Bangladesh tries to get out of the mess

Calcutta: Having signed its own death warrant, so to say, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is scrambling to take back its signature before the warrant is executed.

Monday, indeed, saw dramatic happenings in Hong Kong, which is hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s Annual Conference Week.

Officially, the most talked about development was on the umpire Decision Review System front, with a hitherto stubborn India falling in line with the wishes of the fraternity.

Unofficially, the BCB took centre stage, once word got around that it was having “second thoughts” on agreeing to amend the ICC’s constitution and, in the process, signing away the chance to have its nominee ascend the president’s chair in 2014.

That the BCB had acted against its own interests had been reported first by The Telegraph, on June 23. To put it mildly, BCB president Mustafa Kamal is in troubled waters.

“The BCB is arguing that it wasn’t really aware of the consequences of the resolution via circular which it signed on May 31... But that can’t be withdrawn... What’s done can’t be undone... If the BCB wants a re-vote, at the Executive Board, then it must have the support of eight of the 10 Full (Test-playing) Members. That’s out of the question,” a well-placed source revealed.

Belatedly, what the BCB can do is to vote against the constitutional change when it’s put before the General Council. The move is being spearheaded by India and England.

For its part, the BCB put out a press release, saying: “The BCB, in principle, agrees to the proposed amendment... However, the BCB feels that an equal and fair opportunity should be given to all existing Full Member countries to avail the privileges of the current rotational system...”

After the late realisation, the BCB claims to have written to ICC president Sharad Pawar, calling for the change to come into effect “only after the completion” of the existing cycle.

Bangladesh and Pakistan have been clubbed together in the rotational system and, as the latter’s Ehsan Mani has already been the president (2003-06), Bangladesh had the strongest claim this time around.

Going by the existing cycle, the BCB nominee could have taken over as vice-president next year and become the president in 2014, at the end of Alan Isaac’s term.

When the resolution via circular was put to ‘vote’, Pakistan objected, while Sri Lanka abstained. Pakistan, one learns, plans to take “legal action.”

Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, has been threatening that rather publicly in Hong Kong. The irony is that he’s himself under acute pressure to keep his chair.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), meanwhile, has quickly moved to placate the Associate Members, 35 of whom will be voting in the General Council.

Specifically, the BCCI has conveyed to the Associates that it would have “no objections” to a 14-team World Cup in 2015 as well.

In other words, like in the last World Cup, four can qualify.

The BCCI’s position has shifted, for reasons which are more ‘political’ in nature, but it hasn’t surprised. That the Associates’ script could unfold in this very manner had also been reported in these columns, on June 23.

Of course, the BCCI won’t favour a qualification process, but call for the automatic entry of all 10 Test-playing nations if, eventually, the Executive Board decides on a 10-team competition.

Australia and New Zealand, the joint hosts, are (as of now) in favour of just 10 teams.

The ICC chief executives’ committee, which finished its deliberations on Monday, has recommended a “qualification process,” without talking of the number of teams.

Rather strange that. The call will now have to be made by the Executive Board.

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Watson Stars In Australia Win

Shane Watson knocked Bangladesh's bowlers senseless with a world record tally of sixes as the Australians galloped to a nine-wicket victory in the second limited overs match in Mirpur to seal the series.

The target of 230 had appeared a possible banana skin on a slow pitch offering some turn, but Watson made such light work of it, that his unbeaten185 from 96 balls now stands as the highest ODI score by an Australian, overtaking Matthew Hayden's 181 against New Zealand in 2007.

Xavier Marshall's 2008 mark for most sixes fell when Watson swung his 13th over the rope, the second six in as many balls off the bowling of Abdur Razzak. Watson added two more for good measure, laying claim to one of ODI cricket's more enduring records, for the highest individual percentage of runs in a completed innings. His 79.74% bested Viv Richards' 69.48% in his momentous 189 not out, out of 272 for 9, against England in 1984. (It doesn't qualify for Cricinfo's records, though, which recognise only those cases where a team is all out or where the full allocation of scheduled overs was used.)

Following Michael Clarke's century in game one, vice-captain Watson struck a mighty blow for the visitors' new leadership duo, accompanied most of the way by the unbeaten Ricky Ponting, although it came against a Bangladesh attack that was cowed into submission from virtually the first over of the chase.

Dropping Cameron White for Callum Ferguson as they sought a series-sealing victory, the Australians were in total command when Bangladesh slid to 88 for 5. But Rahim, allrounder Mahmudullah and left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo pushed the hosts to 229 for 7.

Shahriar Nafees had done his best to keep the first half of the innings from petering out entirely but he was not helped by the funereal approach of opener Imrul Kayes, who lingered 41 balls to gouge out five runs. Mitchell Johnson and Steve Smith shared five well-deserved wickets, while Brett Lee was short of luck during a spell that was damaged after he leaked 17 runs in his final over.

As if to stamp his intent on proceedings, Watson coshed 14 from the first over of the reply and made 27 before his partner, Brad Haddin, had even faced a ball. Together they added 62 before Haddin, having contributed eight, mistimed a catch to midwicket for his second low score of the series.

Ponting was largely happy to enjoy his front-row seat for the Watson exhibition, which will please his Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne as much as it did Clarke. The punishment was never greater than in the 22nd over, when Shuvo was deposited for four leg-side sixes, illustrating Watson's fearful power against supine opponents.

Seeking parity at 1-1 after Shakib Al Hasan won the toss, Tamim Iqbal offered a flashy drive at Johnson in the second over and sliced to the left of the solitary slip where Shane Watson held an excellent catch. In the next over Lee and the rest of the Australians were convinced they had Imrul gloving a well-directed short ball behind, but a vociferous and sustained appeal went unheeded, decision reviews not being used during the series. Australia's disgust at not claiming the wicket would be alleviated across the next eight overs, as Imrul crawled to five from 41 balls, draining the innings of all momentum and then compounded his sin by swinging unwisely at Johnson to sky a leg-side catch.

The next man in, Raqibul Hasan, played down the wrong line at Hastings and was bowled for a duck, before Smith ripped a leg break between Shakib's bat and pad in his first over, leaving Shahriar to attempt to repair the damage. He had reached 56 when Smith flighted a leg break and was rewarded with the tamest of return catches, as the hosts slid to 88 for 5.

From this dire base developed a partnership between Mahmudullah and wicketkeeper Rahim, lifting Bangladesh into the realm of respectability with a combination of neat strokes and tidy running between the wickets. They were bracing for the batting Powerplay when Watson pinned Mahmudullah in front of middle stump, but Rahim, Shuvo and Shafiul Islam spirited away 59 runs from the final five overs to ensure a target that hinted at competitiveness.

The home side's only change was to withdraw Mashrafe Mortaza from the firing line, replaced by Rubel Hossain, after Mortaza was significantly down on his usual pace in the series opener. Given Watson's subsequent pyrotechnics, he may have been relieved to sit this one out.

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Bangladesh Vs Australia In ODIs

 

In its 17 years since being granted International status in 1986, Bangladesh and Australia have played each other in ODIs just 3 times and all of them have been in Multi-national tournaments. The first match of the ODI series at Cairns on 2nd August would be only the 4th instance of Bangladesh and Australia playing against each other in an ODI match. In the 3 previous matches between the two nations, no surprise, Australia have won all 3 of them with Bangladesh batting first in all of them.

The first of those matches took place in 1990 at Sharjah, UAE in the Australasia cup with Bangladesh losing by 7 wickets after scoring 134/8 in their alloted 50 overs. In the next match, played during the World Cup in 1999 at Chester-Le-Street in England, Bangladesh improved a bit as Bangladesh managed to score 178/7 before going down by 7 wickets again.

 

Their worst performance against the Aussies was yet to come. In 2002, during the ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh managed only 129 in 45.2 overs and unlike the previous 2 instances, got all out for the first time against Australia making their lowest score against them. Australia won this match by 9 wickets. In each of the 3 matches, Australia have chased the targets comfortably within 20-25 overs showing the weakness of the Bangladesh bowling.

For the Bangladesh players, this will be a tough series and a test of their abilities and the Bangladesh, if they have to live up to their reputation, have to throw up respectable performances in each of the 3 matches. Bangladesh are yet to win a match after their 1999 victory over Pakistan and havent won any of their last 35 ODIs with reaching their lowest point, earlier this year in the world cup match against minnows Canada which Bangladesh lost by 60 runs. Bangladesh, with Dave Whatmore, have shown some signs of improvement over the last month, winning the warm-ups and scoring 295 in the 2nd test, but it is not enough.

 

There are still wide differences between the level of Bangladesh and the top test-playing nations. In this series, at most what can be expected is for Bangladesh to get atleast 200 runs in the matches which is possible enough, considering the fact that Bangladesh made 295 in the 1st innings of the second test match. For the batting, the 2 youngsters, Alok Kapali and Mohammed Ashraful havent done much of notable performances and have contributed poorly.

 

The better batting performances have come from Hannan sarkar and Habibul Bashar and these 4 players are going to be the batsmen to look out for. In the bowling department, Mashrafe-Bin-Mortaza has been in excellent form and so has been Tapash Baisya and these 2 will be the bowlers to watch out for.

Statistics

Highest Score by Bangladesh : 178/7 (50 overs), Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Lowest Score by Bangladesh : 129 all out (45.2 overs), Colombo SSC, 2002/03

Highest Indivudual Score for Bangladesh : Minhajul Abedin, 53*(99b,6x4), Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Highest Indivudual Score for Australia : Matthew Hayden, 67*(70b,10x4,1x6), Colombo SSC, 2002/03

Fastest 50 for Bangladesh : Minhajul Abedin, 96 balls, Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Fastest 50 for Australia : Tom Moody, 28 balls, Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Best Bowling Performance for Bangladesh : Enamul Haque, 2/40(5ov), Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Best Bowling Performance for Australia : Jason Gillespie, 3/20(10ov), Colombo SSC, 2002/03

Most Catches for Bangladesh : Gazi Ashraf, Azhar Hossain, Faruk Ahmed, 1 Catch, Sharjah, 1989/90

Most Stumpings for Bangladesh : Khaled Mahmud, 2 Stumpings, Chester-Le-Street, 1999

Most Catches for Australia : Ian Healy, 3 Catches, Sharjah, 1990 and Ricky Ponting, 3 Catches, Chester-Le-Street, 1999

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Mortaza Returns, Ashraful Axed For Australia ODIs

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful's stop-start international career hit another roadblock when he was left out of the Bangladesh side for the upcoming three-match home ODI series against Australia. Seamer Mashrafe Mortaza, who missed the World Cup with a knee injury, was recalled, along with middle-order batsman Alok Kapali. Shakib Al Hasan was retained as the captain, while Tamim Iqbal will remain his deputy.

Ashraful had a forgettable World Cup, managing only 18 runs in three outings, and was axed along with Junaid Siddique, Naeem Islam and Nazmul Hossain. Uncapped batsman Shuvagoto Hom was the only newcomer named in the side.

With 145 wickets in 116 ODIs, Mortaza, 27, is Bangladesh's second-highest wicket-taker in the format, and his return brightens their prospects against Australia. Kapali played the last of his 65 one-dayers in September 2008, and his recall is an attempt to bolster Bangladesh's misfiring middle order. If he gets a chance in the series, Kapali will hope to improve on his mediocre batting average of 19.83.

The three-matches will be played on April 9, 11 and 13 at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.

Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vice-capt), Mashrafe Mortaza, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Alok Kapali, Shuvagoto Hom, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam

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ICC President Sharad Pawar Praises Bangladesh For Its Wonderful Hosting

 

ICC President Sharad Pawar has praised Bangladesh for its hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Pawar, who was in attendance at the New Zealand-South Africa game on Friday, said:

 

 "It has been wonderful to experience the hospitality of the people of Bangladesh.I'd like to thank the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Sports Minister, Ahad Ali Sarker, and the Government of Bangladesh for their support and cooperation in so successfully hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup opening ceremony and all of the matches in Bangladesh.

 

"The manner in which the whole country has embraced the World Cup has been a joy to behold. The passion that the people of Bangladesh have for cricket is wonderful."I have also been very impressed with the facilities here in Dhaka. The Sher-e-Bangla Stadium is a world-class venue that all of Bangladesh should be proud of."All eight matches in Bangladesh were well-attended and even those that did not feature the home team were played out in front of big crowds.

 

The people came in and appreciated the good performances and enjoyed the game."Immense credit must go to the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, AHM Mustapha Kamal, his team at the BCB, the Local Organising Committee, the Government of Bangladesh and, of course, the people of this beautiful country."An event of the scale of the ICC Cricket World Cup poses many logistical and operational challenges for host nations and I am pleased to say that the cricket community in Bangladesh has not merely met those challenges but has exceeded them.

 

"I am sure cricket in Bangladesh has a positive and prosperous future and we look forward to returning to the country for the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier later this year and the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014."

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Shafiul Stars As Bangladesh Seal Thriller

Shafiul Islam raised Bangladesh's World Cup campaign from the dead, as he turned yet another astonishing contest on its head with a breathtaking assault in the batting Powerplay to leave England stunned by their fifth cliffhanger in consecutive contests, and facing their own make-or-break encounter with West Indies in Chennai next week.

In another unbearably tense finale, Bangladesh's ninth-wicket pair of Shafiul and Mahmudullah transformed a futile situation with glorious blaze of strokeplay, as they turned an asking rate of 57 in 62 balls into a glorious victory with an over to spare. The honour of the winning hit went to Mahmudullah, who belted a Tim Bresnan full-toss through the covers for four, to queue pandemonium among the most passionate cricket supporters in the world.

On a sluggish track in which runs had, for the most part, to be grafted, England batted first and were bowled out for 225 - a total that was no better than par, and which owed everything to a chalk-and-cheese stand of 109 between Jonathan Trott and the fit-again Eoin Morgan. In reply, however, and in tricky dew-laden conditions that made the ball tricky to grip - particularly for their cantankerous spinner, Graeme Swann - Bangladesh were on cruise control at 155 for 3 in the 31st over, before a calamitous run-out gifted their opponents a way back into the game.

The man who had the game in the palm of his hand was Imrul Kayes, the less-vaunted of Bangladesh's opening batsman, who slipstreamed Tamim Iqbal during a captivating 38 from 26 balls that put Bangladesh firmly ahead of the run-rate, before settling down to play the holding role with a chanceless 100-ball 60.

Chanceless, that is, except for his sketchy running between the wickets. For it was his ill-advised decision to take a second run to deep square leg that ended a fourth-wicket stand of 72 with Shakib Al Hasan that looked to have broken the back of England's resistance. In the next five overs, as Bresnan and Paul Collingwood applied the emergency brake, Bangladesh were limited to seven singles before Shakib - gasping to lift the tempo after a doughty 58-ball innings - aimed a loose sweep at Swann and was bowled for 32.

Mushfiqur Rahim had been virtually strokeless since the run-out, with two runs from 18 deliveries before the re-introduction of Ajmal Shahzad persuaded him to drive expansively through the covers. But one ball later he edged a beauty on off stump through to Matt Prior, and before another run had been added, he produced another superb delivery to take out Naeem Islam's off stump for a duck.

It was a near-replica of the delivery that had earlier sent Raqibul Hasan on his way in the same manner, and with eventual figures of 3 for 43, Shahzad was England's most successful bowler of the day. In between whiles, however, his line had been all over the shop - a performance that too many of his team-mates had been willing to emulate, not least James Anderson, who had borne the brunt of Tamim's early onslaught, and later served up a dreadful nine-ball first over of the batting Powerplay - including five wides first-ball - to give Bangladesh real belief in the closing stages.

That belief had been ignited by the swinging blade of Shafiul, who turned a bad day for Swann into a dreadful one by leathering his final over for 16, including the only six of the day, over wide long-on. Up until that point, Swann had been more preoccupied with the wet and slippery ball, with Andrew Strauss forced to intervene during a heated row with umpire Daryl Harper, but those blows brought the requirement down to 39 from 48 balls, and brought an abrupt halt to the flow of disgruntled fans who were trooping out of the stadium.

This was the day that Bangladesh had been rehearsing for all through 2010. They got to know England's cricketers and strategies through the course of back-to-back series at home and away, and having ended their run of 20 consecutive defeats with a tight victory at Bristol in their last-but-one encounter in July, they knew they had what it takes to spring a surprise. But, having collapsed in a heap to be bowled out for 58 in their last World Cup fixture against West Indies, the chance to start from the position of rank outsiders seemed to suit their purposes every bit as much as the favourites' tag unsettled their opponents.

With the honourable exception of the fit-again Morgan, England simply did not look comfortable at any stage of the day. After losing the toss and being asked to set the agenda, they shipped three tame wickets in the space of their first 17 overs, as they dribbled along to 53 for 3, and though Trott was admirable in grinding out a 99-ball 67, it was Morgan's departure for 63 to a fine catch by Kayes at backward square that derailed their ambitions of a 250-plus total. Their batting Powerplay once again proved problematic, with 33 runs and two wickets coming in five overs, and from 162 for 3 with 11 overs remaining, England were bowled out for 225 with two balls of their innings remaining.

The left-arm spin of Abdur Razzak was especially impressive. It was he who stunted England's ambitions with his first-ball removal of Matt Prior (who produced one of the most doziest dismissals of the tournament to date, when he set off for a single with the ball already nestled in Mushfiqur's gloves) and he did not concede a single boundary until Ravi Bopara larruped the third ball of his final over through the covers. Even then, Razzak had the last laugh, as two balls later Bopara tried the same trick and picked out Naeem Islam in the covers.

It was Razzak's earlier spell that set the tone, however, as he and Naeem Islam squeezed all ambition out of England's top-order in a boa-like spell that resulted in 19 singles and nothing else between overs 7 and 17. Strauss reclaimed his status as the tournament's leading run-scorer in the course of his 31-ball 18, but the fluency that had been the hallmark of his previous performances was nowhere to be seen as he eventually took on a cut shot that was too close to his body, and skidded a fast edge to Junaid Siddique at slip. And then Ian Bell, nominally England's best player of spin, produced a timid aberration of an innings, which ended with a flaccid flick to short midwicket off Mahmudullah.

England's own trump spinner couldn't come close to matching the efforts of Bangladesh's quartet. Right from his first over, Swann was troubled by the dew-sodden ball and struggled to locate the flight, line and length that had proved so devastating in a similar situation against South Africa last week. England regained a small measure of control when the umpires agreed to a ball-change after 21 overs, and Swann was instantly in the thick of things with a tidy fourth over that went for two runs. However, the more notable aspect of the over was Swann's petulance when called for a leg-side wide that might have brushed Shakib's pad. Aside from the extra run, it was a sign that England were getting very seriously rattled.

In the final analysis, however, there could be no quibbling with the result. The only reason that England were even given a chance of victory was that both sides knew of Bangladesh's tendency to collapse under pressure. Sure enough, the choke when it came was dramatic and could have been game-changing, but thanks to the guts of Shafiul and Mahmudullah, justice was served in the end.

Last week Bangladesh were being showered with brickbats - literally - after a spineless surrender in Dhaka. This evening those same players will be garlanded by a jubilant nation, and with a match against Netherlands still lying in wait, they now have a real chance to propel themselves to the quarter-finals. England, meanwhile, must ride the rollercoaster for the sixth match in succession. Another slip-up, and this time it really will be the end.

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Bangladesh Seek Rebirth Of Spirit

This time last week, England's return to Chittagong was being viewed with the sort of FA Cup-style angst that accompanied Arsenal on their recent trip to Leyton Orient. On paper it was clearly a mismatch, with England having emerged victorious in all but one of their 22 previous fixtures, in all three formats of the game. However, in light of their calamitous three-wicket defeat against Ireland, the contest was being earmarked as a make-or-break moment in England's campaign. Another slip-up here, and the quarter-finals would surely be out of reach.

That, however, was before two extraordinary results redressed the shift towards Minnow Power in an remarkably unpredictable Group B. First came Bangladesh's capitulation to 58 all out at the hands of West Indies in Dhaka, as a game that could have hoisted them right into the reckoning for the knock-outs instead sent the team's morale spiralling, with the nation's mood following suit amid dark and reprehensible scenes outside the stadium.

Then, two days later, came England's incredible comeback against South Africa in Chennai, as the team somehow found the will to defend a limp total of 171, with all ten of South Africa's wickets tumbling for 102 in a thrilling six-run victory. The net effect of those two results has been to draw much of the sting from this Chittagong contest. It's certainly not out of the question for Bangladesh to progress to the next stage, especially with Netherlands among their remaining opponents. But right when it most matters, their bubble of optimism has been cruelly pricked, while at the same time, the fear of embarrassment that might have undermined England's approach has been significantly eased by their dispatching of one of the form teams of the tournament.

Nevertheless, these two teams know each other inside-out, with the first half of 2010 including four Tests and six ODIs, split home and away - and the shorter the format, the smaller the gulf between the teams. Bangladesh could and should have claimed the second ODI in Dhaka 12 months ago, only for a nerveless Eoin Morgan to seal a two-wicket victory with his maiden England century. Then at Bristol in July, the Tigers finally pounced, with Shafiul Islam's last-over dismissal securing an epic five-run victory.

The perverse logic of England's campaign also helps to fuel the prospect of an upset. At some stage, surely, they are going to have to break the cycle of underachievement whenever they've been burdened with the favourites' tag, but having been given extraordinarily close shaves by Canada in a warm-up match and then by Netherlands in their Nagpur opener, the Ireland defeat was an accident waiting to happen. Thrice bitten, four times shy? You'd assume they'd have to learn sometime.

Following that abominable effort against West Indies, Bangladesh will doubtless feel liberated with their expectations back at rock-bottom. The intervening days have been devoted to speculation about Shakib's position as captain, with a media furore accompanying a photo apparently showing him gesturing to the crowd during the post-match presentations at Mirpur. At times such as these, the safest place is often the middle of a cricket pitch. A decent start and a pumped-up crowd, and who knows what could be possible.

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Shafiul Secures Bangladesh Vital Victory

Bangladesh's bowlers held their nerve to atone for the failures of their batsman, as the pluck of the Irish proved insufficient to overcome the most fervent atmosphere of the World Cup so far. In a gripping, low-scoring encounter at Mirpur, Bangladesh flirted with disaster as they squandered a flying start from Tamim Iqbal to crash to 205 all out, and when Ireland reached 93 for 3 at the halfway mark of their reply, they were well on course for a hugely deserved victory.

 However, six wickets for the Bangladeshi spin quartet set the stage for a flying finish from Shafiul Islam, who claimed 4 for 21 in eight hostile and reverse-swinging overs, to seal a wildly acclaimed victory by 27 runs with five overs to spare.

The result was tough on the Irish who, like the Netherlands earlier in the week, gave the match their all and deserved a Test-playing scalp as their reward. But the belief and unity of the Bangladeshis had to be seen to be believed, as they dusted themselves down after a chastising performance with the bat, and set about defending their meagre total with skill, tenacity and some sublime commitment in the field.

Mohammad Ashraful, whose mercurial batting once again let him down when the heat was on, proved a revelation with the ball, as his spin-bowling all-sorts picked up two vital wickets inside the first 19 overs, and whose subsequent celebrations imbued both his team-mates - and perhaps more crucially, a rammed and expectant Mirpur crowd - with belief.

There will be many higher-profile fixtures than this in the coming weeks, but few could prove as pivotal to the fortunes of two teams who exceeded expectations four years ago in reaching the Super Eights in the Caribbean. Ireland's hopes of playing in the 2015 tournament hinge on their ability to produce this sort of performance in each of their next five matches, to convince the ICC that they deserve their place at the top table. But more immediately, Bangladesh's victory gives them a real chance of pushing for a quarter-final place that their form in home internationals suggests could be attainable.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Bangladesh started the match with the same aplomb with which they finished, bringing their fans to their feet in a thrilling first four overs, in which Tamim's blistering volley of strokeplay lifted the score to an imposing 41 for 0. However, Ireland are a more resourceful side than meets the eye, and the early decision to reduce the pace on the ball slowly but surely changed the tide of the contest. Trent Johnston and John Mooney drew the sting of the innings with their unrelenting line and length, but it was left to the teenaged spinner George Dockrell to inflict the telling blows.

Dockrell twirled straight through his ten overs, claiming 2 for 23 with a performance brimful of guile. His agonisingly slow pace through the air left all the batsmen groping in their defences, scared of taking on the long straight boundary for fear of being beaten in flight, and his two dismissals were carbon-copies of one another - a crease-bound Mushfiqur Rahim paddle-swept to Andrew White at short backward leg to end a doughty innings of 36, before Ashraful followed suit for 1 in the very next over.

Ireland's commitment in the field was unstinting. Ed Joyce and White pulled off a direct-hit run-out apiece, the first to remove Junaid Siddique for 3 - a dismissal which undermined Bangladesh's early momentum following the loss of the opener Imrul Kayes to an expert leg-side stumping from Niall O'Brien - and the latter to extract Raqibul Hasan for 38, at precisely the moment he looked set to guide the tail to a comfortable 200-plus total. But the one telling shortcoming was the performance of their quickest bowler, Boyd Rankin. His nine overs went for 62 - the most expensive analysis of the day - including a poor final over that went for 11.

Smart Stats Bangladesh's 27-run win was their first over Ireland in World Cups and their fifth in seven matches against Ireland. Ireland had beaten Bangladesh by 74 runs in their previous meeting in World Cups. This was only the eighth win for Bangladesh in ODIs in Mirpur after batting first. They have lost on 13 occasions after batting first. Shafiul Islam's 4 for 21 is the best bowling performance in World Cups by a Bangladesh bowler surpassing Abdur Razzak's 3 for 25 against South Africa in 2007.

Pace off the ball was the secret on this deck, at least until such time as the Irish tail was exposed to Shafiul's old-ball wiles. He was given just the one over with the new ball in Ireland's innings, before Shakib turned to the spin pairing of Abdur Razzak and Naeem Islam. The tactic paid dividends in the sixth over of the innings, when Paul Stirling yorked himself while advancing to Razzak, and was stumped by Mushfiqur as the ball dribbled off the pads and past his off stump.

With the pressure intense in spite of the small target, Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, set himself to make the most of every scoring opportunity. He had launched the innings in confident style with a second-ball drive off Shafiul through point, and he added a second four when Naeem dropped short at the end of his third over. But Shakib, Bangladesh's captain and senior spinner, struck with his first delivery, as Porterfield attempted a flick off the back foot, and instead popped a simple catch to Raqibul at short midwicket.

O'Brien, however, was the right man to enter the fray. He was the hero of a tense run-chase in Jamaica four years ago, when Ireland stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, and two fours in the same Shakib over were the perfect tonic for his team's frayed nerves. In partnership with the England veteran, Joyce, he picked off the singles and gnawed away at the target, before Joyce, on 16, attempted to drive against the spin, and popped a simple chance to Ashraful.

Ashraful celebrated as if the match was already won, which it self-evidently was not at 75 for 3 in the 19th over. However, the belief in the Bangladesh team was picked up on by the crowd, and the roof was raised six overs later, when White, on 10, played a lazy pushed drive from deep in the crease to be bowled through the gate.

It was a dismissal that increased the Irish jitters ten-fold, but it was nothing compared to the dismissal of O'Brien three overs later. With a rock-solid 38 from 52 balls to his name, he was tempted to put too much bat through a lofted clip into the leg side, and Tamim at deep square leg hurtled in to snaffle a brilliant low catch inches from the turf. At 110 for 5, Bangladesh were right back in the contest and O'Brien's self-recriminations were revealing. With an asking-rate of four an over, there was simply no need for such risks.

His brother Kevin, however, chose his big shots more judiciously - at least at first. An up-and-under six over long-on was the first and only maximum of the match, and he added two more kitchen-sink clumps in Ashraful's ninth and final over, which went for 14. But at 151 for 5 in the 37th over, when all that was required was a cool head and an exchange of singles, O'Brien was suckered by Shafiul's short ball, and launched a pull straight to the substitute, Suhrawadi Shuvo, at square leg.

From that moment on, Ireland's hopes began to evaporate. Naeem nailed Mooney for an eight-ball duck, as he tried a flat-footed cut but edged into his stumps, and three balls later, the obdurate Andre Botha played all round a full-length delivery that crashed into his leg stump. With Shafiul on a roll, surfing the crowd's delirium and zipping the ball at pace from a full length, the tail were unable to resist. Bangladesh's World Cup campaign is up and running. Ireland's, despite their best endeavours, must start all over again against England next week.

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Bangladesh Lay Spin Trap For Ireland

Bangladesh will bank on spin to outwit Ireland in Friday's World Cup match, with skipper Shakib Al Hasan warning the visitors they will struggle in Dhaka.

"I don't think Ireland like to play in these conditions," Shakib said of the leading non-Test nation ahead of the day-night match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

"This is not to say we will take them lightly. Ireland have been playing good cricket. But in our conditions, which suit slow bowlers, we are a good bowling side."

The last time Ireland played in Dhaka, Bangladesh won all three one-day internationals at the same venue, giving Shakib confidence ahead of the clash.

"They could not handle spin and we plan to attack them again with it," said the captain, who leads the home team's spin attack with fellow left-armer Abdur Razzak.

Bangladesh cannot afford another defeat, having lost their opening match against India by 87 runs last Saturday, setting the stage for a keenly contested game with the Irish.

The co-hosts need to beat both the non-Test nations, Ireland and the Netherlands, and one of the established sides from England, South Africa and the West Indies, to progress to the next round.

"This is a must-win situation for us," Shakib conceded. "If we don't win tomorrow, it will not be easy to qualify for the quarter-finals."

Bangladesh must avenge two successive losses to Ireland at major events to resurrect their campaign.
Ireland defeated Bangladesh by 74 runs in the now-scrapped Super Eights round in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and then won by six wickets in the World Twenty20 in England in 2009.

Shakib said the team management will decide the playing XI on Friday morning to give seamer Shafiul Islam time to recover from a minor shoulder injury sustained during training on Wednesday.

The captain refused to answer repeated questions from the Bangladeshi media on whether former captain Mohammad Ashraful will play after being omitted against India.

"Nothing will be decided till we know if Shafiul can play," said Shakib.

"The composition of the side will depend on how he shapes up tomorrow morning."

Ashraful, Bangladesh's most successful one-day batsman with 3,360 runs from 164 matches, had a long batting stint at the nets on Thursday to suggest he may take the field against Ireland.

Ashraful could replace off-spinner Naeem Islam, or even seamer Rubel Hossain if Bangladesh choose to attack Ireland with a three-man spin attack.

Bangladesh emerged from the defeat against India with a few positives, including a spirited chase of the massive 371-run target as Tamim Iqbal made 70 and Shakib hit a fluent 55 off 50 balls.

But the Tigers' bowlers took a beating at the hands of the rampaging India, with Shafiul going for 69 runs in his seven overs and new-ball partner Rubel conceding 60 runs in 10 wicketless overs.

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"Must win" For Bangladesh

Bangladesh captain Shakib-Al-Hasan says his side will be in a "must-win situation" when they face Ireland on Friday in Mirpur.

After a defeat to India in their opening match of the competition, the Tigers would need to get their campaign off the ground if they want to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Ireland made it through to the second group stages four years ago and a win over Bangladesh - arguably the weakest of the Test-playing nations in Group B - would seem crucial to their hopes of progression this time.

"This is a must-win situation for us. If we don't win tomorrow, it will not be easy to qualify for the quarter-finals," Shakib said.

Ireland emerged victorious in both the 2007 World Cup and ICC World Twenty20 two years later whn they met the Tigers, but a 2008 three-match one-day series on Bangladesh soil saw the hosts win 3-0.

Conditions

"When they played last time here, they could not handle our spin," Shakib added.

"When they played in Mirpur, we beat them, so that's our advantage, and I don't think they like to play in these conditions."

Bangladesh may be forced to lean heavily on spin again as pace bowler Shafiul Islam is a doubt for the contest after picking up a shoulder in a practice session on Wednesday.

Shakib said: "Maybe we will need a change because Shafiul Islam is not 100 percent fit. We will check him tomorrow (Friday) and then we will decide."

Ireland skipper William Porterfield insists his side have learned their lessons from the drubbing they were given three years ago and will be fully prepared for the threat of spin.

"The last time we played in Bangladesh, we were taken by surprise by the heat, the humidity and the spinners," he said.

"But this time we will not be found wanting. There is a lot more preparation done and we have spent a week in Dhaka getting used to the conditions."

He added: "We know what to expect. Spin will obviously play a part in this World Cup and more so in Bangladesh, whose game plan is all about spin.

"But we feel we are ready. It has been a very good preparation for the tournament, where the focus was obviously on playing spin."

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Bangladesh Play Down Pakistan In Warm-Up Game

For regular visitors to the Mirpur venue, be it players, officials or journalists, it was like entering familiar terrain, but one that had a different feel to it. Bangladesh's premier cricket ground has been transformed into an excellence centre and it was fully utilised on Monday, with three teams taking the opportunity to enjoy the facilities. After England used the Academy ground in the morning, Pakistan began to use the newly-laid turf on the northern side while Bangladesh sweated it out at the indoor centre in the eastern corner while also using the green retreat of the main venue for their fielding drills. 

It is here, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, that the latter two teams will play a warm-up match tomorrow, a contest Pakistan at least are taking seriously. "Any match before the World Cup is going to be tough," Shoaib Akhtar said. "We are going to take it as a proper match rather than thinking it to be only a practice. We have seen India playing against Australia, which was a pretty serious match. 

"Bangladesh have beaten New Zealand few months ago and we all know what Bangladesh is capable of. I predict that Bangladesh is going to be in the semi-finals or in the quarters for sure." 

Pakistan have a settled enough line-up and if they do use 14 players tomorrow, it will be to test some of the youngsters. Ahmed Shehzad (despite his recent century), Asad Shafiq and Junaid Khan have never played an international game in the subcontinent and this game would be an excellent way to blood the trio in front of a sell-out crowd.

Bangladesh, however, had a different strategy, and were determined to play down the significance of the game. "They will play fourteen players, we'll play thirteen so it's not a real match, just a practice match," Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons. said. "It is a really good challenge, actually a great practice game."Pakistan are a good team but I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about us. We won't be experimenting, the batting line-up will be close to our actually starting XI. We will use extra bowlers as part of the thirteen and give everyone a try. 

Bangladesh captain, Shakib Al Hasan, adopted the same stance. "We are not thinking about the result but we are concentrating on properly using the practice game. We'd rather do well in the tournament than in these games. The players used the last game very well and I was impressed by the pacers. I think Rubel [Hossain] just returned from injury and he will come back better." 

This insistance on ignoring the result is an indication that the Bangladesh camp is keeping a close eye on the pressure the players might face in a home World Cup (although it is just a warm-up game), and why they are repeating the mantra that though a win is important for momentum, ultimately, "it's not a real game". 

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Passionate Bangladesh Provides Perfect Opening

Those who were not at the Bangabandhu National Stadium will never know just how successful and moving the opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cup was. Those who saw it on TV would have cringed at Sonu Nigam crooning an English inspirational song, Bryan Adams of all people being the top draw, recordings of Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's unremarkable theme song playing on loop, and the politicians inducing yawns with their speeches.

Those who were here, though, saw, heard and felt the heartbeat of Bangladesh cricket. What happened inside the stadium, sold out by 25,000 people welcoming the World Cup with open arms, was only a minor part of it. There were 25,000 other fans - and this is a conservative estimate, mind you - outside the stadium, with no hope or intention of getting in, partying away to their own rhythm of vuvuzelas, carrying Bangladesh flags about 50 feet in length, celebrating the World Cup.

The reception for the World Cup on the streets of Dhaka was the closest cricket can get to a football World Cup. There was no giant screen outside for them, the music could hardly be heard there, there was obviously no alcohol to keep them going, but they danced and made merry, choreographing their own moves. There was not an inch of space in about a kilometre's radius of the Bangabandhu Stadium. Nigam, Adams, Mustafa Kamal (the BCB chief) might as well have not turned up. The crowd either side of the stadium wall couldn't care less.

There were journalists at the ceremony who have covered cricket World Cups, Olympics, Asian Games, even football World Cups, and they swore they have never seen anything like this before. For a sport that has a bad history with opening ceremonies, nothing could have been more welcome. It didn't need the Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina to declare the World Cup open. The World Cup was open when at 2am last night, thousands were dancing on the streets, signing the best-wishes bat, and tens of cars went round and round the Bangabandhu Stadium. And when similar scenes were taking place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, which didn't even have anything to do with the opening ceremony.

And to say that the 50-over format is supposed to be dying. Not in the subcontinent, not in Bangladesh by a long shot. However, like with the good old ODIs, the opening ceremony had its middle overs. Nigam followed up his Celine Dion act from the recently held Filmfare Awards back home in India with a self-composed song titled Rise Up For Glory, which showed that his great voice needs to be rescued, from himself. The politicians took about half an hour of valuable time, and were on the verge of inviting a streaker. The crowd mimicked and made fun of one of them, another speaker gave two different figures for Bangladesh's population in half a minute, and ICC chief Sharad Pawar tried to speak Bangla but no one could make out a word of what he said.

In the bigger picture, though, all those were minor irritants. There were some very nice touches to the ceremony. Local artists performing before the main function started was one such; getting popular, almost legendary singers, Mumtaz, Sabina Yasmin and Runa Laila, to share the stage was another, as was the crowd going crazy at the first sound of Bollywood music in an overstretched celebration of India.

Then there was the laser show involving the towering 24-storey Bangladesh Development Bank Building . On a long white curtain, a cricket pitch was projected. From the top floor, men tied on harnesses came down. Two batsmen, bowler, keeper, slip, umpire, cover, midwicket were all there. One man was pulled up suggesting a bowler running in to bowl. The ball was a laser pointer. In one over of "aerial cricket", they showed a forward-defensive, an lbw appeal, a scrambled single and overthrows, a play-and-a-miss, and a boundary.

The best, and the most unforgettable, moment was when all the captains were brought in on cycle rickshaws. One captain on each rickshaw, with a young boy sitting beside him, waving to the crowd, and the crowd responding generously. They came out alphabetically, Australia first, with one exception - Bangladesh were saved for the last, and more importantly Shakib Al Hasan for the very last. Few present at the Bangabandhu Stadium will ever forget the applause that Shakib walked out to.

Put the applause for the other 13 captains together - and they were not stingy with any of them - but it paled in comparison. That noise was enough to know what the World Cup meant to the country. In that moment, the traffic jams, the poor singing, the long speeches didn't matter. Over to Shakib's team now to make sure the party goes on deep into the tournament. The people deserve it.

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