Rain has final say
As the smattering of spectators filed out of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday just after 8pm, when rain had the final say on the fate of the third match – a dead rubber – of the three-ODI series, it was hard to escape the feeling that the damp squib was an apt ending. India won the series 2-0 courtesy of a seven-wicket victory in the first game and an astonishing 47-run victory in the second game when they scored just 105, but even the second-string side they sent will not be happy with their batting performances -- they were 119 for nine in 34.2 overs after choosing to bat first when rain stopped play for the third and last time.
On pitches that had more seam movement and variable bounce than often seen in Mirpur or, as India skipper Suresh Raina claimed after the match, anywhere in the subcontinent both teams were guilty of a lack of application -- the real difference was that Bangladesh were more inept in that regard. Yesterday, apart from Cheteshwar Pujara who hit a 63-ball 27, none of the Indians showed any willingness to tough it out on a wicket that, while it may have been difficult, was not insurmountable.
For their part, the pacers -- India's Stuart Binny and Mohit Sharma, Bangladesh's Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Al Amin Hossain and newcomer Taskin Ahmed -- were eager to prey on the batsmen's weaknesses, as was aptly demonstrated yesterday.
As India skipper Suresh Raina said after the match, the pitch was a difficult one but Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim said that whatever the state of the wicket, he would expect his side to chase 105 on any given day against any attack, referring to the debacle in the second match, which is when the series truly turned on its head.
“It is not the kind of wicket that we are used to playing on, but on any wicket chasing 105 runs is not a problem,” said Mushfiqur after the match. “I would think that my team can chase that total against any opposition on any wicket.”
This series continues a terrible run for Mushfiqur's men as it marked their ninth straight loss this year, a streak only broken by yesterday's no-result. But Mushfiqur still tried to look at the positives. “The pace department bowled well, especially Taskin (Ahmed) and Mashrafe. Shakib also batted well in the first match and bowled well throughout.”
With the growing discontent with the poor results, the skipper had to field questions on whether they will take out-of-form players to West Indies. He was noncommittal in his answer. “We have to see what kind of players we are talking about. It cannot be that we drop someone who has been playing well for six or seven years, but has been out of form for seven or eight matches.”
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