ICC Cricket World Cup
Let the emotional override subside
Bangladesh’s World Cup ended with a crushing defeat against Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday. It was an anticlimactic finish to an otherwise fantastic run by the Tigers in the showpiece event that had started brilliantly for them with a fabulous victory against South Africa
Pondering on what ifs
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.
Let the emotional override subside
Bangladesh’s World Cup ended with a crushing defeat against Pakistan at Lord’s on Friday. It was an anticlimactic finish to an otherwise fantastic run by the Tigers in the showpiece event that had started brilliantly for them with a fabulous victory against South Africa
‘I lost to myself’
One of the recurring themes of Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has been the disappointing performance of the one batsman most fans would have been looking at to set the biggest stage alight for the Tigers.
‘We get down during partnerships’
“Fielding, it has been a concern all of my career. When there is a partnership, we get down,” Mashrafe said. “This is the part that a player can change. I think we really need to improve fielding.”
‘Feel sorry for Shakib’
“I should talk about Shakib; he has been absolutely beautiful. Batted at three, did what he could do. I feel very bad for Shakib,” Mashrafe said after the match. “The tournament he had, he deserved to be in the semifinal. Really feel sorry for him. I think it was one
‘The plan is to go home’
“My future plan is obviously going home from here, and I will have a rethink,” was the anticlimactic answer delivered with a straight face. Mashrafe had said before that he did not want to think about his future during the World Cup and would go home and discuss with his family about his future.
Tigers fail to pounce again
Shakib Al Hasan said before the match yesterday that one of the disappointments of Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign so far has been their fielding efforts. He may have been hoping that the match to follow -- the Tigers’ last World Cup game against Pakistan at Lord’s -- would be an exception
Uncertainty abounds around Mashrafe
Speculation surrounding Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s future was given fresh life when the 35-year-old did not show up for the pre-match press conference at Lord’s yesterday, ahead of Bangladesh’s last World Cup game against Pakistan today. It was instead Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes
‘No such thing as a dead rubber’
“Firstly, Bangladesh versus Pakistan at Lord’s, the beautiful Lord’s... there’s no such thing as a dead rubber,” Rhodes said during the pre-match press conference yesterday. “Both teams are desperate to beat each other. We certainly are. I’m pretty sure they are. They’ve got a lot to play for as well.
Tigers ‘taking in’ history
Dead rubber or not, if cricket is one’s profession then not much motivation is needed to be pumped up about a match at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Bangladesh have been eliminated from the race to the 2019 World Cup semifinals, but from the expressions