U19 CWC: Tigers roar into the semis

Bangladesh advanced to the semis of ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 for the first time after they defeated Nepal by six wickets in the quarter-final match at Mirpur today.

The fifth-wicket unbeaten stand of 117 runs between Zakir Hasan and Mehedi Hasan in over 20 overs took Bangladesh past Nepal’s total with ten balls remaining in the match.

Zakir played within himself, and began to express himself late in his knock. He was 75 not out from 77 balls with five fours and a six to his name.

Mehedi Hasan remained unbeaten on 55. He faced 65 balls and struck three boundaries. Both of them never lost their cool, and believed in themselves to deliver the goods in the end.

For Nepal, Dhamala was the most successful bowler with two wickets for 33 runs in ten overs. Most of their slow bowlers were disciplined, and didn’t allow the Bangladeshi batters to release the pressure with big hits.

Mehedi Hasan was adjudged the man of the match.

Bangladesh captain Mehedi reached his fifty in only 59 balls, and was busy at the crease. He kept taking the ones and twos when loose balls were not available.

The fifth wicket partnership between Mehedi and Zakir took Bangladesh to the cusp of victory.

They scored over 90 runs in 18 overs together, and kept the Nepalese bowlers at bay.

Zakir reached his fifty in the 45th over with a beautifully timed shot over cover. He became more fluid late in his innings, and managed to hit the boundaries when needed the most.

Nepal took two crucial wickets in quick time to dent Bangladesh’s chances of overtaking the below-par total of 211.

Joyraz became the fourth Bangladeshi batter to perish, when a poor shot from the batsman brought his downfall in the 29 th over. He scored 38 from 67 balls with four fours.

The batsman tried to pull a ball that wasn’t really short, and the ball skidded through to trap him plumb in front of the wicket.

Bangladesh reeling….

Bangladesh suffered a massive blow in the 23rd over when the in-form batsman Nazmul Hossain Shanto fell to a soft dismissal.

The fourth highest run getter in this tournament failed to get going today, scored eight runs before he offered a simple catch to bowler Lamichhane.

Nepal spinners were getting good purchase from the wicket, and the odd ball seemed to stop on the batters

The ghost of atrocious running between the wickets made its way into the Bangladesh’s innings in the 20th over as both batsmen ended up on the same end.

Multiple replays were needed to decide who was out, and after a delay the third umpire sent Pinak back to the pavilion.

Pinak scored 32 from 54 balls with two hits to the fence.

Bangladesh batsmen Pinak and Joyraz steadied the innings with their 2nd wicket stand after the loss of Saif in the seventh over.

Both of them were keen to rotate the strike, and pounced on any loose ball on offer. Their partnership reached 44 runs in 12.3 overs, and didn’t allow Nepal to come back in the match.

The lack of scoring opportunities finally took its toll on Saif, who wanted to hit his way out of frustration having scored only five runs from 21 balls.

Dhamala gave Nepal their first breakthrough in the seventh over, after the opening stand managed 17 runs for the Tigers.

Bangladesh opening batsmen Pinak and Saif began the chase with a definite plan, and didn’t look in a hurry to score.

Both of them were prepared to bide their time, and rotated the strike with boundaries hard to come by.

Earlier, Bangladesh gave themselves a good chance to advance to the semis after they kept Nepal down to only 211 in 50 overs in the quarter final match today.

Nepal would rue their poor running between the wickets, and four batsmen departed via run-outs in this crucial game. Their captain Rijal held the innings together with his knock of 72 runs.

Four Nepalese batsmen got out in the twenties, and failed to carry on.

For Bangladesh, it was a fantastic performance in the field, as the bowlers stuck to their plans, and were backed up by the fielders.

Saifuddin was the most lethal bowler for Bangladesh, and picked up two wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs. Rana, Miraz and Shawon took a wicket each.

Nepal lost their ninth man via a run-out, the fourth of the innings. Kandel was dismissed in the last ball of the last over.

Nepal’s Dipendra Airee was the eighth wicket to fall, when he went down the track to Tigers captain Mehedi, got yorked as the middle stump was pegged back.

The wicket came after 24 useful runs late in the innings for Nepal. Airee scored 22 from 45 balls before he was dismissed in the 49th over.

Nepal lost their seventh wicket through another run-out, which occurred in the 43rd over. Bhurtel was sent back to the pavilion for 14 runs.

Bhurtel had a brian-freeze as he ran with his shot, and the ball went straight to mid-wicket. His partner turned him down at the last moment when it was too late.

Nepal's freefall continues…

Bangladesh were rather fortunate, when the umpire raised his finger to a loud appeal from Shawon in the 37th over.

Rajbir was given out when the ball spun back and struck him on middle and off. Replays showed the ball flicked the glove on the way through to the pad. The batsman fell for nine runs.

Two wickets in two overs…just what the doctors ordered for Bangladesh, and they are certainly dominating proceedings by now.

Terrible running between the wickets came back to haunt Nepal once again when their captain, the mainstay of their innings was left high and dry by his partner.

Rijal struck the ball straight to point, took off for a single, but Rajbit sent him back. The wicketkeeper disturbed the bails before the throw could hit timber, but had the presence of mind to pull out the stumps.

Nepal’s captain was the only batsman out in the middle who looked comfortable, and kept the Bangladesh bowlers at bay with his positive batting.

Rijal fell in the 34th over after a well-made 72 from 80 balls with eight fours and a six to his name.

When things looked pretty settled for Nepal, with a fifty-run stand completed in only 9.3 overs between Sheikh and Raju, Saifuddin came back in the 28th over and threw a spanner in their works.

The change of bowling worked for Tigers, as Aarif Sheikh tried to clear the ropes but was caught in the deep by Joyraz. Bangladesh looked buoyed after the wicket that came against the run of play.

Sheikh scored 21 from 32 balls with two boundaries, but more importantly hung around long enough to help stop the slide with his captain.

Bangladesh broke the third wicket stand via a run out in the 19th over to take control of the match.

Dhamala was found short of the crease after he scored 25 runs from 62 balls. He managed to hit two boundaries, but was bogged down at the crease without rotating the strike.

Nepal found some solace after the early jitters with Dhamala and captain Raju at the crease. They extended their third wicket stand to 44 runs in 12 overs before the mishap.

Bangladesh new ball bowlers Shaifuddin and Mehedi gave their team a fantastic start in the quarter-final match of the ICC U19 CWC against Nepal.

Both of them were on the money from ball one, hardly provided any freebies, and were rewarded for their persistence.

Mehedi sent back Nepal’s Karki with an awkward dismissal in the seventh over to the celebration of his teammates.

Karki ducked underneath a well-directed bouncer, but he failed to get his bat out of the way in the periscope-posture, and was given out by the umpire after getting off the mark.

Saifuddin was pretty sharp, and bowled in the right areas more often. He didn’t disappoint his fans, as he gave them something to cheer about early.

Sunar was clean bowled by Saifuddin in the sixth over, with a beautiful in-swinger. The lazy shot from the batsman made the dismissal even more dramatic.

Nepal lost their first batsman, after he scored seven runs from 12 balls. He found it difficult with the ball moving late, and was unable to break the shackles.

Nepal led by Raju Rijal won the toss, and decided to bat first and put up a good total against Bangladesh led by Mehedi Hasan Miraz in the quarter-final match of the ICC U19 CWC 2016.

Bangladesh fans cheering for the Tigers at Cox's Bazar stadium on January 31, 2016. File photo: STAR

Bangladesh, the most experienced side in the tournament with five players taking part in their second under-19 World Cup, has not looked back after knocking out defending champion South Africa in the opening match on 27 January.

Captain Mehidy Hasan’s team played inspiring cricket in home conditions in front of fanatical fans to raise hopes of beating Nepal and going past the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Nazmul Hossain scored an unbeaten century against Scotland, while seamer Mohammad Saifuddin and spinner Saleh Ahmed are the bowling spearheads with seven wickets apiece.

“The journey has been good so far and if we can get to the semi-finals, there is every chance of something good happening. I can feel it,” said Mehidy.

“We have seen a bit of Nepal, whose players seem to be enjoying their cricket. We may be more experienced than them, but one can’t afford to relax in a knock-out situation.”

Nepal, which last played in the U19 World Cup in 2012 and returned for this edition after winning the qualifying tournament in Malaysia, defeated New Zealand and Ireland to advance to the quarter-finals.

Teams

Bangladesh U19: Mehedi Hassan Miraz (capt), Nazmul Hossain, Joyraj Sheik, Pinak Ghosh, Saif Hassan, Zakir Hasan (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Shafiul Hayat, Saeed Sarkar, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Abdul Halim, Saleh Ahmed, Ariful Islam, Jaker Ali, Mossabek Hossain Sun.

Nepal U19: Raju Rijal (capt), Dipendra Airee, MD Sunil Dhamala, Himanshu Dutta, Sushil Kandel, Kushal Bhurtel, Yogendra Karki, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishan Pandey, Shankar Rana, Prem Tamang, Arif Sheikh, Sandeep Sunar, Dipesh Shrestha, Rajbir Singh.