Bangladesh ruled out of the Super Fours owing a no ball in the final over. Bangladesh made a bucket of errors while playing against Sri Lanka this Thurday. However, Mahedi Hasan’s no-balls tops the list. Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan pointed it out one of important cause behind the two-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka.
The no ball issue had a huge role in Kusal Mendis’ 60 runs innings. He got four lives, and continued batting beyond the seventh innings. Kusal, who came to open got his first life of Mehdi’s first no ball. Mehdi bowled his second no-ball in the last over when SL required three runs from four balls.
Shakib said,
“No captain wants no-balls from their team. It is a big crime when a spinner bowls a no-ball. We bowled a lot of wides and no-balls today. We were not disciplined. We didn’t know what to do when we were under pressure. We knew Kusal (Mendis) plays spin really well, so if we could get him early, it would have set platform for our spinners to come into the game.
“But till he was there, it was hard for our spinners to bowl. He was dropped on two, and then when he was out, it was a no-ball. The spinner bowling a no-ball is a big no-no. Our spinners usually don’t bowl no-balls, but today it was proven that we break down under pressure. We are losing in crunch moments. If we won 50% of the close matches, we would have a better record in this format.”
Ebdot Hossain, disappointing debut for Bangladesh
Ebadot Hossain has recently debuted for Bangladesh in the T-20Is. However, his inconsistency has really been an issue for Bangladesh.
Especially, the last over of the chase, turned into a gift for Sri Lanka. The Lankans hit Ebadot at least 17. Ebadot, in a last over bowled a no-ball and a wide too. This however, undermines his past good record. His fast two overs were almost a dream to him he took 3 wickets by giving 13 runs.
Shakib said,
“Ebadot has never played a pressure game like this. He has a lot to understand. He brought us into the game after his first two overs. We thought it was going to be his day. You expect a bowler to have good rhythm and be positive when he has taken three wickets in his first two overs. It wasn’t to be. He can learn a lot from this game.
“Our plan was to get their batsmen out. That’s exactly what we did. They needed 25 or 26 [25] in the last two overs. Eight [seven] wickets down, you back your main bowlers to defend those runs against their tail.”
Shakib also talked about identifying the best fast bowlers of Bangladesh ahead of T-20 WC.
“This was an eye-opener to see how we bowl in pressure situations,” he said. “You can expect good 10-12 overs of fast bowling on this type of pitch. Only those who can deliver will be in the team.
“It is simple math. We looked at four fast bowlers here, and we will look at more in the tri-series in New Zealand so that we have a clearer idea who can do well in Australia.”
Successful promotion of Mehidy
Moreover, Shakib also mentioned about those few positives noted in the tournament. One of those is indeed promoting Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open the innings. And it has actually worked for Bangladesh.
Mehidy smashed 38 runs in 26 balls. His innings had two sixes and as many fours. Shakib clarified that Bangladesh had tried this in the match against Afghanistan.
Shakib said,
“He has done well in our domestic tournaments, so we had faith in him,” Shakib said of Mehidy’s promotion. “Even in the first game, he was in the mix to bat in the top order. He didn’t play the first game. He showed his character today. He wasn’t nervous. He was playing after [more than] three years, so it wasn’t easy for him. You have to give him a lot of credit, the way he handled the pressure in the first six overs.”
Moreover, Shakib asked everyone for some patience. Bangladesh is trying hard to execute their plans going in the coming T20 World Cup. However, he also said, he loved his boys’ body language and attitude.
Shakib told,
“I have returned to T20I captaincy with these two matches. We have a lot in mind when we make a new beginning. Our planning started with the game against Afghanistan, so there will be right and wrong.
“We have a plan in place. We want to reach a goal slowly. But if you notice our attitude and body language in these two games, despite the poor approach in batting in the first game, I think we have improved from our last three or four series.”
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