Sports Reporter:
Despite being outclassed in the previous game, Bangladesh refused to give up hope as they take on Paki-stan in the series-deciding third ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium tomorrow (Sunday). The match begins at 2:15 PM.
The hosts won the first match by eight wickets after bowling Pakistan out for just 114 runs. However, in the second game they suffered a similar fate, being dismissed for the same total of 114, which resulted in a 128-run defeat in the rain-hit encounter.
Following a rain and hailstorm that delayed the match by around one and a half hours, Bangladesh was set a revised target of 243 in 32 overs. As a result, the batters had no option but to go for relentless at-tacking cricket.
The damage, however, had already been done before the rain interruption as Bangladesh was reduced to 27-3 in 6.3 overs while chasing the original target of 275.
Bangladesh batters failed to maintain the sustained aggression required to win such a curtailed match. In fact, the inability to sustain aggression has often been a recurring issue for them in international cricket.
Pakistan, meanwhile, bounced back strongly after a horrendous first game in which pacer Nahid Rana rattled them with figures of 5-24.
Maaz Sadaqat took responsibility to anchor the innings while providing an explosive start. He hammered a 46-ball 75 to lay the foundation, which proved instrumental in helping Pakistan post 274 despite a late-order collapse.
If Pakistan’s batters continue in the same vein in the third match, Bangladesh may once again find them-selves in trouble while chasing the series.
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, however, pointed to his team’s own shortcomings rather than Pakistan’s resurgence.
“We didn’t execute well in the first 10 overs, which we did in the last match. It’s a very good wicket to bat on but our top-order batters didn’t get many runs,” Miraz said, adding that they must improve if they want to win the series.
“We have to improve our batting and take more responsibility. I hope our players will respond accord-ingly.”
Despite the defeat, Bangladesh may field an unchanged side for the series-deciding match. Pakistan is also likely to retain the same line-up.
Squad:
Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Captain), Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Liton Kumer Das, Afif Hossain, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Rishad Hoss-ain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.
Pakistan: Shaheen Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha, Shamyl Hussain.
