It was a story of Calypso and Collapso. The West Indians did the Calypso today and made the Bangladesh team dance to their tune. It was total Collapso from the Bangladesh team as they were bundled out for just 58 in front of their expectant home crowd. It was just one of those days when absolutely nothing went Bangladesh’s way and the West Indians made merry on the surface.
When you look at the Mirpur pitch, you would find a lot of assistance for the spinners. Probably keeping this in mind and the Bangladesh spin attack, Shakib Al Hasan elected to bat. It was a good toss to win as there was a lot of turn for the spinners right from the start and had they got around 220 we would have had a game on our hands.
Right from the start there was a lot of turn and bounce for the spinners and as they day would have progressed it would have been even more helpful.
Sulieman Benn proved quite a handful when he bowled. He was getting a lot of turn and he mixed it up very well with the faster deliveries. The real dent to the Bangladesh batting was caused by Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach. Not many people were that convinced by Sammy’s appointment as captain and he really needed a performance like this to justify it. However, this should be the start of better things for Sammy. He proved today that he can bowl well and he needs to lead his side to more consistency. He is not fast but his line and length can be very nagging and you need such bowlers in your line up in the one day game. With him being the captain, West Indies do not have to search for such a player.
Kemar Roach is really steaming in since the start of the tournament. He didn’t have too many wickets to show against South Africa but I think he bowled well then as he was fast and concentrated on the right channels. When they played the Netherlands he looked absolutely unplayable. The best part about him is when he gets his rhythm he can bowl over the 150 kmph mark frequently. Today as well he was fast and bowled in the right areas. The best delivery in my opinion was the one that dismissed Junaid Siddique. Siddique was set on 25 and Roach bowled this fast inswinging delivery that hit the batsman on the full; plumb in front it was. Now that Roach is in form and well supported by Sammy and Benn, the West Indies bowling worries seem to have eased however they need to maintain this consistency in the games to come especially when they play India and England.
The Bangladesh batting was absolutely appalling today. The West Indies bowled well today no doubt about it but the Bangladesh batsman could have been better with their shot selection. Tamim Iqbal chased a wide one which he edged to second slip. Now this is something you don’t expect from your opening batsman. West Indies had planned that dismissal and had kept the second slip in place. Most of their batsmen were out feeling the deliveries outside off stump without definite footwork. Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, Ashraful and Shafiul Islam felt at deliveries outside off stump. Kayes and Ashraful fell to Sammy and Roach respectively while Naeem and Shafiul were picked up by Benn. Junaid Siddique was one man who got an absolute beauty but the others were out to poor shots. Shakib Al Hasan was in two minds whether to sweep or hit Benn straight down the ground and in the end managed to do nothing but get bowled. Raqibul Hasan hit a widish delivery straight to point in a situation where they needed him to stay. Mushfiqur Rahim picked the only fielder in the mid wicket region as he played a nothing shot straight to him. Overall, it was poor shot selection and we have seen them bat better on many occasions. They should now introspect and tell themselves that it was an off day and move on to the next game.
The other game today was between New Zealand and Zimbabwe. I didn’t get to watch that game and cannot really comment on it. One thing I can say is that it was completely dominated by New Zealand. The fact that they got the 160 odd runs without losing a wicket will give them confidence. However they need to find more consistency when they play the better teams. They have been good against the minnows but they need to play even better against the stronger sides .
It is super Saturday tomorrow as Sri Lanka take on Australia. It is a clash that we eagerly anticipate as both sides are really strong. However, I think Sri Lanka have the upper hand thanks to their spinners and the Aussie batting woes against spin.
Sri Lanka have to retain the line up that played Kenya. According to me that is their best combination. The batting comprising Dilshan, Sangakkara, Tharanga, Jayawerdene, Silva, Samaraweera and Matthews looks really strong. They have to ensure they don’t lose wickets in a heap like they did against Pakistan. Sangakkara , Jayawerdene and Samaraweera hold the key to provide them that stability in the middle overs. The Sri Lankan bowling is bolstered by the return of Malinga. His inswinging Yorkers are a real danger to a batsman’s toes. For Sri Lanka to win tomorrow, I am of the opinion that they have to play Mendis. He may have been picked by various batsmen across the World but with the current Australian line-up struggling against spin he has to play with Murali. If I were Sangakkara I would be considering opening the bowling with a spinner with Malinga.
Australia have got a strong batting line-up and a fantastic pace attack. The fast men can be lethal on any surface and even though the Premadasa pitch is more spinner friendly, it wouldn’t affect them too much. Thus, Lee and Tait hold the key and they should look to get the early breakthroughs. It would be interesting to see how Krejza and Smith perform tomorrow. Krejza may get hit for runs but he is a wicket taker and on the Premadasa pitch I would play him any day. Coming to their batting, they have to be careful against the spinners and Malinga. They can try to attack Kulasekara and Perera to put pressure on the Lankans. It is in the news that they have devised a plan to tackle Malinga. It would be interesting to see what it is.
It promises to be a great weekend. Will it live up to the hype? We have to wait to find out.
Comments invited.
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