Tigers lost ODI series

WALK OF SHAME: (From L-R) Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan, the cornerstones of Bangladesh batting, take an inglorious walk back to the pavilion in the second ODI against the West Indies at Mirpur SBNCS yesterday. The top four left with only 18 on the board leaving the team in a hopeless situation. PHOTOS: ANISUR RAHMANMohammad Isam

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim made his 100th one-day international appearance memorable as he played a crucial innings to save his team’s blushes against West Indies on Saturday.
The pint-sized skipper showed his character with a 109-ball 69 to lift his team to a respectable total of 220-7 in 50 overs after coming to the crease only in the second over with the scoreboard reading 1-3.
The nearly packed crowds at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium were going down the memory lane of the recent past and felt shivers down their spines as the ghost of their 58 all out against the same opponents in the World Cup had returned.
It was Bangladesh’s second worst start in a one-dayer since the infamous World Cup game against Sri Lanka in 2003 when they lost three wickets in the first three balls and ended the first over with 4-4.
Sakib al Hasan struck three boundaries to reduce the initial pressure but when he too left with the team on 4-18 it all came to Mushfiq to rescue the team from further humiliation.
Mushfiq did it quite spectacularly that not only helped Bangladesh avoid an embarrassing total, but also gave the bowlers something to fight with.
And there was no better occasion for him to do it. The wicketkeeper-batsman became the ninth Bangladeshi on Saturday to play 100 one-day matches, a feat first achieved by his predecessor Khaled Mashud.
He did not want others to spoil the occasion and used his all techniques to play an inning that can be easily described as one of the best ever played by a Bangladeshi in international cricket.
Needless to say that it is also the best innings by a Bangladeshi playing his 100th match.
He overtook Habibul Bashar, the only other Bangladeshi to score a fifty in his 100th match, who made 57 against Canada in a tri-nation international tournament in Antigua just before the 2007 World Cup.
Mushfiq was firm against short-pitch bowling that terrorised his some other team-mates and he was also solid against spin. The calm and quiet captain never showed any urgency and even had no complaint after seeing Nasir Hossain concede a maiden from the other end in the first over of batting powerplay.
After that horror show at the start his approach gave an indication that Bangladesh wanted to bat out 50 overs and it proved to be a right strategy as Bangladesh finished with a fighting score finally.
Inspired by his captain Nasir Hossain finished the innings in style scoring his second one-day half-century which saved the game from turning into terrible mismatch.   ‘You will see only Mushfiq playing this type of innings in this situation because he has got the right technique. I have said it time and again that he is our best batsman and he just proved me right,’ said Shafiqul Haque Heera, one of the two other wicketkeepers who have the distinction of leading Bangladesh before Mushfiq.

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