MOMENTS

Spinner Waller's bouncer to Mushfiqur

The pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur remained a mystery during Bangladesh's innings against Zimbabwe yesterday. There was awkward bounce every now and then and at times the ball kept low, which surprised the Tigers batsman. After striking a slog sweep for six off off-spinner Malcom Waller in the first ball of the 31st over, Mushfiqur Rahim was surprised when he received almost a bouncer in the next ball. It was a good-length delivery from Waller on middle stump that reared sharply off the surface. The slightly built Mushfiqur was not prepared for it and tried to avoid the ball, which eventually struck his shoulder. It was quite a sight to see a spinner bowl a bouncer.

Ervine's stunning catch to dismiss Sabbir

Craig Ervine display stunning athleticism and hand-eye coordination to dismiss Sabbir Rahman on just six runs yesterday. Bangladesh were struggling on 167 for five when Sabbir played a well-timed pull shot off pacer Kyle Jarvis in the third ball of the 40th over. Ervine at short mid-wicket jumped dove to his left as the ball was dipping, and the 32-year-old reacted quickly to put his left hand underneath the ball inches above the ground and it stuck to his hand. Ervine was well aware of the danger of the ball popping out once hid body hit the ground, so he made sure to land softly and keep his elbow firm to complete an outstanding catch.

Rubel's straight six and the photo finish

Ahead of the tri-series, Bangladesh technical director Khaled Mahmud worked with bowlers on their batting and it has paid dividends to some extent. Mahmud would have been delighted to witness the straight six from number 10 batsman Rubel Hossain in the second ball of the 50th over off pacer Kyle Jarvis. Rubel got his front foot out of the way and timed it to perfection to smash a flat six over. He enjoyed the shot so much that he held his position for a few seconds to give the photographs enough time to capture the magic.

Player-of-the-match Tamim Iqbal later said that the team loved that moment. "I liked his follow-through better than the six. I don't know how long this joke will run [inside the dressing room]."

Mire's long wait for the ball

It was a tough ask for batsmen to adjust to the pace and bounce of the pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. The dismissal of Zimbabwe opener Solomon Mire off the bowling of Shakib Al Hasan in the fifth ball of the seventh over was an example of the slowness of the pitch. Shakib erred in bowling it short, but had deliberately taken the pace off the ball and the right-handed Mire waited for ages, but still went for the shot too early as it kept low and eluded the swishing blade to eventually hit timber. Shakib's reaction after the dismissal suggests that even he was surprised with the nature of the pitch.