Two unheralded Bangladesh tail-enders with ice in their veins played the innings of their lives to subject England to yet another giant-killing act on Friday.
Shafiul Islam (24) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (21) defied the nerve-jangling pressure to forge an unbeaten 58-run ninth-wicket stand to complete a two-wicket Group B victory that even their captain did not think they could pull off.
“I never believed they can win it for us. It’s only after hitting the winning run that I believed they have done this,” said Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan, whose house was stoned by irate fans after the team’s defeat by the West Indies last week.
Photo: Reuters
At 169-8, Bangladesh’s chase for a 226-run victory target on a tricky track looked so doomed that even some of their ardent followers exited the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium shaking their heads, not realizing the drama that was about to unfold.
Aided by England’s profligate bowlers who conceded 33 extras, including 23 wides, in the see-saw contest, both the tail-enders kept going, before Mahmudullah drove Tim Bresnan through covers to seal the match with one over to spare and trigger wild celebrations.
Tamim Iqbal (38), Imrul Kayes (60) and Shakib (32) chipped in with useful cameos, but Shafiul and Mahmudullah were the toast of the nation.
Wary of the dew factor, Shakib won a good toss and opted to field, and he had reasons to feel vindicated when England’s bowlers struggled to grip the wet ball in the evening.
England’s batting was also inconsistent and if it had not been for the knocks by Jonathan Trott (67) and Eoin Morgan (63), they might not have even scored 225 all out.
They looked completely shackled by the hosts bowlers, managing just four boundaries in the first 20 overs.
Once again, they could not make the most of their batting powerplay either, managing just 33 runs and losing two wickets.
Defending a below-par total, England’s bowlers seemed to have turned the table on their hosts, before being thwarted by Bangladesh’s spectacular rearguard resistance.
“We are very disappointed, it was a missed opportunity for us,” England skipper Andrew Strauss said, admitting problems both in the batting and bowling departments.
Consistency has been a real problem for the team which narrowly escaped an upset against the Netherlands, tied with India and went down to Ireland, before losing to Bangladesh.
“These defeats hurt, there’s no doubt about it, but you’ve got to channel that frustration and make sure you channel it the right way and come out and beat the next side you’re playing against,” said Strauss, whose side could have sealed a place in the last eight if they had won the match.
Meanwhile, Graeme Swann was fined 10 percent of his match fee for showing dissent to an umpire.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement yesterday saying Swann had pleaded guilty to a Level 1 breach of the player’s code of conduct during the Group B match after being reported by umpires Rod Tucker and Darryl Harper for “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting.”
The ICC said the England spinner became frustrated at the condition of the second new ball during the 26th over of Bangladesh’s innings and made “unacceptable” remarks to the umpires.
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