Nazmul Hossain Shanto cited the lack of support from the middle-order as the major reason behind Bangladesh’s loss to New Zealand.
On the eve of the match, head coach Phil Simmons had said it would be a high-scoring game in Rawalpindi. Both captains echoed similar sentiments during the toss. Bangladesh’s early innings also indicated the possibility of a big total, but they soon lost their rhythm. After a strong start, Bangladesh once again collapsed for a low total.
In the previous five matches, the average first-innings score had been 278 runs, but on this pitch, Bangladesh managed only 236. That effectively sealed the match for New Zealand. However, the pacers created some hope with the new ball, but in the end, Bangladesh couldn’t capitalize. After two consecutive losses due to poor batting, Bangladesh’s captain, Shanto, pointed to the middle-over batting as the main issue.
In Dubai, against India, Bangladesh’s batting had collapsed early, losing 5 wickets for just 35 runs and almost losing the match right away. Just three days later, against New Zealand, Bangladesh recovered from an early failure. Tanjid Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto scored 58 runs in the powerplay.
However, after the first 10 overs, they started to falter. After Tanjid’s dismissal for 24 off 24 balls, no one else could hold the crease. Mehedi Hasan Miraz, promoted to number three, made a positive start but was dismissed cheaply. Tawhid Hridoy, who had scored a century in the previous match, was struggling for runs and eventually threw away his wicket.
The biggest disappointment came from the experienced players, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. After losing two quick wickets, the team needed a solid partnership. Mushfiq, being the most capable player for the job, was dismissed trying to hit a slog sweep for a six. Mahmudullah’s dismissal was even more puzzling. Facing a brilliant delivery from Michael Bracewell, he attempted a big shot but ended up edging it to third man for a catch.
Given the way he played the shot, one might think it was the last over of the match, but it was only the 27th over.
Due to the middle-order collapse, Bangladesh managed only 114 runs in the middle 30 overs, losing 5 wickets. Shanto’s 77 off 110 balls, Zakir Ali’s 45, and Rishad Hossain’s 26 were the only contributions that brought the total to 236.
New Zealand, who had failed to chase down 288 and 336 in their previous two matches against Pakistan, didn’t find 236 to be a major challenge. Even after losing two early wickets, New Zealand comfortably won the match thanks to centuries from Rachin Ravindra and a fifty from Tom Latham.
After the loss to India, Shanto blamed the batting failure in the opening stages. Following their exit from the tournament after the second loss, the Bangladesh captain now pointed to the failure in the middle-order batting.
“We started really well. The first 8-9 overs were good. But in the middle overs, we lost too many wickets. On such a pitch, we couldn’t bat properly. This is one area where we couldn’t perform well today.”
“Definitely (the middle-order failure was the main reason). The wicket was good for batting. We needed just two big partnerships. But the way we batted was disappointing. Especially after the first 10 overs, we should have pushed ahead.”
There were two changes in the Bangladesh team for this match. Mahmudullah returned in place of Soumya Sarkar, and Nahid Rana replaced Tanzeem Sakib. After a disappointing batting performance, Mahmudullah further questioned his place in the team after dropping a catch.
However, Nahid Rana gave the team some hope with his excellent bowling, including dismissing Kane Williamson in his second over. He finished with 43 runs from 9 overs.
Along with praising Nahid, Shanto emphasized the need for improvement in the batting department.
“He (Nahid Rana) was outstanding. I’m happy with his bowling. The bowling department has done really well in recent years. But, as I said, we need to make significant improvements in the batting department.”
With Bangladesh’s loss, Pakistan’s exit from Group ‘A’ has also been confirmed. The two teams will face each other on Thursday in a dead-rubber match. The Bangladesh captain hopes to end on a positive note.
“I definitely think (Pakistan) is an important match. If we can finish well, it will give us a lot of confidence. But we need a lot of improvement in both batting and fielding. I hope our batting and fielding will be better in the next match.”
