WORLD T20, 25TH MATCH Tigers fall short by one run

India kept their hopes of semis alive after they came out in front by one run against a spirited Bangladesh in the Super Ten clash of ICC WT20 2016 at Bangalore under the lights.

Gross errors of judgment from Mushfiqur and then Mahmudullah with two runs required from three balls handed the match to India on a silver platter. Tigers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to the utter disappointment of their fans.

Tamim was the highest scorer for Bangladesh with 35 runs. Sabbir and Shakib chipped in 26 and 22 runs respectively.

For India, their bowlers bailed them out with a superb display on the field. Ashwin, Jadeja and Pandya took two wickets each.

India kept their hopes of semis alive after they came out in front by one run against a spirited Bangladesh in the Super Ten clash of ICC WT20 2016 at Bangalore under the lights.

The sixth wicket stand between Soumya and Mahmudullah produced 31 runs in 5.4 overs. Soumya was unfortunate to pick up the fielder at long-on as he smashed a full toss after scoring 21 runs with a four and a six to his name.

Bangladesh required another 17 runs with 4 wickets and 12 balls remaining.

Bangladesh were rocked in the 13th over when Ashwin sent back Shakib for a well-made 22. Shakib faced 15 balls and smashed two sixes in his cameo.

Bangladesh lost their fourth wicket in the 12th over when Mashrafe’s promotion up the order lasted only 1.5 overs but produced 18 runs.

Jadeja took his second wicket as his full and straight ball was too quick for the Tigers skipper. Mashrafe was bowled after scoring six runs.

A superb piece of stumping by Dhoni gave India their third wicket of the match. Sabbir went for a flick and seemed to overbalance as he missed it. Both feet were in the crease…. but then Dhoni waits… he actually waits before whipping the bails off at exactly the time his back foot wanders out of the crease and his front popped up in the air!

Raina sent back Sabbir after the Tigers batter smashed 26 from 15 with three fours and a massive six.

Ashwin gave India their first breakthrough in the third over when Bangladesh opener Mithun smashed his shot straight down the throat of Pandya in the deep.

Mithum only managed a run from three balls.

Earlier, Bangladesh restricted India to 146 for 7 after 20 overs with a spirited performance in the field at Bangalore under the lights.

India’s total was built on the first and third wicket stands, but they lost wickets late in the innings and failed to score quickly.

Suresh Raina was India’s highest scorer with 30 while Dhawan fell at 23.

For Bangladesh, Al Amin captured 2 for 37 and Mustafizur 2 for 34. Shuvagata, Shakib and Mahmudullah chipped in with a wicket each

Mustafizur picked his second wicket in the last over when his full and straight delivery sent Jadeja’s stump on a cartwheel! Jadeja swung his bat for 12 runs from 8 balls.

Mahmudullah gave Tigers their sixth wicket of the match in the 17th over when Yuvraj’s top edge was caught by Al Amin at short third man. Yuvraj managed only three runs from six balls.

Soumya Sarkar took a blinder of a catch to remove Pandya. Al Amin was on a hat-trick as the India allrounder fell for 15 from 7 in the 16th over.Al Amin got the important wicket of Raina with the first ball of the 16th over. Raina pulled a short ball but got too much under it and was safely held by Sabbir in the deep.

Suresh Raina scored 30 from 23 with a four and two sixes during his stay at the wicket.

When India looked to take the match away, Shuvagata struck in the 14th over and sent back the in-form Virat Kohli against the run of play.

Kohli attempted another big hit after a six, but failed to connect and saw the stumps light up behind him. The Indian batter scored 24 from 24 with a six to his name.

The third wicket stand between Kohli and Raina produced 50 runs in 6.4 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan rocked India in the seventh over and trapped opener Dhawan in front for 23. Slightly quicker ball from Shakib didn’t allow Dhawan the time he needed to bring his bat down.

The batsman tried to sweep the ball from the stumps, but in his eagerness he stretched too far forward and yorked himself. Dhawan faced 22 balls and struck couple of fours and a six.

Bangladesh got their first breakthrough when Mustafizur Rahman induced Rohit Sharma to go for a big hit, and the batter fell hook line and sinker into the cutter master’s trap.

Rohit scored 18 from 16 with a four and six, and looked good for a big one until Mustafizur got the better of him.

India openers were kept relatively quiet by disciplined Bangladesh bowling from both ends. Tigers skipper Mashrafe didn’t allow the Indian batters to settle down on any bowler, and used five bowlers in the first five overs.

Tigers captain Mashrafe Mortaza finally called it correctly when the coin was tossed, and opted to field first against India led by MS Dhoni in the crucial Super Ten Group 2 clash of ICC WT20 2016 at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium under the lights.

After the hammering at the hands of New Zealand in their opening game, India found their footing with a Virat Kohli masterclass against Pakistan, and are now eyeing the semi-finals.

They will face a Bangladesh side, stumbling from two defeats, to add to the absence of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, senior Bangladesh players, have called for an improved batting performance from the top order in the team’s crucial Group 2 encounter against the Men in Blue.

Besides the top-order concerns, there have also been question marks over Bangladesh’s re-jigged batting order that saw Mahmudullah slip back to No. 6 for the Australia game.

Mortaza revealed that the intention had been to play the in-form all-rounder up the order but it was a move that hadn’t worked in the three earlier games and that the all-rounder had specifically requested the No. 6 spot.

Bangladesh’s batting woes will be lessened with Tamim Iqbal fit to play. Soumya Sarkar has promised much, but seems to be bogged down by a mental block.

This means that there will be more responsibility on Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, and Shakib Al Hasan.

The dot ball percentage of Bangladesh (43.32%) is the second worst among the teams featuring in the Super Ten after Afghanistan’s 47.43%. Their boundary-to-balls ratio of 13.98% is the third lowest after New Zealand (13.71%) and Afghanistan (13.14%).

India’s win over Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has clearly had a galvanising effect on the team and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men look eager to build on the momentum as they head to the business end of the Super 10 phase of the ICC World Twenty20.

Kohli has been the key to India’s batting, but they would like to see consistency from Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina.

Rohit Sharma, too, needs to step up, having made only 25 in his last three innings, including 10 against South Africa in a warm-up match.

The bowling, led by R Ashwin, looks in good shape, with Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja giving support.

Bangladesh

Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicketkeeper), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Saqlain Sajib, Shuvagata Hom, Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal

India

MS Dhoni (Captain,Wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, JJ Bumrah, S Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, V Kohli, Mohammed Shami, P Negi, A Nehra, HH Pandya, AM Rahane, SK Raina, RG Sharma and Yuvraj Singh