated review for New Zealand. However, the ball tracker showed that the ball would have missed the stumps as it would have gone over the leg stumps. LRPL Taylor lbw b Wood 15 (31b 0x4 0x6) SR: 48.38

26.5, NZ 118/3: The ball nicked the bat before it went to hit the stumps as Henry Nicholls was sent back by Liam Plunkett. Two breakthroughs in quick successions by Plunkett as he scalped his second in the match to put England in the driving seat. New Zealand were looking comfortable in the middle with Nicholls and Williamson, building a strong partnership but two strikes by Plunkett sent both these batsmen back to the pavilion. HM Nicholls b Plunkett 55 (77b 4x4 0x6) SR: 71.42

25.1, NZ 110/2: Henry Nicholls scored a fighting half century despite losing his opening partner Guptill and skipper Williamson on the other side. Nicholls's kept his celebrations in check keeping in mind the task he has in hand to take the Kiwis to a decent total.

New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal during the 2019 Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Photo: AFP

22.4, NZ 103/2: Liam Plunkett sent New Zealand captain Kane Williamson back to the dressing room as a review turned the decision to the favor of the Englishmen. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena initially ruled it as a not out but, the England skipper, Eoin Morgan was very confident as he instantly took the review. The ball seemed to get a heavy touch with the bat before landing inside the gloves of Jos Butler, an easy catch for the wicket keeper. Williamson out after scoring 30 runs off 53 balls as Ross Taylor made his way into the crease. KS Williamson c †Buttler b Plunkett 30 (53b 2x4 0x6) SR: 56.60

21.2, NZ 100/1: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls put up a 50-plus run partnership in the middle to take the Kiwis past the hundred run mark within 22 overs, after the early demise of Martin Guptill. The batsmen took comfortable singles and doubles and scored odd boundaries in loose balls to put the Kiwis in a srong position to put up an above par score in the final.

Martin Guptill's poor World Cup form continued in the today's final at Lord's. Photo: AFP

6.2, NZ 29/1: Henry Nicholls had survived with a review off Chris Woakes but his opening partner Martin Guptill is not so lucky as he is trapped infront by Woakes when looking to drive the ball on the up. Guptill challenged the umpire's decision and took the review but replays showed that ball would have hit the stumps this time around. England draw first blood in this final. Guptill lbw b Woakes 19 (18b 2x4 1x6) SR: 105.55

Nicholls survives with early review

It looked like England had drawn first blood when Chirs Woakes hit Henry Nicholls with a inswinger which darted back in late to the left-hander. The umpire raised his finger but Nicholls considererd it for a moment even as the ball hit his back leg. Everything looks good for England except the height of the delivery and replays confirm that the ball would have missed the stumps. Good decision to review that one. Nicholls survives.

New Zealand have won the crucial toss and decided to bat first against England in the final of the 2019 ICC World Cup at Lord's. Both teams are unchanged.

Playing XIs:

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (capt), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Tom Latham (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

The toss was delayed by 15 minutes due to morning showers, but rain seems to have eased away. The match will start at 3:45pm Bangladesh time.

Fans dressed up in umpire uniforms for the World Cup final at Lord's. Photo: Reuters

The prize purse for the winners and runners-up is heavy, with the champions to get $4m and the runners-up half of it. There will also be indivdual awards, including the MVP of the tournament, where Shakib Al Hasan is a front-runner.

But that will be decided after the final itself. The past finals have been rather drab affair, one-sided and often predictable. This time, we'd hope it is a different thing for the sake of the game and those who follow it.

At least one thing that is definitely going to be different is that we will get a new champion. And it is likely to be a battle between the most explosive batting line-up and a shrewd bowling attack.

Hosts England have brushed aside years of underachievement by reaching the final for a fourth time -- 27 years since their last -- and look like the team to beat. New Zealand, the perennial semifinalists, had gone one better last time with a final appearance. Could they go one better again this time?

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Bangladesh have worse results against other teams. They won only one of 21 matches against Australia and against Pakistan, they have won just five of 36. However, India remain the White Whale for the Tigers, not just because of a 5-29 win-loss ratio, but because in recent times India have been the one fish -- or mammal -- that got away despite Bangladesh having them in their grasp.

The most recent such example was the teams' last encounter, in the Asia Cup final in Dubai, last September. Centurion Liton Das and surprise opener Mehedi Hasan Miraz had the Indians on the ropes with a 120-run opening stand, but then Bangladesh imploded to 222 all out. They still showed fight to take the match to the last over, but were heartbroken again, again at the hands of India in a crunch game.

Before that, Bangladesh lost the Nidahas Trophy T20 final against India in Colombo when Dinesh Karthik hit Soumya Sarkar over cover for six off the last ball of the match. The 2016 World Twenty20 is perhaps the harshest as Bangladesh were dumped out of the tournament after needing just two runs to win from three balls, only for the three wickets to fall without a score being added. They had also lost the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinal and the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal against India, and the 2016 T20 Asia Cup final to India. In the ongoing World Cup too, with Bangladesh in a position where they have to win their next two matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the semifinals, the Tigers are faced with their white whale.

Having run a fine, praiseworthy World Cup campaign so far, if Bangladesh are to stand a chance of upstaging the form team of the tournament and gaining arguably the team's most prized scalp, there are a few areas they could look to shore up on.

Early wickets, calling Soumya and Fizz

This works both ways. Only once in their six matches in the ongoing World Cup -- in the match against New Zealand on June 5 -- have Bangladesh taken more than one wicket in the first 10 overs. Against India that could well be costly, especially if the likes of Rohit Sharma are allowed to settle in. Bangladesh have some inspiration to draw on from the World Cup warm-up game against India on May 28. Mustafizur Rahman opened the bowling, got the wicket of the now-injured Shikhar Dhawan and consistently troubled Kohli and Sharma with his pace and swing. However, his consistency has been a concern in the tournament proper and, if he does open the bowling, any loose balls will be punished by Sharma and KL Rahul -- who scored a century in the warm-up.

While most of the onus will be on Bangladesh's misfiring bowling attack, the challenge of playing India now is that they also have arguably the best bowling attack. Bangladesh's batting is their strong suit, but with their style of play -- gradually building towards a sizeable total rather than rocketing to it -- it is imperative that openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar give them a big start. The duo have been performing well -- early wickets have not been a feature of Bangladesh's batting since the tri-series in Ireland -- but with India's varied bowling attack, they have to absorb the pressure and put some of it back before passing the baton onto the in-form middle order headed by Shakib Al Hasan in red-hot form. While Tamim has not set the world alight, he still has 205 runs from six matches. It is Soumya, with 111 runs from six games, who has to step up next Monday.

L-R: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mustafizur Rahman

Burst through fear of failure

After the Asia Cup final loss in 2018, skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had said in an interview that there had to be improvements in mental strength. He talked about how, even when the openers were building a strong stand, the fear of something bad happening was at the back of his mind. It can justifiably be said that if the mentally strong captain experienced this fear, then the rest of the team -- having gone through heartbreaks against India -- felt it too. He speculated that perhaps that fear was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The talk, on the record and off, has been to play the next two matches as one-offs and play the opponents as they come. If they can match up in skills with India on the day, it may well come down to staving off that fear when it comes to winning crunch moments.

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Through the ongoing World Cup, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has had an uneven, halting stride while he goes about the field marshalling his resources in order to keep the side still in contention for the semifinals. The hobble has been caused by physical pain, past knee surgeries and a current hamstring injury but it is also an apt manifestation of the tightrope that the outwardly carefree and jovial cricketer has to walk as the bearer of a cricket-crazy nation’s ultra-high expectations that ignore the team’s ranking of eighth in the world. He has also had to find the balance between his own initial mindset as a 140-kph bowler and now being a medium-pacer with a minimal margin for error on flat wickets. Add to that, constant speculation about his retirement, especially with his meagre return of one wicket from six World Cup matches. The man who fate has guided and barred in equal measure and who talks about luck as a separate entity, spoke to The Daily Star’s Sakeb Subhan about injury management, retirement and Bangladesh’s World Cup.

The Daily Star (TDS): You have been hampered by hamstring injuries since the start of the World Cup. How do you manage to keep playing?

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (MBM): I was fine physically. It was so cold in Ireland; my main problem is with my knees and knee-related issues. Initially, the injury I had in Ireland was of the glutes, that was manageable. In the final match I had a hamstring injury and that has hampered me. And when it came to the World Cup, I didn’t think about it much… I played with the injury. Talking about management, it’s just that I don’t think about it. From a mental perspective, I can take pain. I have had this for a long time; I can take the pain.

TDS: What kind of injury would it take to stop you from playing?

MBM: The physio said it was Grade 2. I have not had the test. With Grade 2, some people can’t even walk. I am playing, so that means I have been tolerating an extreme. But it is bothering me, that’s just the truth. I have bowled off a short run-up too, but I don’t want to give up. It’s not that I am not giving my hundred per cent while I am delivering. It is bothering me, but I don’t want to keep these things in mind when I play. Maybe I have just set my mind to just accept the way I am now and carry on in the last stages of my career.

TDS: How does it affect your practice?

MBM: At first we could not practise much because of the rain. Later, I practised, but by that time maybe the pain reached such a level that I could not practise at the level I would have liked; I can’t give a lot of effort in practice.

TDS: Is the focus more on gym?

MBM: I just do gym work more now. Over the last eight to 10 years, the focus has been more on gym. Now it is even more, to build up my strength.

TDS: It is rare that you don’t take wickets for a stretch of matches. Is it hard, with all the things you have to keep in mind on the field as captain?

MBM: There is no use making excuses; I don’t believe in that. You need luck to get wickets. I said the same thing when I was getting wickets and I am saying the same thing now that I am not. Suppose I got six wickets in six matches, no one would have said anything then. But would you say that I have not bowled one delivery per match worthy of taking a wicket?

TDS: No, you have…

MBM: You can get a wicket with a full toss. Bowling well is one thing and getting wickets another. With regards to bowling well, you can ask whether you are hitting a consistent areas or whether you are executing according to your plan. If you get a wicket with a full toss, it will still count as a wicket. If you are just talking about taking wickets, then I have just not had luck on my side.

TDS: You have changed as a bowler over the years, from a sort of tearaway capable of bowling 140-plus to a medium pacer, because of injuries. How has that affected your training?

MBM: Training has remained the same. I do a lot of spot bowling, normally. The one thing that has helped me survive is that I know when I am bowling well or not. Depending on that I used to increase the amount of training, which maybe I am not able to do at the right stage now. But I do a lot of spot bowling. I am not a great believer in net bowling; instead, to get my confidence, my rhythm back, spot bowling helps me. This is what I do always, separately.

TDS: Mentally speaking, how did you adapt to the reduction in pace?

MBM: At one stage, when [Khaled Masud] Pilot bhai was the keeper and the ball went to him, I used to ask him ‘Pilot bhai, is the ball hitting the gloves hard?’. I used to ask the same of Mushfiqur. Then I had one injury after another. Then, when my right leg went during the delivery stride [on the tour of West Indies in 2009], that was the moment that my pace broke down. When I returned from that injury, every time I bowled, I could not find the confidence to jump off my right foot to enter my delivery stride. I was supposed to return after six months, and it took me all of that time to get my jump back. That is when I lost my pace; if you compare my 2007 run-up and the one I have now, you will see that they are chalk and cheese -- from start to end, including the delivery stride. Over the six months, I could not adjust everything fully; over the course of bowling, this is what came out of my changed physical state. It was automatic, and straightaway it reduced my pace. Even after my first wave of injuries, I bowled at 132-134, but it came down to 125 after 2009.

There is no scope to deny that when you are playing on flat wickets, that is a problem. It is then about management: whether it is bowling slowers or other variations, I do those. Success has come my way in some matches, and in some matches it has not.

TDS: You said that you know when you are bowling well… are you bowling well now?

MBM: I did not bowl well in the first two matches. In the last three-four matches, my percentage has been very good when it comes to bowling in the right areas. In terms of wickets, I was zero. But if you are talking of hitting the right areas, I have done well in the last four games, I think even in matters of conceding runs it has been okay. I think that I have bowled many balls that could have gotten me a wicket but I didn’t get it, but when talking of percentages I think I have done well since England. But it is also true that people will judge you through wickets… I have to admit that.

TDS: How hard is it to juggle team management, injury management, your own bowling and the World Cup pressure?

MBM: To tell you the truth, I do not calculate those things minutely. I have never been able to get into a complex explanation about these things… I don’t know why. But to tell the truth, even if you don’t think about it much you will always have that extra pressure or hype that comes with a World Cup. And that is more for the captain.

TDS: You said that you are nearing the end of your career and there has been some talk about that recently. Anything you want to clarify?

MBM: I just want to tell you clearly -- I had said two lines the other day and now too I will do the same. It is the same thing that I said in Bangladesh and I want to make it clear again. Nothing has changed. I will think about these things only after the World Cup ends. I don’t want the team to be disturbed by this or that they think about these things even for a second. If my career is over, I will think about it after the World Cup, talk to them and take a decision in a proper way. Around 55 of you have come here, and there are many more journalists in Bangladesh. I think you people also deserve that whatever I say about this, I say it with a calm and cool mindset. I also deserve to finish the tournament, go back home, consider the matter and decide, but I do not want to go into such discussions during the tournament.

I said the other day that currently I want to focus on playing. If you ask me to give a clear yes or no answer, I cannot do that now because I haven’t decided. There is a lot of confusion around this issue and I will also become a topic of debate. There is no scope to think about such things during a tournament, because it then becomes so personal and self-centred that I am thinking about myself. Let the tournament end and let me go home. There is my family to consider… there was a time when I retired from T20Is, but I think my family deserves that I discuss with them before leaving the whole of cricket behind.

TDS: Coming back to the World Cup, there is a similarity with this situation and the one you faced before getting to the Asia Cup final last year. You needed to win two matches, as you do now against India and Pakistan; does that give the team a singular focus?

MBM: Everyone is positive. Luck has to favour you. To win two matches you have to play sufficiently well, there is no alternative to playing to the best of your ability. But with that the right thing has to happen at the right time. Suppose a run-out or a catch is missed, you lose the match after that. Apart from that, we are positive, I am hopeful that luck is on our side.

To tell the truth, in this tournament, there were some matches that we took at a time and other matches where we weren’t able to do that. It becomes easier when you take it one by one, because if I win this match everything opens up for me, so you leave everything on the field for that particular match. If that doesn’t happen, you do the same thing for the next match. I think somehow, in some matches we could not stay in that space. I mean, it would have been better if the focus was sharper. Now, there is no other alternative to taking it one by one.

TDS: How would you rate your team’s performance so far in the World Cup?

MBM: Hundred per cent. As I said, maybe one or two people -- for example myself -- you will find were not up to the mark. But overall team performance is important. From that perspective, you are seeing the hype around the team -- no one is belittling Bangladesh or looking at us as a small team. That is a positive. Even so, I am a little disappointed because there were some matches that escaped our grasp. The effort was there, but I don’t know, we missed in some areas. I could say what those were, but it is not yet time to go in-depth into everything yet. But if certain things happened, we could have been on nine points now. And I think we would be more relaxed if we were on nine points.

Body:

At the business end of a tournament, skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was once more faced with an all-too-familiar hurdle. In the last two ICC 50-over tournaments, it was India that stopped Bangladesh's march -- in the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal and the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinal. After an impressive run in the ongoing World Cup, Mashrafe and Co are left having to win against India today to stay alive in the race to the semifinals.

Mashrafe was under no illusions about the size of the task at hand when speaking at the pre-match press conference in Birmingham yesterday.

"Look, every time we play, we want to win, but India were the better side in the last few World Cups," Mashrafe said when asked about his team's chances. "We go out onto the field to play at our best, and let's see. You never know. If you have a very good day, play every area, and if we are 100 percent correct, then you never know. It's a sport that on your day you can beat anybody."

All sportsmen present a veneer of confidence ahead of a contest, but Mashrafe seemed to struggle to maintain his.

"I'm not surprised," Mashrafe answered when asked whether he expected the team to last this long in the World Cup. "I think there's not too much left. We have to play at our best. If we can manage to win, that will be great, but to be honest, both sides [India and Pakistan, their next opponents] are very strong. It's not going to be easy, but we have to play hard and have to be 100 percent in every area. Good thing that we're still in the tournament, maybe, maybe not [after tomorrow], but let's see. We have to play a lot better than what we have played."

And that is the nature of the challenge facing Bangladesh. Most observers have been impressed by Bangladesh's progress through the tournament -- beating West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan and almost beating New Zealand. But with how the teams stack up -- India have the most varied bowling attack and the best players of spin bowling, Bangladesh's strength -- Mashrafe knew that his team would have to play even better to stand a chance against the 2011 and 1983 champions.

"Whenever we have beaten big teams, I don't think we have ever won by playing well in one department," Mashrafe said when asked if there was one area in which he would put Bangladesh ahead of India. "It has always been batting, bowling and fielding. If we can do well in all sectors, then of course we can win."

There may be one chink in India's armour and that is their top-heavy batting department. Opener Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli, at number three, have scored a lion's share of their runs and getting them early could expose a softer middle order. But Bangladesh seem ill-prepared to exploit that as well, as they have managed to take a wicket in the first 10 overs just twice in six matches. Pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin have taken 10 wickets each, but only one of those wickets, that of Chris Gayle's wicket by Saifuddin, was taken by a pacer. Mashrafe meanwhile has just one wicket from six matches.

"It has not been ideal, for sure," Mashrafe said. "You need early wickets against India, otherwise they can get a very big score. But just because it has not happened before does not mean it won't happen tomorrow [Tuesday]."

That seems to be Bangladesh's way forward -- they have to find something that they have not yet found in the tournament.

Body:

Kane Williamson anchored New Zealand to a tense four-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Wednesday after an astonishing stroke of luck when South Africa failed to review an edge from the Kiwi captain.

The Black Caps’ skipper was on 76 when he got a faint edge to a ball by leg-spinner Imran Tahir that Quinton de Kock took behind the stumps but South Africa took no action.

That decision could prove fatal to their tournament hopes, with the Proteas now needing a miracle to progress to the semifinals after just one win from six matches, while New Zealand now top the 10-team table.

Earlier, Martin Guptill, who had been guiding New Zealand towards their target of 242 off a rain-reduced 49 overs with a minimum of fuss, trod on his stumps to spark a mini collapse.

The batsman, on 35, pulled Andile Phehlukwayo and ended up swivelling, only to lose his balance and clip his leg stump with his foot.

Two overs later New Zealand slipped to 74-3 when Ross Taylor tickled a Chris Morris leg-side delivery and De Kock took the catch behind the stumps. Tom Latham’s dismissal left them struggling at 80-4.

Jimmy Neesham (23) steadied the ship with his skipper but when he was out, New Zealand were back in trouble at 137-5.

Colin de Grandhomme came to New Zealand’s rescue, batting positively and bringing up his fifty off 39 balls but when he was caught in the deep for 60 by Du Plessis off Lungi Ngidi, Kiwi nerves were jangling again.

Eight were still needed off the final over.

But Mitchell Santner pinched a single and Williamson kept his nerve, bringing up his century with a huge six off the next ball and then a four sealed the victory.

Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen gave South Africa something to bowl at as the Proteas struggled to 241-6 after losing the toss.

Hashim Amla made a sluggish 55 off 83 balls but Van der Dussen’s 67 not out came at better than a run a ball.

During his innings, Amla became the fourth South African to reach 8,000 runs in one-day internationals.

He is the second-fastest player (176 innings) from any side to reach the milestone after India’s Virat Kohli (175 innings).

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