Bangladesh announce ODI Squad for India series

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have announced a 14 member ODI squad for up-coming 3 match home series against India in a media conference at a local hotel today (Monday).

Habibul Bashar is retained as the captain of the side amid growing speculation about his retirement from ODI. It is learnt that Bashar is set to retire from ODI after the India series and he will declare his decision very soon. Bashar will continue playing test matches and will lead Bangladesh in longer version of the game.

Mohammad Ashraful, the future ODI captain of Bangladesh © Cricinfo

Mohammad Ashraful is appointed as the new vice captain of Bangladesh ODI team and is likely to take the captaincy of the ODI team after the retirement of Bashar. Former vice-captain Shahriar Nafees managed to retain his place in the squad after a forgettable world cup in which he scored only 29 runs from 5 innings but failed to retain vice-captaincy.

The selectors have retained all players of the world cup squad except Rajin Saleh who hasn?t played a single match in the world cup.

The test squad will be declared after the completion of ODI series which starts on 10th May. Bangladesh will be playing test after a one year break, they played their last Test in April last year against Australia at home.

Bangladesh ODI squad:

Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful (vice-capt), Javed Omar, Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Rafique, Farhad Reza.

Bangladesh secure second win in Academy Cup

Bangladesh registered their second victory in the tri-nation Academy Cup by defeating Pakistan by 4 wickets at BKSP ground, Dhaka on Friday.

Overnight rain delayed the start of the match and it was reduced to 33 overs a side. Chasing a victory target of 124, Bangladesh academy were in serious trouble as Pakistan paceman Najaf Shah reduced Bangladesh to 23-4 in 7 overs. Bangladesh opening batsman Imrul Kayes launched a remarkable fight back and shared a match deciding 80 run partnership with Nadif Chowdhury in the 5^th wicket to ensure a Bangladesh win.

Bangladesh finally reached the target in 30.3 overs losing 6 wickets to keep their hope alive for the final place.

Imrul in his impressive 61 off 69 balls hammered 5 boundaries and 2 sixes. Nadif Chowdhury was the only other batsman to reach double figures who struck a patient 19 off 52 deliveries to support Imrul. Najaf Shah of Pakistan grabbed 3 wickets for 23 runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Mehrab Hossain won the toss and sent Pakistan to bat first. Bangladeshi bowlers used the damp conditions efficiently and reduced Pakistan to 76-7. Pakistan never recovered from that position and finally managed to post a modest 123-9 in stipulated 33 overs.

Five of the Pakistani top order batsman except Khalid Latif returned to the pavilion with single digit scores which diminished Pakistan’s chances to post a challenging score. Khalid scored a patient 23 off 46 balls and was the highest scorer or Pakistan along with wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed who remained unbeaten on 23 off 36 balls.

Mehrab Hossain was pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers, he bagged 3 wickets for 21 runs. Kamrul Islam joined the party with 2 wickets for 29 runs.

Despite this win Bangladesh failed to secure their place in the final. They have to rely on the outcome of Pakistan-Sri Lanka match to know their fate. A Sri Lanka win will secure a final spot for both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

If Pakistan win the clash, they will move into the final and the other team will be decided on the basis of net run rate.

Academy Tri-Series 2006/07 Table

			P	W	L	NR	BP	Pts	NetRR
1		Sri Lanka Cricket Academy	3	2	1	0	0	8	0.152
2		Bangladesh Cricket Academy	4	2	2	0	0	8	-0.353
3		Pakistan Cricket Academy	3	1	2	0	1	5	0.385

Heroes returning home after successful world cup mission

Tigers are returning home after a successful world cup campaign, they will reach Bangladesh tomorrow (26th April) in the early morning. BanglaCricket is welcoming the Tigers to their den and expressing gratitude for raising the image of the country.

Bangladesh team have already left London via flight number BA 145 which is expected to land at Zia International Airport at 06:10 AM. Tigers who brought immense pride for the country are expected to be received by BCB officials, former captains, journalists, and thousand of fans.

Heroes returning home © Cricinfo

In the world cup Bangladesh managed to achieve their target to reach the super eights by toppling India at the group stage. Tigers continued their giant-killing act by defeating top ranked South Africa in the super eights encounter and eventually revived the world cup. Bangladesh also managed to defeat New Zealand in the warm-up match and registered win over Bermuda in their last group match.

Despite some poor performances, this is the biggest achievement by Bangladesh team in their cricket history. Bangladesh finished 7th in the 14 nation tournament.

After a gruelling three months long Caribbean tour in which they won the ICC tri-series and reached the top stage of the world cup, Tigers will be back on the field within a very short time. The home series against India will be starting from 10th May.

Bangladesh To Announce One-Day Team On 30 April

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is going to pick the squad for the upcoming ODI series against India on 30th April.

The BCB will also appoint captain and vice-captain of Bangladesh team on the same day as the tenure of Habibul Bashar and Shahriar Nafees expired at the end of the world cup.

After completing a successful World Cup campaign,the Bangladesh team is returning home on 26th April but has only few days to rest as the India series will be starting from 10th May.

It is learnt that under-fire captain Habibul Bashar who had a dismal show in the world cup is facing calls from different quarters to retire from one-day internationals. But Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Mahbub Anam hinted that the BCB is going to retain Bashar considering his one-day record and contribution to Bangladesh cricket.

It is widely tipped that Bashar might retire from one-day cricket after the series to concentrate on test matches where he is by far the leading performer in Bangladesh.

Vice-captain and opener Shahriar Nafees who had a forgettable World Cup is likely to lose his place from the ODI side along with fellow opener veteran Javed Omar.

Junaid Siddique and Nazmus Sadat, who recently performed well with the A team and Academy sides are likely contenders to open with another young man Tamim Iqbal in the ODI matches against India.

Current Bangladesh A captain Tushar Imran, who had a number of unsuccessful runs with the national team is also likely to get another recall. Former captain and wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud who lost his place from the ODI side before the World Cup is likely to sit out as chief selector Faruk Ahmed showed his satisfaction with the progress of young Mushfiqur Rahim as the wicket-keeper.

The squad for the test series which starts from 18th May will be declared after the ODI series.

Rokibul Guides Bangladesh Academy to Win Over Sri Lanka

Bangladesh Cricket Academy secured a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Academy at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium yesterday (Sunday) and strongly bounced back in the tri-nation academy tournament after losing the opener against Pakistan.

An unbeaten 69 off 73 balls from Rokibul Hasan was the mainstay of Bangladesh innings as the home side reached the revised victory target of 201 in 42.5 overs (44 over max.) in the rain affected match. Rokibul hammered 4 boundaries and 2 sixes in his masterful innings to guide Bangladesh home.

Skipper of Bangladesh Academy Mehrab Hossain shared a 98 run partnership in the 4th wicket with Rokibul and scored a valuable 47 runs off 59 balls with the help of 3 boundaries and one six. Nuwan Zoysa grabbed 1 wicket for 24 runs and Paranavithana took 2 wickets for 22 runs for Sri Lanka

Earlier, Sri Lanka Academy managed a modest 218-8 in 50 overs. Sri Lanka A lost their way as wickets tumbled from the very beginning of the innings. Only Skipper and opener Ian Daniel stood tall and top scored with 64 off 73 deliveries with 10 boundaries. The middle order collapsed to the left arm spin bowlers of Bangladesh as Mehrab Hossain and Mosharraf Hossain grabbed 2 wickets each for 46 and 42 runs.

Some late hitting from number seven batsman A Matthew who scored 42 runs from 52 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 2 sixes enabled the visitors to cross the two hundred mark.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka Academy: 218-8 in 50 overs (Daniel 64, Mathew 42* ; Mosharraf 2-42, Mehrab 2-46).

Bangladesh Academy: 202-5 in 42.5 overs (Nazimuddin 33, Rokibul 69*, Mehrab 47; Zoysa 1-24, Paranavithana 2-22).

Pakistan Make a Winning Start in Academy Cup

An unbeaten century from Khalid Latif guided the Pakistan Academy team to a comfortable six-wicket win over the Bangladesh in the opener of the tri-nation Academy Cup tournament at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) ground on Saturday.

Latif in his blazing 100 off 88 balls smashed 10 fours and 5 sixes and Pakistan Academy raced to victory with more than 15 overs to spare.

Chasing a victory target of 220 in 50 overs, Pakistan opener Babar Naeem set the platform with a quick fire 69 off 46 balls including 6 boundaries and 5 sixes. He shared a 115 run partnership with Latif in only 12.1 overs to ensue an emphatic victory. Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain claimed two wickets for 55 runs in 8.5 overs for Bangladesh.

Earlier, Bangladesh captain Mehrab Hossain won the toss and opted to bat first. Bangladesh made a reasonably good start and reached to 173-4 in 30 overs as opener Zuanid Siddique hammered a prolific 62 off 40 balls smashing 10 boundaries.

Bangladesh innings lost their way as Pakistan Skipper Fawad Alam took 3 quick wickets and they were eventually bundled out for a modest 219 in 47.3 overs.

Babar Naeem and Fawad Alam each took three wickets giving away 32 and 33 runs respectively..

Sri Lanka Academy is the other team in the competition.

Brief Scores

Bangladesh Academy: 219 all out in 47.3 overs (Zunaid 53, Mahmudullah 31; Babar 3-32, Fawad 3-33).

Pakistan Academy: 220-4 in 35.5 overs (Babar 69, Khalid 100*; Moshrraf 2-55).

Dav Whatmore resigns as Bangladesh coach

After coaching Bangladesh for 4 years and leading them to World Cup Super Eights, Dav Whatmore has stepped down as Bangladesh's coach citing personal reasons.

He has decided not to renew his contract with BCB which expires at the end of April. However, he has agreed to remain in charge of Tigers until the end of May to cover the India series. This will allow Bangladesh Cricket Board to find his successor before the away series to Sri Lanka which starts in July.

Dav Whatmore quits as Bangladesh coach © Cricinfo

Whatmore took the charge of Bangladesh after Tigers infamous debacle in World Cup 2003 and in his 4 years (he extended his initial 2 years contract in June 2005 for another 2 years) he has transformed them into one of the most exciting side of world cricket.

Whatmore has led Bangladesh to 33 wins in 86 one-day internationals and also coached the side to a first ever test victory, against three draws and 21 defeats.

Bangladesh Cricket Board in a media release expressed gratitude to Dav Whatmore for raising the standard of performance of the National Team in International cricket.

BCB also formed a six-member committee to find the successor of Dav Whatmore

BCB decides Bashar and Whatmore's fate today.

The fate of Dav Whatmore as Bangladesh coach will be decided in the executive committee meeting of Bangladesh Cricket Board to be held today (Wednesday).

Whatmore's contract is due to the end of this month after his 4 year tenure as Bangladesh coach. BCB will set its course of action whether they will renew the contract with coach Whatmore, or going for a change of guard with fresh vision.

BCB decides Bashar and Whatmore's fate today © Cricinfo

It was learnt that board general secretary Mahbub Anam communicated with Dav Whatmore who currently in the Caribbean about his interest and Dav expressed his willingness to continue with new terms and conditions. Whatmore is expecting a significant pay rise compared to his previous contract and that might dominate the agenda of the meeting.

Dav Whamore irked some high-ups of BCB after expressing his willingness to take India job and a quarter is not willing to continue with him. BCB might opt for a temporary solution by retaining him next month's home series against India and decide his fate after the series.

Selection of captain and vice-captain for the upcoming India series is another key agenda of the meeting. Habibul Bashar was named captain and Shahriar Nafees his deputy till the World Cup. Both them earned huge criticism for their lack of form in world cup.

Bashar is likely to retain captaincy for the test team and board is expected to declare a new captain for the ODI team. This will be the first instance of separate captains for tests and ODI's in Bangladesh cricket.

Fawad Puts Pakistan Academy In Control

A fine batting performance led my skipper Fawad Alam placed Pakistan Cricket Academy in a very comfortable position in the second and final four day match against Bangladesh Cricket Academy on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

After dismissing Bangladesh for a modest 243, the openers of Pakistan Academy laid a solid foundation as openers Khurram Manzoor (64 off 100 balls) and Babar Nayeem (57 off 68 balls) shared a 102 run opening partnership.

After their departuare skipper Fawad Alam (82 off 169 balls) took the charge and shared another century stand with Shahid Yousuf (73 off 168 balls) and lifted Pakistan to 401-6 ate the end of second day.

Bangladesh spin duo Mosharraf Hossain and Mahmudullah shared 5 wickets between them but could not resist the run flow.

Pakistan Academy has already taken a commendable 158 run lead and will be looking to further extend the lead with another set batsman Adnan Reza is batting on 52.

Bangladesh Cricket Academy is leading the 2 match series 1-0 after defeating their Pakistani counterpart by 77 run in the opening match.

Brief Scores
Bangladesh Academy first innings: 243. (Mehrab 71, Rokibul 51; Najaf 5-38,)
Pakistan Academy first innings: 401-6 in 109 overs (Manzoor 64, Naeem 57, Yusuf 73, Alam 82, Raza 52*; Mosharraf 3-101)

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has declared the itinerary of the Academy One Day Tri-Series in which Sri Lanka Academy is the other team.

Itinerary

April 21 – Bangladesh vs Pakistan,
April 22 - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka,
April 24 - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan,
April 25 - Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh,
April 27 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh,
April 28 - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan,
April 30 - Final.

Bashar hails spin trio of Bangladesh

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar paid tribute to the slow left arm army of Bangladesh for their leading role in the Bangladesh's fine run in the world cup 2007.

Bangladesh played every game with 5 specialist bowlers and 3 of them are left arm spinners. The trio has taken 25 wickets in 7 matches conceding only 3.48 runs per over. Experienced Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak and young all-rounder Sakib al Hasan can effectively tie down opposition batsmen in the middle overs and took the leading role in Bangladesh's historic win over India and South Africa.
Bangladesh's unique slow left arm army.

Bangladesh's unique slow left arm army © Cricinfo

Even in a fast and bouncy Barbados pitch and defending a meager 143, they caused panic in the England dressing room by reducing England to 112-6.

Bashar believes the spin trio gives Bangladesh a very unusual strength in Bangladeshi bowling line-up.

"It is a bit unusual, you don't see three spinners, leave alone three left-arm. (But) We believe that is our strength. They might share same bowling style but they are not the same. Razzak bowls with pace, Sakib is slower and Rafique uses his experience to flight and turn the ball" said Bashar in an interview with Reuters.

Mohammad Rafique is the highest wicket taker for Bangladesh in both format of the game and grabbed 7 wickets in this world cup averaging 26.75.

Razzak who is the leading Bangladeshi wicket taker in this world cup with 12 wickets paid respect to veteran Mohammad Rafique for the support.

"We talk to Rafique all the time, I'm more confident when he bowls from the other end. He always tells me to focus on line and length and understand what the batsman wants you to do and don't give him that" said Razzak who considers Rafique as his mentor.

He also showed his willingness to crucial match situations, "I like to bowl in every tight situation, especially during Powerplay and the slog overs," Razzak added.

The youngest member of the spin trio Sakib Al Hasan is a fine all-rounder and in addition to his 5 wickets, he is the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in the world cup. He averages 50.70 with bat in his ODI career.

Bashar also praised the consistency of his spinners and believes they can perform regardless of wicket types.

"Our spinners do not rely much on wicket type. If they get a little bit of help, they ensure the fullest use. The Guyana pitch definitely helped us but otherwise not much," he said.

Bangladesh will play Ireland in their next super eights game on Sunday, 15 April.

Bangladesh Academy Take The Lead Over Pakistan

The Bangladesh Cricket Academy defeated the touring Pakistan Cricket Academy by 77 runs on the final day of the first 4 day match at Sher E Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and took a 1-0 lead in the 2 match series. The match saw a number twists and turns but at the end Bangladesh Academy bowlers proved too much for their Pakistani counterparts.

Neither team could establish domination after the first innings as Pakistan Academy were all out for 225 in the first innings and took a narrow 3 run advantage over Bangladesh Academy.

Bangladesh made solid progress in the second innings and reached a commending 165/2 but a fine bowling performance from off spinner Atif Maqbool caused a sudden collapse for the home side. He took 5 wickets for 50 runs as Bangladesh Academy lost their last eight wickets for 57 runs. Bangladesh was eventually bundled out for 222 and set 221 as the victory target for Pakistan Academy.

Pakistan Academy lost momentum at the very beginning of their victory chase as Bangladesh Academy new ball pair Ziaur Rahman and Sajidul Islam ripped through the top order and reduced them to 17/4 in 8.5 overs. Pakistan Academy failed to recover from that position as left arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain removed the middle order by talking 3 wickets for 50 runs to raise his match figure to 7-129.

Ziaur Rahman grabbed 3 wickets for 32 runs while Sajidul Islam took 2 wickets for 23 runs.

Only the skipper Fawad Alam fought a lone battle with his 47 but could only reduce the margin of defeat. When his Bangladeshi counterpart Mehrab Hossain trapped him in front, it was all over for Pakistan Academy. They finished the 3rd day on 130/9 and Bangladesh Academy finished the formality in the final day within first hour to ensure a 77 run victory.

The second and final four-day match between these two teams will start on the 14th April at Fatullah Stadium.

Bangladesh Academy 223/10 (Jahurul 52, Nadif 55; Najaf 4/33, Rauf 2/29 & 222/10 (Raqibul 83, Nazimuddin 59; Atif 5/50, Nazaf 3/52)

Pakistan Academy 225/10 (Tanveer 58, Raza 35 ; Mosharraf 4/79, Mehrab 2/18) & 143/10 (Fawad 47, Zhoaib 33; Ziaur 3/32, Mosharaf 3/50)

England labour to defeat gritty Bangladesh

England overcame another nervy batting display to defeat Bangladesh by four wickets in their World Cup Super Eights match in Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

England pacemen led by man-of-the-match Sajid Mahmood skittled out Bangladesh for 143 in the 38th over on a bouncy Kensington Oval pitch.

However, Bangladesh bowlers piled on the pressure as the new pitch slowed down before England reached 147 for six in the 45th over.

Bangladesh left-arm seamer Syed Rasel and left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique grabbed two wickets each to rattle England. Rasel had makeshift opener Ian Bell (0) caught at point and trapped Andrew Strauss leg before for 23.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak then removed skipper Michael Vaughan for a chancy 30 before taking the prize scalp of Kevin Pietersen for 10 runs. Vaughan, dropped on five by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim after nicking Rasel, top-edged a sweep to Habibul Bashar at short fine leg.

Veteran Mohmmad Rafiq brought Bangladesh back into the match after removing dangerman Flintoff and Ravi Boapara in the same over but at the end the total proved too low to restrict England

Grameenphone To Sponsor India-Bangladesh Series

Bangladesh’s leading cellular phone company Grameenphone has earned the sponsorship right for the upcoming India – Bangladesh series. The highly anticipated series starts from 10 May and contains 3 ODI’s and 2 tests. Gramenphone, the main sponsor of Bangladesh national team, has recently extended its sponsorship to Bangladesh National Cricket Academy and with this sponsorship became the leading sponsor of Bangladesh Cricket.

Grameenphone won the sponsorship battle against India-based Nimbus Sports Marketing after a two phase bidding. The sponsorship value of USD 445,000 (3.02 crore BDT) is the highest in Bangladesh cricket history for any international series.

Nimbus managed to earn the right to name the pitch mates at the expense of USD 52,000.

In India, the series is now main talk of the country after Bangladesh ousted India from the world cup that resulted in a ring of changes in Indian cricket. Bangladesh will have little time to respire after the world cup super eights stage to face the Indian challenge.

This is a second visit by India to play a full series, last time they visited Bangladesh in November - December 2004. Bangladesh is yet to tour India as BCCI is reluctant to host Bangladesh on commercial ground.

Itinerary

Thu May 10 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 1st ODI
Sat May 12 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 2nd ODI
Tue May 15 : Bangladesh v India at Chittagong (CDS), 3rd ODI
May 18-22 : Bangladesh v India at Chittagong (CDS), 1st Test
May 25-29 : Bangladesh v India at Dhaka, 2nd Test

Bangladesh crush South Africa by 67 runs

Bangladesh silenced their critics in style and crushed world number one South Africa at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Bangladesh came into the match after suffering two crushing defeats in their last two games and had to justify their elevation to the Super Eights in today's match. And they did it in style by defeating top ranked South Africa by 67 runs.

The good work of Bangladeshi batsmen was equally supported by the bowlers as they emerged as the better team in every discipline with some electrifying fielding. Captain Habibul Bashar used his bowlers with excellent effect and kept the pressure on South Africans right from the beginning with very good field placements. Scoring runs seemed to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world as batsmen could not find gaps in either side of the wicket.

Chasing a victory target of 252 in 50 overs, South Africa lost their way at the very beginning by some tight bowling from Bangladeshi opening bowlers and when captain Graeme Smith fell to Syed Rasel, Soth Africa?s demise started immediately. Syed Rasel bowled with lots of variation and took the pace off to deceive Smith.

Kallis tried to steady the innings with de Villiers and lifted South Africa to 63-1 but Syed Rasel struck again and broke the partnership by removing Kallis with a gem of delivery. Bangladeshi slow left arm bowlers kept the things tight and got the reward when Ashwell prince ran himself out feeling the pressure.
Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh's revival with a fine 87.

Mohammad Ashraful led Bangladesh's revival with a brilliant 87 © Cricinfo

Experienced campaigner Mark Boucher tried to break the shackle but fell to Saqibul Hasan immediately after hitting a powerful six. Bangladesh eventually took the control of the game when Justin Kemp returned a simple catch to Saqib in the very next delivery. The world number one team were reduced to 87-6 by world number 9 team and South Africa never recovered from that position and eventually bundled out for 184 in 48.4 overs conceding a 67 run defeat.

Some late strike from Herschelle Gibbs who played as no.7 batsman due to calf muscle injury could only reduce the margin of defeat.

Bangladesh used only five front line bowlers to bundle south Africa and all bowlers except Mashrafe Mortaza joined the party. Abdur Razzak was the pick of the bowlers and took 3 wickets for 25 runs. Saqibul Hasan and Syed Rasel grabbed two wickets each for 49 runs and 41 runs respectively. Experienced Mohammad Rafique was the most economic bowler and conceded only 22 runs from his 10 over and took 1 wicket. Bangladesh?s slow left arm army proved too much for the Proteas as they shared 6 wickets between them in 29.4 overs giving away only 96 runs.

Earlier, Bangladesh posted challenging 251/8 in 50 overs riding on a blazing 87 run off 83 balls by young batting prodigy Mohammad Ashraful. Ashraful hammered 12 boundaries in his masterful innings and that laid the foundation for the memorable victory.

South Africa Captain Graeme Smith won the toss and sent Bangladesh to bat under overcast conditions. The pitch was expected to offer some early assistance due to continuous rain over the last couple of days.

Bangladesh started cautiously and after a sedate opening partnership of 42 between Javed Omar (17 off 41 balls) and young Tamim Iqbal (38 off 59 balls), Bangladesh were in a spot of bother after losing captain Habibul Bashar (5) and Saqibul Hasan (9) cheaply. Mohammad Ashraful shared a crucial 87 run partnership with Aftab Ahmed in the 5th wicket to steady Bangladesh.

Aftab scored 35 runs off 43 deliveries with 2 boundaries and 2 huge sixes. After his departure a Bangladesh maintained the acceleration with a fluent 54 run partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza who scored a quick fire 25 runs off just 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 1 six.

Andre Nel was the pick of the South African attack and took 5 wickets for 45 runs. Ntini and Kallis picked 1 wicket each but went for runs. Shaun Pollock bowled well with no luck.

Bangladesh post challenging total in Guyana

Bangladesh posted challenging 251/8 in 50 overs in their crucial super eights match against South Africa at providence stadium in Guyana.

Batting prodigy Mohammad Ashraful's 87 run off 83 balls with 12 boundaries helped Bangladesh to get past 250 for the first time in the world cup history. After a sedate opening partnership of 42 between Javed Omar (17 off 41 balls) and young Tamim Iqbal (38 off 59 balls), Bangladesh were in a spot of bother after losing captain Habibul Bashar (5) and Saqibul Hasan (9) cheaply. Mohammad Ashraful shared a crucial 87 run partnership with Aftab Ahmed in the 5th Wicket to steady Bangladesh.

Aftab scored 35 runs off 43 deliveries with 2 boundaries and 2 huge sixes. After his departure a Bangladesh maintained the acceleration with a fluent 54 run partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza who scored a quickfire 25 runs off just 16 deliveries with 3 boundaries and 1 six.
Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh?s revival with a fine 87.

Mohammad Ashraful led the Bangladesh's revival with a fine 87 © Cricinfo

Andre Nel was the pick of the South African attack and took 5 wickets for 45 runs. Earlier, South Africa Captain Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bowl first under overcast conditions in Guyana. The pitch is expected to offer some early assistance due to continuous rain over the last couple of days.

Guyana, the venue for todays match could provide an ideal opportunity for them to put up a much-improved performance. The hot and humid nature of Guyana weather is quite similar with sub-continents and pitches have traditionally been slow and low, similar to the ones in the sub-continent. Bangladesh need to post some decent total to give a chance to their slow left arm spinners to exploit the conditions. Proteas batting line up has records of having problems against quality spinners.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith is not taking Bangladesh lightly but has already expressed his desire to avoid Australia in semi final. South Africa needs to win all their remaining matches against the likes of Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand to make that happen.

Both Bangladesh captain Bashar and coach Dav Whatmore promised a better display and asked the Tigers to learn from their mistakes in previous two games.

"We just have to pick up our game and we still have four matches left. We will go out thinking we can win those games. The goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the last two matches," said Bashar who also suffered criticism in Bangladesh for his poor show on the field.

"I have faith in my players. They have showed in the past that they can beat any team on their day," added Bashar.

Bashar also insisted that Bangladesh team is not getting distracted due to coach Dav Whatmore's interest in India job.

"He has been working very hard with us and has given no indication that he's not enjoying himself," said Bashar.

"I don't want to talk too much about his thoughts. It's purely for him to decide. But our performance shows what kind of hard work he has put in."
Bangladesh have included Shahadat Hossain in the 12 man squad in place of Tapash Baisya who suffered ankle injury in previous match. Andre Nel may return for South Africa to reinforce the pace attack.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Javed Omar.

South Africa (from): G Smith (captain), J Kallis, L Bosman, M Boucher, AB de Villiers, H Gibbs, A Hall, J Kemp, C Langeveldt, A Nel, M Ntini, R Peterson, S Pollock, A Prince, R Telemachus.

Umpires : M Benson (England), B Doctrove (WI)

Bangladesh aim to restore pride

After getting thrashed by Australia and New Zealand in first tow matches of the super eights, Bangladesh is facing top ranked South Africa at Providence Stadium in Guyana today. Pressure has mounted on Bangladesh to justify their inclusion in the super eights stage after two consecutive below par performances.

After reaching super eights by toppling India, Bangladesh thought that they will win few more matches in the super 8 stage but things are not going as planned. They have managed only 104 and 174 against Australia and New Zealand to concede humiliating 10 and 9 wickets defeat.

In both matches Bangladesh batted first and virtually lost the game before the end of their innings. Bangladesh have a formidable bowling line up but batsmen failed to rise to the occasions and now Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar is urging top order batsmen to perform better.
Bangladesh aim to restore pride.

Bangladesh aim to restore pride © AFP

Guyana, the venue for todays match could provide an ideal opportunity for them to put up a much-improved performance. The hot and humid nature of Guyana weather is quite similar with sub-continents and pitches have traditionally been slow and low, similar to the ones in the sub-continent. Bangladesh need to post some decent total to give a chance to their slow left arm spinners to exploit the conditions. Proteas batting line up has records of having problems against quality spinners.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith is not taking Bangladesh lightly but has already expressed his desire to avoid Australia in semi final. South Africa needs to win all their remaining matches against the likes of Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand to make that happen.

Both Bangladesh captain Bashar and coach Dav Whatmore promised a better display and asked the Tigers to learn from their mistakes in previous two games.

"We just have to pick up our game and we still have four matches left. We will go out thinking we can win those games. The goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the last two matches," said Bashar who also suffered criticism in Bangladesh for his poor show on the field.

"I have faith in my players. They have showed in the past that they can beat any team on their day," added Bashar.

Bashar also insisted that Bangladesh team is not getting distracted due to coach Dav Whatmore's interest in India job.

"He has been working very hard with us and has given no indication that he's not enjoying himself," said Bashar.

"I don't want to talk too much about his thoughts. It's purely for him to decide. But our performance shows what kind of hard work he has put in."
Bangladesh have included Shahadat Hossain in the 12 man squad in place of Tapash Baisya who suffered ankle injury in previous match. Andre Nel may return for South Africa to reinforce the pace attack.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Javed Omar.

South Africa (from): G Smith (captain), J Kallis, L Bosman, M Boucher, AB de Villiers, H Gibbs, A Hall, J Kemp, C Langeveldt, A Nel, M Ntini, R Peterson, S Pollock, A Prince, R Telemachus.

Umpires : M Benson (England), B Doctrove (WI)

BCB convenes emergency meeting on Dav Whatmore

After criticizing Dav Whatmore's interest in India job in the middle of the world cup campaign, Bangladesh Cricket Board has now convened an emergency meeting on April 10 to discuss the fate of Dav Whatmore as Bangladesh coach.

It is learned that BCB members are divided in their opinions and Whatmore lost some grounds after expressing his willingness to take vacant India position in the middle of the most crucial world cup campaign of Bangladesh. Board general secretary Mahbub Anam clarified BCB's position about convening the meeting.

"We've convened an emergency meeting of the board on April 10 when we will discuss the Dav Whatmore issue,"

"We have read some of his interviews in the media. Before the meeting, we will talk to him about these interviews and reports. And then we will discuss all the issues in the meeting," Anam added.
Whatmore under scrutiny.

Whatmore under scrutiny © Cricinfo

Whatmore enjoyed good support from the board and it was highly anticipated that he will be offered an extended contract after taking Bangladesh to the second round of world cup for the first time. Whatmore's current contract expires in May.

Earlier BCB joint secretary Riazuddin Al Mamun criticized Whatmore after he expressed his interest in succeeding Greg Chappell as India coach in a television interview with CNN-IBN. While some board members are pledging support for Whatmore who is the main man behind Bangladesh?s recent success, some of them are critical about the timing of Whatmore's interview and interest.

Anam in his interview also praised Whatmore's work to lift Bangladesh's cricket and credited him for recent success in world cup.

"It was a tremendous performance, we set the goal of winning a place in the Super Eights and we have just won that. Definitely it was a great performance by the team and the coach. Under him the team has grown. We are no longer the same old team."

Bangladesh has little time to respire after world cup as they face India for 2 tests and 3 ODI's which starts on May 10.

Warnapura Ton Guides Sri Lanka A To Series Win

A classy unbeaten century from opener Malinda Warnapura sealed the one day series for Sri Lanka A as the hosts defeated Bangladesh A by six wickets in the second one dayer to take an unassailable 2-0 lead at P. Saravanamuthu Stadium in Colombo.

In his 104 run innings off of 113 balls, Warnapura smashed 9 boundaries and 3 sixes. Chasing a victory target of 207, a breezy opening partnership of 91 runs from 17.4 overs effectively laid the platform for the series win. Warnapura’s opening partner Dilruwan Perera scored 46 off 63 balls with the aid of 8 boundaries.

The Sri Lankan top order suffered a wobble after Enamul Haque Jr. trapped Perera in front and they were reduced to 138-3. Jehan Mubarak and Warnapura restored Sri Lanka A’s command and won the match convincingly with 5.3 overs to spare.

Earlier, Bangladesh A captain Tushar Imran won the toss and elected to bat first. Bangladesh made a disastrous start as Akalanka Genegama and Ranga Dias ripped through the Bangladesh top order to reduce them to 57-5. Tushar Imran (38 off 55 balls) tried to steady the innings but it was mainly a 7th Wicket 82 run partnership between Farhad Reza and wicket keeper Sahagir Hossain that added some respectability to the Bangladesh total.

Farhad Reza scored 82 runs off 84 balls and cracked 7 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Lokuarachchi broke the partnership by removing Sahagir which triggered another collapse and the last 3 Bangladesh wickets fell for just 6 runs.

For Sri Lanka A, Ishara Amerasinghe and Kaushal Lokuarachchi took 3 wickets each for 34 and 57 runs while Akalanka Genegama and Ranga Dias grabbed two wickets each for 22 and 36 runs respectively.

Bangladesh will play their third and final one-dayer on Wednesday at the same venue.

Bangladesh A: 206 all out in 45 overs (Tushar Imran 38, Farhad Reza 82, Sahagir Hossain 25; Ishara Amerasinghe 3-34, Kaushal Lokuarachchi 3-57).

Sri Lanka A: 207-4 in 44.3 overs (Malinda Warnapura 104 n.o, Dilruwan Perera 46; Mahmudullah Riyad 2-28,).

New Zealand crush Bangladesh by 9 wickets

Bangladesh continued their struggle in the super eight as Kiwi captain Stephan Fleming struck a superb unbeaten century to guide New Zealand to a convincing nine-wicket win against Bangladesh in their second Super 8 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today.

Fleming hammered 102 off 92 balls and shared a 134 run partnership with Hamish Marshall who raced to the fifty with a huge six to secure the win. New Zealand reached their target in just 29.2 overs to maintain the 100% winning record in the tournament. Fleming struck ten fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock. Marshall, who provided vital support to his captain, struck two fours and one six in his 54 ball 50.

New Zealand crush Bangladesh by 9 wickets © Cricinfo

New Zealand were well on course from the first over of their run chase and only lost opener Peter Fulton to reach the victory target of 175. Syed Rasel took the only wicket for Bangladesh who wasted couple of opportunities on the field.

Bangladesh looked completely out of sort and failed to pose any threat to Kiwis, a team they defeated in a practice match ahead of the gala event.

Earlier, New Zealand captain Stephen Flemming won the toss and decided to field first. Bangladesh made a cautious start and did not lost any wickets for the first 15 overs. After a sedate 55-run opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Javed Omar, who replaced out-of-form opener Shahriar Nafees, Bangladesh lost their way in the middle and lost regular wickets without much resistance.

The disintegration started when left-handed Tamim (29) was brilliantly stumped by Brendan McCullum in the 16th over. Javed Omar soon followed him after making a patient 22 off 52 balls.

Aftab Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan repaired the innigs after two quick wickets and formed a 43 run partnership. Aftab again failed to consolidate after a brilliant start and eventually was caught in the deep after making 27 off 38 balls with three boundaries.

New Zealand strike bowler Shane Bond in his second spell ripped through the middle order and removed Saqibul Hasan (25) and Mushfiqur Rahim (0). Bangladesh failed to recover from the double strike and New Zealand established their domination over the course of the game.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar and prolific batsman Mohammad Ashraful did not help Bangladesh?s cause as both them returned to the pavilion without significant contribution.

Finally veteran Mohammad Rafique entertained the crowd with some lusty blows that included two sixes off Scott Styris. The left-hander, who was unbeaten on 30 off 36 balls, shared 34 runs with Syed Rasel for the last wicket to give the Bangladesh total some respectability after the Tigers were reduced to 140-9 in 42.3 overs.

Scott Styris was the pick of New Zealand bowler and grabbed 4 wickets for 43 runs. Jacob Oram continued his impressive run and took 3-30, he made the early breakthrough to remove Bangladeshi opener and finally put the final nail in Bangladesh?s coffin by removing Syed Rasel to bundle out Bangladesh for a meager 174. .

Cautious New Zealand face wounded Tigers in Antigua

After getting thrashed by champion Australia in their super eight opener, Bangladesh is facing another trans Tasmanian giant New Zealand at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today. The job of the Tigers are not getting any easier as New Zealand is the only team in the competition, except Australia with a 100% winning record.

Bangladesh brought Kiwis back to the earth after they tormented Australia in the Chappel Hadlee series prior to the world cup and that very recent memory is forcing the Kiwis to keep their feet on the ground ahead of the super eight clash.

New Zealand skipper Stephen Flemming was cautiously optimistic to ease past Bangladesh but paid respect to the potential challenge the Tigers might pose.

"They turned us over in the warm-up game and if conditions are right, they can be quite a handful," he said.

Bangladesh must rediscover their form to challenge in-form Kiwis. © Cricinfo

"The danger is complacency, under-estimating what they can do. They bowl a different length, they provide different challenges, challenges you don't get facing your own bowlers in the nets - so that's where the adjustment comes from," he added.

Apart from the in-form fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's key weapon is their slow left arm army led by Mohammad Rafique. The spin trio has got the variation and discipline to keep things tight in the crucial middle overs to check the run flow. Bangladesh will be certainly hoping for a full 50 over match for the best utilization of their strengths.

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar is determined to bounce back after the humiliating defeat in the curtailed opening match and promised a better show.

"We have beaten New Zealand in a warm-up game and we had a good win against India. The match against Australia was a tough one and 22 over match made the situation even more difficult. We made few early mistakes and the boys are keen to rectify those against the Kiwis" said Bashar.

"We strongly believe that if we play together, we can beat anyone" Bashar added. It shows that the huge defeat against Aussies has failed to dent the fearlessness of the young Tigers and they want to continue their hunt in the second round of the world cup.

"We had a team talk after the (Australia) match and I heard from all the boys they think, they are not finished yet. They want to do something against New Zealand to keep their tournament alive."

If Bangladesh's youth brigade can translate their optimism in the field, they have got the potential to topple the Kiwis yet another time.

Syed Rasel is likely to regain his place in Bangladesh side after Tapsh Baisya suffered a foot injury against Australia. For New Zealand, Mark Gillespie might get the nod to play his first match of the competition.

Squads

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (capt), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Tapash Baisya, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar.

New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (capt), Peter Fulton, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum (wk), James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Michael Mason, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)