Tigers go down fighting
Up till yesterday's first T20I between Bangladesh and South Africa in Bloemfontein, the overwhelming theme of the tour was that there was too great a gap in ability for Bangladesh to challenge the hosts. Last night, however, having matched South Africa blow for blow for much of the match, it was a lack of cool heads that saw the Tigers lose the match by 20 runs at the Mangaung Oval.
Before the first T20I the talk from Bangladesh was about them lacking the six-hitting ability that South Africa boast. Bangladesh hit seven sixes, compared to the five hit by South Africa in their innings of 195 for four, but despite a magnificent start given by Soumya Sarkar which took the team to 92 for three in just 9.1 overs when he got out, panicked shots from seniors Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad took the sting out of what was shaping to be a spirited chase. In the end, rookie Mohammad Saifuddin had to ensure that Bangladesh played out the full 20 overs with 39 not out as Bangladesh reached 175 for nine.
Mushfiqur was fourth out with the score on 98 in the 11th over, and that just set the stage for a procession. Mahmudullah top-edged a slog off Andile Phehlukwayo in the next over and departed with three further runs added. Sabbir Rahman hit two sixes in his 19 but departed top-edging a Beuran Hendricks slower ball. Even Mehedi Hasan Miraz hit a six as the seventh-wicket pair added 23 runs, before he was bowled by Dane Paterson in the 17th over to leave the score on 147 for seven. Off the next ball Paterson had Taskin Ahmed trapped in front and Duminy won his second review of the day. Shafiul was then caught off David Miller in the next over.
In chase of 196 -- which would also have been their highest T20I score -- Soumya and Imrul Kayes started like a house on fire, racing to 43 off just 3.4 overs before Imrul was caught at fine leg off a Beuran Hendricks full toss that the left-hander timed too well. Before that, the left-hander had hit the first ball from Dane Paterson over mid off four, and in the following over Soumya hit an impeccably timed six over wide long on off Hendricks. He added two pick-up fours to the leg side in the next over and two more boundaries in the next before Imrul's dismissal.
New T20I skipper Shakib came in and added 21 runs in the 3.1 overs, but perished trying to go big off 33-year-old debutant Robbie Frylinck and AB de Villiers completed an excellently judged catch running back from mid off. Mushfiqur came in and thumped a slog-swept six off JP Duminy in the last ball of the eighth over to take the score to a dangerous 79 for two. Soumya hit another six in the ninth over from Aaron Phangiso, but had to walk back for a 31-ball 47 in the next over when he walked down the wicket and was struck in front by Phehlukwayo, and the decision came out in South Africa's favour when Duminy reviewed the not-out decision.
In the next over, which started with Bangladesh needing a manageable 99 runs from 10 overs, Mushfiqur holed out to De Villiers at midwicket off Phangiso for 13 and effectively dash all hopes of a confidence-boosting chase.
Earlier, It could have been worse for Bangladesh after being asked to field first on a dream batting surface. For the first 10 overs opener Quinton de Kock and de Villiers were hitting the ball almost at will and a total well in excess of 200 was in the offing, but spirited bowling from spearhead Rubel Hossain and off-spinner Mehedi kept the Proteas to 195 for four in 20 overs.
Shakib chose to open with two spinners -- himself and Mehedi -- after Bangladesh had opted to include all four fast bowlers in the squad. Mehedi bowled Hashim Amla in the second over with one that held its line and beat Amla's inside-out cover drive. From 18 for one after two overs, De Villiers and De Kock put on 79 runs in just seven overs.
Mehedi pulled things back in the eighth over, which was the first without a boundary and Shakib followed that up with another boundary-less over. The pressure told, as De Villiers miscued a slog aimed for long on off Mehedi in the 10th over and Mahmudullah Riyad took a fine catch to send back the maestro for a 27-ball 49 studded with eight sublime boundaries.
In the next over, De Kock completed a well-compiled half century off 35 balls when he hammered a six over cow corner, but off the fifth ball of the over Duminy was undone by arguably Bangladesh's best moment on the field on this tour. Duminy hammered a ball high and to the left of Imrul Kayes at long off, who made a hopping attempt to catch the ball, but it lobbed up and away and Imrul continued his sprint to dive forward and take a special catch.
In the 15th over, Rubel bowled a great over of full-pitched deliveries aimed at De Kock's pads and after two pitched outside leg and thudded into the pads, the fast bowler managed to land one in line to trap the half-centurion in front for 59 off 44.
Farhaan Berhardien and David Miller then took over, combining for 62 runs off the last five over. It was a sad comment on Bangladesh's bowling that despite using six bowlers, Taskin and Shafiul's below-par bowling -- they conceded 21 and 33 off two overs each respectively -- a seventh bowler in Mahmudullah Riyad had to be used, and he outperformed them by conceding just 23 off three.
Comments