Only Kalam Siddiqui impressed in Bangladesh Under-19’s rain-hit match against Pakistan Under-19.
The first phase of Bangladesh’s U19 World Cup preparations did not go well. The match was washed out by rain, and the bowlers barely got a chance to showcase their skills. Of the limited play possible, no one performed well except Kalam Siddiqui.
Ahead of the main tournament, Bangladesh faced Pakistan in a preparatory match on Saturday. They batted for 36.3 overs, losing seven wickets, and managed 152 runs. Heavy rain prevented any further play.
Bangladesh will play their second and final warm-up match against Scotland next Tuesday in Harare.
At the Masvingo Sports Club in Zimbabwe, Kalam was the only Bangladeshi batsman who could hold his ground. Amid constant fall of wickets, he anchored one end, scoring an unbeaten 71 off 98 balls, including six boundaries.
No other Bangladeshi batsman reached 20 runs. Rizwan Hossain was the second-highest scorer with just 18.
Pakistan’s bowlers were well-prepared, particularly right-arm pacer Ali Raza, who took three wickets. Umar Zaib, Mohammad Siyam, and Momin Kumar claimed one wicket each.
Batting first after losing the toss, Bangladesh suffered an early double blow in the second over. Ali Raza dismissed both openers, Jawad Abrar and Rifat Beg, caught behind off four balls.
Captain Azizul Hakim, coming in at three, could not hold his wicket either. He scored three off five balls before giving a catch to Umar Zaib.
Rizwan and Kalam tried to steady the innings after Bangladesh lost three wickets for 12 runs. Their 48-run partnership helped the team recover slightly. Rizwan made 18 runs off 32 balls, including three boundaries, before being caught behind.
Slow scoring from Shahriar Ahmed and Farid Hasan provided little support to Kalam. Shahriar made eight runs off 25 balls, while Farid managed nine off 30.
After Md Abdullah was dismissed, Kalam battled with Samiun Bashir. He reached a fifty off 65 balls, but rain eventually forced the umpires to call off the match.
Bangladesh will start their World Cup campaign on January 17 in Bulawayo against India. In Group B, their other opponents are New Zealand and the USA.
Brief Score
- Bangladesh U19: 36.3 overs, 152/7 (Jawad 8, Rifat 1, Azizul 3, Kalam 71*, Rizwan 18, Shahriar 8, Farid 9, Abdullah 11, Samiun 10*; Umar 4-0-25-1, Raza 5.3-0-34-3, Siyam 4-0-7-1, Subhan 3-0-11-0, Momin 7-0-35-1, Nakib 7-0-11-0, Hussain 4-0-19-0, Usman 2-0-9-1)
