‘May have to rethink our strategy’

Rohit Sharma became the first player to hit five centuries in a single World Cup as India cantered to a seven-wicket win in their final World Cup group match against Sri Lanka yesterday.

The opener smashed 103 off 94 deliveries as semifinalists India chased down their target of 265 in 43.3 overs to end the group stage with seven wins, one defeat and a washout.

Sharma’s opening partner KL Rahul top-scored with 111 as the pair put on 189 runs for the first wicket to put India in complete command.

Man-of-the-match Sharma reached his milestone with a boundary off Kasun Rajitha to pass the mark set by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who scored four hundreds at the 2015 tournament.

His century came off 92 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.

Sharma was dismissed shortly afterwards, caught by Angelo Mathews off the bowling of Rajitha.

Known as the “hitman”, Sharma leads the current World Cup’s run-scoring charts with 647 runs in eight matches after hitting his third successive century.

“I’m just trying to go out there and do my job, I’m not thinking of milestones,” Sharma said.

“If I play well these things will happen on the way.

“I have learned from my mistakes in the past. I don’t go into a match thinking of hundreds. Every day is a new day.”

He is only the fourth batsman after Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden and Shakib Al Hasan to score more than 600 runs at a single World Cup.

Tendulkar, India’s all-time record run-scorer in one-day internationals, tweeted his praise for Sharma.

“3 consecutive 100s and 5 in a single @cricketworldcup is just phenomenal, Rohit,” Tendulkar wrote.

Rahul registered his first century of the tournament but was caught behind shortly before the end of the game off veteran paceman Lasith Malinga -- playing his final World Cup match -- after hitting 11 fours and one six.

Skipper Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 34 and Hardik Pandya hit the winning runs to give India a chance of finishing above group leaders Australia, who are playing South Africa in Saturday’s later match at Old Trafford.

“We wanted to play good cricket but we didn’t expect to do this well heading in to the semis,” Kohli said.

“That’s what hard work gets you. I am really proud of this team as a captain, they are amazing people.

“More or less everything is set for the semis but we don’t want to be one-dimensional. We need balance in the side. We are very happy.

“England or New Zealand next? The opposition has never mattered. We don’t focus on what they bring to the table. If we play well we can beat anyone.”

Earlier, Mathews hit his third one-day international century and put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (53) to give Sri Lanka a respectable total after they were reeling at 55-4.

Jasprit Bumrah returned impressive figures of 3-37 in his 10 overs as India, who had already qualified for the semifinals, restricted Sri Lanka with some quality  bowling.

The 1996 champions finished their World Cup campaign with three wins, four defeats and two games ending in no result.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne said Sri Lanka would take stock as they try to build for the future.

“After this World Cup we have to think about what we have to do and what we got wrong. We will talk to the selectors and find some new talent,” he said.

There's no point in head scratching or pondering on ways to turn back time, it's done. Bangladesh have exited the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and boarded their flight back home from England yesterday. However, on their way back, there still may be a few things lingering at the back of their minds. Perhaps such thoughts could lead to imaginary scenarios where the 'what ifs' make the difference between what was and what could have been. Just what if…

Mushy had been a little patient

What are the must-do things while defending a below-par 244, that too against a compact New Zealand side at the biggest stage -- a World Cup game? Well, the message from the pavilion would have been to grab every chance you get. If not literally, grabbing opportunities on the ground become easier when you are wearing a pair of gloves. Creating an opportunity, even a tiny error of judgement from the opposition is induced by a series of small endeavours while in pursuit of your aim. But when the moment comes, you need to wait and make the right call and time it to perfection. Maybe Mushfiqur Rahim -- the man with the gloves behind the stumps for the Tigers -- succumbed to euphoria while thinking about the result and had not been concentrating on the process that needs to be done in order to get a desired outcome when he tried to grab the ball early in an attempt to have Kane Williamson run-out in the 12th over. Mushfiqur knocked the bails off with his arm before grabbing the ball and the Kiwi skipper -- batting on eight at that time -- who was nowhere near the crease, had eventually made his ground and survived, courtesy of that error. Williamson, who was finally dismissed on 40 in the 32nd over, went on to string together a 105-run third-wicket stand with Ross Taylor in a game that the Tigers lost by just two wickets.

GOD LET THE SUN SHINE!

The persistent drizzle at the Country Ground in Bristol on June 11 might not have had a huge impact on the lifestyle of the city's inhabitants but it did mar Bangladesh's chalked out plan or intended route to the semifinal of the World Cup. Going into the World Cup, Bangladesh were expected to beat the likes of Afghanistan, West Indies -- which they did eventually -- and Sri Lanka. And when Bangladesh started their campaign with an unexpected yet well-deserved 21-run victory over South Africa, the Tigers had just made their chances brighter, needing to do the regulation work from then on and a few surprise wins over the powerhouses of cricket to pave their way to a maiden World Cup semifinal. However, it all depended on that game against Sri Lanka -- a side that are one place lower in ICC ODI rankings than Bangladesh -- where the Tigers were clearly the favourites. Unfortunately, the Tigers were kept waiting, maybe with hopes of the rain to stop in Bristol, till the official announcement of the match being abandoned was made, forcing the Tigers to remain content with one point from the inexperienced Sri Lankan side.

SABBIR IMPACTED THE RIGHT TEAM

The team management was probably right on money to give Sabbir Rahman the nod ahead of Mosaddek Hossain for the game against Australia on June 20 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, given Sabbir's reputation and proven ability of playing pace well and better than most in the Tigers' XI. But little did they know that Sabbir's impact in the game would see Australia opener David Warner's bat shine instead of Sabbir himself. Often the destructive Warner does not provide his opposition with any chances but Bangladesh were probably lucky to have been presented with two chances by the left-hander which were both relinquished in the same game. The first opportunity came as early as the fifth over, when Warner went on his back foot to cut a Mashrafe Bin Mortaza delivery towards backward point only to see a perfectly positioned Sabbir going low to his right with both hands and spilling the ball onto the ground. Warner, on just 10, breathed a sigh of relief. By the time the next opportunity came, Warner had inflicted just the right amount of pain as expected after being handed a life early on, as the 32-year old was then batting on 70 in the 26th over. A slight mix-up between him and Usman Khawaja saw Warner run a quarter way to other end but he soon realised that he had to sprint back. A fumble by the same culprit, Sabbir, at mid-on allowed Warner to reach home safely. And this time Warner would stop only after hitting a 147-ball 166 in a game where the Tigers lost by 48 runs and were left wondering what could have happened had they restricted Australia to 30 or 40 runs less than their mammoth 381 for five.

TAMIM HAD NOT DONE THAT

Tamim Iqbal usually takes these types of catches nine times out of ten during fielding drills at practice sessions. But the one time he would miss the catch was unfortunately during Bangladesh's must-win game against India on July 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This time it was not a call for catch by a fielding coach after hitting the ball in the air with a willow during practice sessions as it was India opener Rohit Sharma who had mistimed an attempted pull shot off Mustafizur Rahman in the fifth over of a high intensity World Cup tie. Tamim, running to his left from deep square leg, covered almost 15 yards and did all the hard work before applying the finishing touch -- catching the ball. But to everyone's surprise he spilled the ball after touching it with the palm of his hand before watching it ricochet off his chest and fall to the ground. Rohit, who was on nine, moved onto 10 after taking a single and survived. But you don't expect a batsman of Rohit's calibre to stop there, right? Shrugging off the heart in hand moment, Rohit kept on inflicting misery on Bangladesh, scoring a magnificent 104 off 92 deliveries. The right-hander was adjudged player-of-the-match in their 28-run victory over the Tigers. 

THERE WAS A CLONE OF SHAKIB?

While wondering about what could have happened for Bangladesh in the ongoing World Cup, imagining something totally absurd would not do much harm. The Tigers are out of the World Cup but one particular Tiger from the squad still remains in the mega event. Bangladesh's ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is well in contention for the player-of-tournament award after his excellent World Cup campaign. The prestigious award would certainly be at the top of Shakib's personal achievement's shelf and it would not be a surprise to see him add the trophy to his other accolades. Playing in eight matches, Shakib has scored fifty or more in seven of them -- with a score of 41 against Australia being the only anomaly. The all-rounder scored back-to-back hundreds in this World Cup and also smashed five fifties. Shakib, who finished with 606 runs, became only the third player ever after Sachin Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden to have scored 600 runs in one edition of the World Cup. While Sachin and Hayden did not part-take with the ball, Shakib has also scalped 11 wickets in the mega event to see him ahead of anyone else in the race to be adjudged the player-of-the-tournament. Maybe now the team management will be left pondering on ways to get a clone of Shakib to further bolster the side.

Bowling coach Courtney Walsh acted as the Tigers' interim coach during the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are still looking for a permanent head coach since the position was vacated by Sri Lankan Chandika Hathurusingha.

Mahmud has opined that in case no one suitable can be found, Walsh is more than capable of fulfilling the role of head coach.

The BCB president had suggested that a head coach will be appointed in April but the uncertainity regarding the situation has remained. Mahmud suggested that Tigers not only need a good coach but a well-rounded person as well.

"Our boys are of the emotional type so when a coach is taken on board, this needs to be considered."

Mahmud had acted as the head coach -- officially technical director -- of the Tigers during the tri-series at home against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Tigers were comprehensively beaten in the final and Mahmud was removed under controversial circumstances from the position of acting head coach and Walsh took on the head coach role for the Nidahas Trophy.

Tigers made it to the final of the Nidahas Trophy and Mahmudullah agrees with the opinion that Walsh can be made permanent head coach.

"Yes, he can be (made head coach on a permanent basis). My prescription is that he can be. Courtney is a superb human being. A very honest person. He supported the players superbly during the Nidahas Trophy and motivated them. He has is 40 years of experience and has been involved in cricket for a long time. There is no question about his experience."

Bangladesh showed positive intent during the Nidahas Trophy and Mahmud believes that Walsh's work has garnered the squad's attention. "He is a fatherly figure and everyone in the team likes him.

"All in all he was fantastic in the last series," Mahmud concluded.

Expectations were high ahead of the World Cup in England but upon the team’s return home yesterday, captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza spoke of his disappointment of not meeting their own expectations in the coveted tournament, although he lauded the poise from the youngsters.

Aside from Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman and Liton Das, all of whom are currently on vacation, the rest of the Tigers departed from Heathrow Airport on July 6.

Following their quarterfinal exit in the 2015 edition, the Tigers left for the ongoing World Cup with high hopes of reaching the semifinals for the first time in history.

The accumulation of experience and the fact that the team won their first multi-nation tournament just ahead of the World Cup during a tri-series on their tour of Ireland, where they beat West Indies in the final, provided the team with impetus going into the showpiece event.

Expectations were further justified when they began their campaign with a win against South Africa. However, results did not go their way when it mattered most. Given the format, where all ten teams played each other in the group stage, it was always going to be a tough ask. Yet, the Tigers finished well below the expected mark, ending in eighth place after having targeted a semifinal berth.

“We went there with expectations and from that point of view it is disappointing. If we look at the whole World Cup and how we played, if some things went in our favour, we could have played the semifinals. Overall it was a positive experience but at the same time, the expectations were higher and from that point of view, it was disappointing,” Mashrafe told reporters yesterday upon his arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The close defeat to New Zealand and the washed out match against Sri Lanka certainly played a hand but Mashrafe took responsibility nevertheless.

“As a captain, when the team does not fulfil expectations, then I will have to accept criticism. Of course I am taking full responsibility and at the same time it is normal that there will be criticism anywhere in the world after a big tournament,” the inspirational skipper added.

While his disappointment was evident when he suggested that ‘the chips were down’ in crucial matches, Mashrafe spoke highly of the youngsters’ efforts and said they should not be blamed, adding that some could match the levels of the current Big Five.

“It’s always the young players who are particularly blamed. Those who are seniors now, they were young once and not as consistent as they are now. The youngsters now are playing with a level of consistency and under a kind of intense pressure that we did not have to face when we were young,” Mashrafe said, referencing younger players like Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehedi, Mustafizur and Liton Das.

“So, they cannot be blamed unilaterally. They tried very hard. It is a big stage and it is not easy to perform here. I am hoping that with more experience they will reach the levels shown by Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Riyad.”

Lack of consistency played a key role for the captain in their campaign, which could have ended differently. However, Shakib Al Hasan performed magnificently throughout the tournament and the captain duly credited his star all-rounder.

“Shakib was outstanding. Shakib, Mushfiqur [Rahim], Mustafizur and Saifuddin played outstanding cricket. The others performed less consistently. At some particular points we needed luck to be on our side but that did not happen.”

West Indies legend Sir Curtly Ambrose expressed his interest in playing the role as the Bangladesh national team's fast-bowling coach, a position that continues to remain vacant following the departure of South African legend Allan Donald after ICC World Cup. 

Fast-bowling great Ambrose, who is currently in Dhaka working as a commentator in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), gave a positive nod when he was asked whether he would want to work with the Bangladesh team. 

"I love coaching and want to help the pace bowlers to develop and share my experience. I know Courtney [Walsh] has worked with Bangladesh cricket in the past and you never know if things work out, I might be interested to work with the Tigers. It's about sharing your knowledge and help the pacers to know the right things," said the tall man from Antigua.

Ambrose's long-time bowling partner Courtney Walsh, who joined as the Bangladesh bowling coach in August 2016, had previously worked with the Tigers for four years. 

A lot of expectations were placed on Walsh ever since he signed a deal with the BCB to replace Heath Streak with hopes of taking Bangladesh's fast bowling department to new heights.

However, there did not seem to be any significant improvements during Walsh's tenure and it should also be noted that it was the Tigers' fast bowling which was one of the weakest departments of the game for Bangladesh in their 2019 World Cup campaign.

It thus came as no surprise when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chose to not renew Walsh's contract in July 2019.

**Read full conversation with the legendary bowler in Sunday's (January 21) print version of the newspaper.