Bangladesh Vs Pakistan Test series

                                                  Sakib-Al-Hassan

Pakistan capped off a fruitful year in cricket by completing a clean sweep against Bangladesh in Mirpur on a drama-filled day that showcased the unpredictability of Test cricket.

In the first session, Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim batted sensibly, not especially worried about the runs which they were collecting, making the draw seem the likeliest result. In the second, a combination of kamikaze batting and smart spin bowling resulted in Bangladesh losing their final five wickets for 22 runs, leaving Pakistan the seemingly straightforward target of 103. It wasn't though, as Pakistan faced a race against the fading light in the final session, and needed some intrepid batting to secure the victory in the gloom.

There was a helping hand from the weather for Bangladesh early on, as the usual morning fog delayed the start by an hour and a half. Bangladesh's batting has posted 250 in both innings of a Test only four times in the past seven years, and as play began the worry was the home side would fold on a fifth-day track, particularly against Pakistan's versatile spin attack.

Those fears were quelled in the morning as Nasir went on to his maiden half-century while Mushfiqur made his second important contribution with the bat as the pair put on a century stand. After lunch, though, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal bamboozled the lower order to revive fading Pakistan hopes of a victory.

It was Rehman who did the major damage after the interval. Nasir was hoodwinked by a straighter delivery that beat the bat and crashed into the stumps to end the partnership at 117. Bangladesh still had plenty of reasons to hope: the lead was already 80, Mushfiqur was set and nearing his half-century, the new batsman Elias Sunny had a first-class high score of 176, and the light usually fades well before the scheduled close of play.

Those hopes pretty much evaporated after a wild stroke from Mushfiqur, who charged out and looked to send a Rehman delivery out of the ground, only managing to top edge it towards mid-off. How Mushfiqur can lecture his team-mates about batting responsibly after this shot remains to be seen.

Bangladesh's slide continued thanks to a moment of magic from Younis Khan at slip, which seemed even more spectacular given the number of simple chances that have been put down in the match. It extended Shahadat Hossain's forgettable Test as he attempted a reckless swipe across the line, getting a thick edge which was seemingly flying well wide of first slip. Younis, though, threw himself to his right goalkeeper-style to snaffle it one-handed. Saeed Ajmal then captured the final two victims to take his tally for the year to 50.

In contrast to the helter-skelter batting after lunch, Nasir and Mushfiqur had been level-headed in seeing off the bowling in the morning. Chances fell short, flew wide and soared over slip but Pakistan were unable to make the breakthrough, as both batsmen also played some powerful shots behind point. In the fourth over of the day, Nasir edged an attempted drive just past second slip, but that didn't stop him from a vigorous upper cut over gully for four off the next delivery.

Once the fast bowlers were seen off, Ajmal and Rehman dried up the runs with an accurate spell of bowling. A five-over stretch that yielded only one run was finally snapped by the inevitable big stroke, but Nasir managed to swat it wide of the diving midwicket fielder to pick up a boundary.

Both Nasir and Mushfiqur showed a defensive technique that was mostly watertight, and Pakistan had to turn to their secondary spinners, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali. A whip to midwicket for four off Ali brought up the hundred stand five minutes before lunch, and Bangladesh were looking forward to escaping with a draw before a depressingly familiar collapse followed.

In this Test, Shakib Al Hasan already had the highest score and the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi against Pakistan, but he could still have made his most important contribution during the chase. It was getting murky early in the afternoon, and the floodlights were on as early as 3pm - a series of tight overs could have been enough to conjure a face-saving draw. He bowled through the innings but it was a task too tough even for him.

Pakistan had a stretch of 24 dot balls early on, and Taufeeq Umar was dismissed cheaply, but Mohammad Hafeez then took over, expertly pulling the barrage of short balls from the medium-pacers. With Azhar Ali working the singles, Pakistan galloped towards victory even as the light faded. Both Hafeez and Azhar were dismissed with the win in sight, but that only brought in the senior batsmen, Man-of-the-Series Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who stylishly completed the victory with a six over long-off.

Although Pakistan are playing very good cricket, there's nothing in their bowling attack we should not want to face. They have always had class seamers who can swing the new ball and get the old ball reversing. Saeed Ajmal is one of the best to watch, has lots of tricks up his sleeve. He puts batsmen under pressure. He's more like (Muttiah) Muralitharan in the sense that he's more of a wrist spinner than an offspinner." 

Misbah ul Haq  It's a team effort. Everyone contributed and it was a good all round performance and a well deserved victory. Victory is always important as it unites the team. We are still learning how to improve in Test cricket and the players are learning their roles in the team. The victories are helping their confidence. Players are responding well to me. The coaching staff, management and everybody are responding well to me. Bangladesh played well in this game. The partnership between Shakib and Nafees in the first game and today the partnership between Nasir and Mushfiqur was a really difficult period for us. The England series is going to be a big one. They are the top side in the world right now. Thanks to all the people who turned out and supported us. The groundsman did very well to produce a very good wicket.

Mushfiqur Rahim We feel good but it could have been better. Shakib had a great match. Nafees did a good job in the first innings and Nasir played well in the second. We are working on our fielding and hopefully we will do much better in the future. After the thrashing in the first Test, I think we showed some real character in this game.

Younis Full credit to all the boys. It is hard to play back-to-back series but full credit to the team. We tried to stick to our plans and it worked well. If Bangladesh stick to their players, they have a good bunch, they will improve in the future. Whenever you are playing against England it is a big series. I'm in good nick and hopefully it works for me.

Shakib This was a special game for me but unfortunately we lost this one. We will have to improve and we have some domestic games coming up. Hopefully the boys go out and improve themselves. We have four months before the Asia cup to do it

.Nasir Hossain made a career-best 79, but his dismissal set off a collapse that resulted in a Bangladesh loss.

Score:

Bangladesh Firest innings338/10 (Sakib-144)Nafess-97

Pakistan Firest innings 470 /10(Umar-130) Misbha-70-Sakib83/6

Bangladesh 2nd innings 234/10 (Nasir Hossain 79)

Pakistan 2nd innings 107/3  (Hafess 47) (Sunny 7/1)

Pak Won by 7 Wicked by the second test match.

Pak won by 2-0 series. 

Man of the Match Sakib-al-Hassan.
Man of the Series Younus Khan.

SAFF Championship India-2011

                            India-Afghanistan final today

 It is going to be a two-man battle between the tournament's best strikers Sunil Chhetri and Belal Arezo when defending champions India and dark-horse Afghanistan square off in the final of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today.

Both India striker Chhetri and Afghan hitman Arezo are in an intense battle to win the golden boot award after scoring six goals each to help their respective sides reach the final, which will kick off at 6:30 pm Bangladesh time.
Indians Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhula are considered the tournament's most deadly attackers, always keeping the opponent defenders busy with their speedy run and thunderbolt shooting.
On the other hand, Afghan Norway-based striker Belal Arezo and Sanjar Ahmadi are no less lethal as they shared nine goals between them to propel Afghanistan to their maiden SAFF Championship final.
“It is pleasing to see that Chhetri is getting goals in every match though Jeje can't score but he is helping Chhetri well in the matches. I am not thinking of the opponents' strikers, rather I only want to think about my team,” said Indian coach Savio Medeira on the eve of the final yesterday.
“Afghanistan also have a good striking duo and I think it is going to be a good match between us,” said Medeira admitting that Afghanistan has improved since the time they played against them.
Defending champions India came from behind to hold Afghanistan to a 1-1 draw in their opening match where both Arezo and Chhetri scored for their respective sides.
Mederia gave his charges a day's rest in a bid to overcome their tiredness and remain fresh for the final but he is planning to go about the final in much the same was as India did in their last four matches.
After having played 120 minutes against Nepal on way to the final, the Afghanistan side lost more energy but Afghanistan coach Yousof Kargar believes his side is ready for the final challenge.
“India are a better team than us but after playing against them in our first match, we know about India well. We are looking forward to making our people happy through winning the trophy,” said Kargar through an interpreter.
“I agree India have a good striking pair, but don't forget we also have good strikers in Arezo and Sanjar,” said Kargar whose Afghanistan never beat India in the four matches they have played so far.
However, Kargar admitted that India have a solid backline and that defender Syed Rahim Nabi, who has also scored two goals, will be tough for his strikers.
Like Kargar, Indian coach Medeira also praised Afghan defender Djelaludin Sharityar for his boldness in defying attacks.
It is not only the game of Chhetri, Jeje, Nabi, Arezo, Sanjar, Sharityar, there are also some players like Indian captain-cum-playmaker Clifford Miranda and Afghan playmaker Ata Mohammad Yamir Ali, who not only build the game from the midfield but also score in times of need, with two goals each a testament to their prowess.

Bangladesh Vs Pakistan Test Serise

                   Pakistan pile on misery

 

 As expected, there was no respite for Bangladesh on the second day as Pakistan consolidated their position in the first Test thanks to Mohammad Hafeez's well-composed century at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here yesterday.

The Pakistan top-order batsmen were so focused on their job that they never gave the hosts a chance to bounce back in the match after resuming the day on 132 for no loss, finishing the day with a 280-run lead with six wickets in hand. After Mohammad Hafeez's scintillating 143, the experienced Younis Khan came close to reaching a century as he was batting on 96 to help his side reaching 415-4 before stumps.
Assad Shafiq was the other not out batsman at 40.
The bowling never looked threatening on a pitch which only offered some turn and bounce in the morning session but helped the batsmen for the rest of the day. The credit also must go to the batsmen who hardly batted recklessly, showing adequate temperament as they only punished the bad ball.
Two tough chances went begging, though. A miscued pull from Younis, on 15, went to Sunny who dropped him at deep square-leg while Nafees deprived the impressive Robel Hossain of a wicket by dropping Misbah-ul Haq at second slip when he was on five.
The day however belonged to Hafiz, who continued his good form by making his fourth Test hundred and second against Bangladesh (his maiden ton also came against this opponent in 2003).
During his nearly six-hour stay, the right-hander smote 14 sweetly-timed boundaries to make his highest Test score but was unlucky when Billy Doctrove raised his finger to a leg-before decision though TV replays showed that it was a thick inside edge.
Earlier Bangladesh got the much-desired breakthrough when Mahmudullah Riyad trapped Taufeeq Umar to break the 164-run opening stand, the highest for Pakistan in ten years.
Taufeeq added only eight runs to his overnight score of 53.
Bangladesh got two more wickets in the second session when Azhar Ali edged Shahadat to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim for an 80-ball 26 apart from the Hafeez dismissal.
The fourth wicket fell in the third and final session of the day when Misbah was trapped in front by Sunny off a full-toss for 20, but Assad remained alongside Younis to solidify Pakistan's already strong position.
After the second day's play, the main question remained: when will Pakistan declare their innings?

Bangladesh Vs Westindies Wallton Serise

Scarcely had the ball sailed over the thirty-yard circle did Mushfiqur Rahim let out a war cry signalling victory, that too in his first match as captain of the Tigers. It all seemed to be slipping away just as it had in that heartbreaking third ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare in mid-August, when Mushfiq had battled his way to a brilliant hundred, only to find himself on the losing side after bringing the team painfully close to victory in the last over of the chase.

Yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Bangladesh needed 6 to win off the last over with Mushfiq on strike and four wickets in hand. The equation soon turned to 5 required off three deliveries with Nasir Hossain perishing off the third ball. Abdur Razzak came in and handed the strike to Mushfiq with four needed off two. The six he hit to seal the deal could hardly have tasted any sweeter.

But the man himself was the picture of calmness at the post-match press conference, graciously accepting the congratulations but all underpinned by a steel that revealed his character.

“I believed that if Nasir and I stay till the last over, even if we needed 10 or 15 runs, we would win,” said the new Bangladesh captain. “Also, we got some runs in the second-last over which was a bonus for us. In the last over, though Nasir got out, I had the confidence that if I got the ball in my zone then I could hit it for a four or six. Fortunately, that is what happened.”

When asked how he was feeling about his auspicious debut as captain, Mushfiq beamed and said, “Obviously I am delighted. Everyone wants the first match to be memorable, and I couldn't have asked for more. We won the toss and it was the plan to bowl first because the due might be a factor, and our bowling is spin-reliant. We saved 10-12 runs on the field and there was a concerted effort to restrict them as much as possible.

“Our top order got us off to a good start, and in the middle West Indies bowled well and our batting collapsed a bit, but the lower-middle order made a valuable contribution in the form of Nasir and Naeem (Islam). Overall it was a great team effort.”

Mushfiqur also gave the bowlers the lion's share of the credit, saying that 132 on this pitch was not a difficult total.

“I think we bowled fantastically well to restrict West Indies to 132. It was not a difficult total, but you know in T20 you can't always be consistent as a batsman because you have to play so many shots.”

Inevitably, the question about the Harare heartbreak came up, but Mushfiqur said that the two situations were different.

“In Harare going into the last over we only had one wicket left, and I knew that even if I took a single at that point we would have lost the match; in other words it was all on me. Here, since we had three wickets left, I knew that even if I mishit the shot and we ran one or two there would still be a chance to win.

Another thing was that I was targeting the smaller side of the ground, and I was confident that even a mishit could travel for six.”

He impressed on the field as well, sticking by Rubel Hossain even after the fast bowler had been taken for 17 runs in one over during the Powerplay. “He got hit for two sixes, but one of them was a mishit, and these things can happen in Powerplays. But what I liked was he responded well to the responsibility placed on him and he came back well. He has been bowling really well, so I knew he could do the job.”

Despite the hammering in the one over, Rubel finished with a respectable 1-32 in his four overs, vindicating his captain's faith.

Looking ahead to the one-dayers starting Thursday, the new skipper said that it would be a challenge that he is looking forward to.

“I think if you look at the two teams, West Indies were favourites to win this match, but it all comes down to who plays better on the day, and today we played well in all three departments, and we look forward to doing that in the one-dayers as well.”

On vice-captain Mahmud-ullah Riyad's situation, Mushfiq felt that he had gone for some blood tests and hoped that he recovers from the viral fever within two or three days.

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy echoed his counterpart's sentiments saying, “We knew it was going to be an interesting series. They held their nerves better than we did. We never took them for granted.”

He laid the blame for the loss on not scoring enough runs.

“We could have scored more runs, and we could have stopped more balls in the field. But in the end we made more mistakes than they did, that is why we lost.”

With the team not scoring enough runs, the inevitable question of missing big-hitting opener Chris Gayle came up. Sammy, however, insisted that it was not a problem.

“We have been playing without Chris Gayle since the World Cup, so we are used to it now. A lot of other guys have got the opportunity, so it's no excuse.”


score:
 T-20 Cricket Walton Series

Westindes:132/8

Marlon Shamunse:58(42),Shakib:25/2,Shafiul:19/2,Razzak:26/2

Bangladesh:135/7

M Rohim:41(23)

Bangladesh Won by 3 Wickets.

Third ODI Bangladesh Vs West indies

West-61/10 Shakib-4/17
Ban-61/2 Tamim-37
Ban Won by 8 Wicket.

Second ODI Score:
Ban-220/10
West-221/2
Result:West Won by 8 Wicket.
West indies Won by Series 2-1 Walton Cup-2011 

1st Test Bangladesh Vs West indies 

1st Test Score Card

Ban-1st Innings 350/10 Tamim-52 Roqibul-41 Shakib-40 Rohim-68 Niam-8

West-1st Innings 250/10

Ban-2nd Innings 135/2

West-134/2

Result: Draw

County cricket the captain of Bangladesh cricket team

Today in the traditional English county cricket the captain of Bangladesh cricket team, Sakib and vice-captain of the same country, Tamim Iqbal will play against each other. From a long ago, Sakib-al-Hassan is playing for Worcestershire regularly. On the other hand, in the last 1 July Tamim Iqbal played his inaugurated match for Nottinghamshire against Derbyshire. In that first match, Tamim was able to score only 8 runs from 12 balls. Sakib already have proved his ability and necessity in the matches for Worcestershire. He started his career for Worcestershire very well. He became the match owner in many matches. But recently his performance has been a little decreased. On the other hand, the boy of Chittagong, Tamim although was unable to show something good in the first match, in the second match his return was like a hero. As the opener of Nottinghamshire in the T20, he made a quick innings of 47 runs from 37 balls which have given Nottinghamshire a victory of 6 wickets against Yorkshire. Tamim hit 5 fours and 2 sixes in that match. He also became the player of the match. So Tamim Iqbal is going to face his fellow Sakib getting a strong inspiration. This T20 match between Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire will be held in the Bangladesh time 10:40 PM.



After Sakib-al-Hassan when Tamim got the chance to play in English county, then he became very delighted. He also promised to perform well and make his country proud. In the second match, this cricketer has kept his word and proved very well. After his excellent performance in that match, a strong confidence has been grown into him. He is also waiting to show something good against his fellow in national team, Sakib. After becoming the player of the match in the day before yesterday, Tamim said in his reaction, “I took this match as a challenge, because I did not get run in the first match. I am happy now for making runs. The main thing is that all the members of team are keeping reliance on me. I will try to keep my form intact in the rest matches.” Tamim replied in the facing of Sakib, “It is a proud of our country that we two Bangladeshis will play in one match. If we can make runs in this match then it will be really a good thing. I will be happy if I could make runs in this match. I will try to play in attacking style against Shakib’s ball.”

Tamim Iqbal, an imperative cricketer of Bangladesh cricket team, has been contracted with Nottinghamshire for the six T20 matches. He will play against Northamptonshire, Lancashire and Worcestershire on 8, 10 and 15 July respectively after today’s match and this way his first county mission will be finished. Tamim Iqbal wins against Sakib Al Hassan in county cricket. Tamim Iqbal’s team Nottinghamshire wins against Sakib Al Hassan’s team Worcestershire.

Nottinghamshire win the match by 10 runs. Nottinghamshire won the toss and choose to batting. They have scored fighting 152 runs after 20 over by loosing all of their wickets. Tamim Iqbal scores blushing 35 run from 25 deliveries with 3 fours and 1 big six.  Sakib Al Hassan took 1 wicket by given 22 runs from his four over.

To start chasing 152 runs Worcestershire just made 142 runs from 20 over. Sakib Al Hassan scores 20 runs from 22 deliveries with 1 four. This content is published under the Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported license.