SL outplay, outthink Tigers
Bangladesh suffered another final heartbreak as they succumbed to a 79-run defeat against a Sri Lanka side rejuvenated under new coach Chandika Hathurusingha in the final of the tri-series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday night.
However, this time around nobody will shed any tears for tragic heroes as they did following defeats to Sri Lanka in the 2009 tri-series final and in the aftermath of the 2012 Asia Cup final loss to Pakistan at the same venue, simply because Sri Lanka clinched the trophy by virtue of being the better side; they executed the game-plan set out by their master tactician to demolish the high-flying hosts for the second consecutive match.
It was unsurprising that former Bangladesh coach Hathurusingha did not jump for joy after his new charges' phenomenal success in his first assignment, instead opting to celebrate the victory with a curious smile on his face. But the man in charge deserves kudos for the way he inspired his troops following a dismal start to the tournament.
While Chandika's charge seemed to comply with his plan and his gamble on pace debutant Shehan Madushanka was rewarded with a hattrick, Bangladesh's batting lay in ruins in chase of a 222-run target before ultimately being bundled out for 142 runs. That too despite the fact that pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain snatched the initiative from the Lankans and created the opportunity for the batsmen to make history by winning a trophy in any tri-series or tournament.
The change in body language from the Islanders served as a reminder of how the Tigers looked when they had begun their journey under Hathurusingha's tutelage.
On the other hand, Bangladesh were nowhere near their promise of playing a fearless brand of cricket in the last two games against Sri Lanka; rather it looked like they were gripped by panic the moment Shakib Al Hasan sustained an injury to his finger which not only ruled him out of the batting line-up, but also for the first Test against the same opposition, starting in Chittagong from January 31.
Why did Tamim Iqbal play that pull shot after such a typically cautious approach to get a top-edge to mid-wicket? Why was Mushfiqur Rahim so desperate to play sweep shots when he needed to rotate the strike with Mahmudullah Riyad to get closer to the target after their partnership staged an impressive recovery from 22 for three? Why did Sabbir Rahman, coming into number three in absence of Shakib, follow the path of Tamim?
These are the questions the Bangladesh team management needs to answer in the aftermath of the debacle, apart from looking into the two mindless run-outs of Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Saifuddin, who had looked composed enough to facilitate Riyad's potential heroic deeds.
With the pitch responding, Suranga Lakmal and Dushmantha Chameera, ran through the top order and the Sri Lankans' animated and energetic fielding created more panic for the home team. Yet, Riyad stood tall and attempted to turn the tables and all he lacked was a partner to make history with him. In the end however, his 92-ball 76 will be remembered as nothing more than a good innings from a good batsman in a losing cause.
Akila Dananjaya spun through the middle overs and took two wickets and debuting Madushanka ended the run with a hattrick by final wicket of Riyad, who was the only batsman that looked comfortable against the Sri Lankan attack.
The same attack had seemed incapable of menace in the first two matches of the series with Chandika's bouncer ploy, but the coach kept his faith in the boys and brought out their best.
Earlier, man of the match Upul Tharanga's 56 and some brief contributions from Kusal Mendis (28), Dickwella (42) and Dinesh Chandimal (45) helped Sri Lanka put up a fighting total of 221 on the board.
Bangladesh had bowled well throughout the innings, but they saved their best for the late overs from Mustafizur and Rubel. However, all that effort went in vain following the dismal batting, when it appeared that the batsmen simply forgot how to cope up with their own conditions.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was a bit disappointed by the nature of the pitch but one could not blame the Mirpur surface for such a poor batting show. It's better to accept that they lost against a well disciplined and energetic side.