3-0: Bangladesh inflict historic whitewash on helpless Pakistan

DHAKA: Opening batsman Soumya Sarkar hit a maiden one-day century as Bangladesh thrashed woeful Pakistan by eight wickets in Dhaka on Wednesday to sweep the one-day series 3-0.

The 22-year-old left-hander smashed an unbeaten 127 as the fired-up hosts surpassed Pakistan's modest 250 all out in the 40th over at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali's 100 made no difference to his team's fortunes after Bangladesh had won the first match by 79 runs and the second by seven wickets.

It was the first series whitewash by the Tigers against an Asian Test-playing nation, and followed their appearance in the quarter-finals of the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said he was delighted at the way the team had shaped up in the past few months and hoped to continue the good work in future.

"This is a good team we have and I am really happy the way we are playing," he said. "Soumya (Sarkar) was brilliant today but our work is not done yet. We will now focus on the remaining matches."

The two teams will play a Twenty20 international on Friday before starting a two-Test series from April 28.

Dramatic collapse

The win was never in doubt after Sarkar, who hit 13 boundaries and six sixes in his 110-ball innings, put on 145 for the first wicket with Tamim Iqbal.

Tamim, who had slammed centuries in the first two matches, missed a third consecutive hundred when he was leg-before to Junaid Khan for 64.

The left-arm seamer also bowled Mohammad Mahmudullah in his next over, but Mushfiqur Rahim (49 not out) ensured victory with an unbroken stand of 97 for the third wicket with Sarkar.

Pakistan were left to rue a dramatic collapse when they lost eight wickets for 47 runs after Azhar's century had lifted them to a comfortable 203 for two in the 39th over.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mortaza, Arafat Sunny and Rubel Hossain claimed two wickets each as Bangladesh clawed their way back after wayward bowling earlier in the innings.

Azhar led from the front to become the first Pakistani captain in five years to score an one-day century following Shahid Afridi's 124 against Bangladesh in 2010.

He heaped praise on Bangladesh for outplaying his young team that included just four players from the World Cup.

"I would like to congratulate Bangladesh because they played very good cricket," he said. "We played well in patches but we could not put it together.

"As everybody knows, our senior players have left the one-day scene. The youngsters have to stand up and we have to pull our heads together.

"Hopefully we do well in the Twenty20 and the Test series."

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Azhar shared an opening stand of 91 with debutant Sami Aslam, who made 45.

Nasir Hossain provided the breakthrough when he had the left-handed Aslam caught by wicket-keeper Rahim.

Senior all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was bowled by Sunny for four to extend his batting misery in a series in which he compiled just eight runs in three matches.

Haris Sohail (52) added 98 with Azhar for the third wicket before the rot set in.

Azhar was bowled by Shakib and Mortaza dismissed Haris to launch Bangladesh's comeback.

from dawn

Upfront Have a Bangla Wash ?

Bangladesh are well set to complete a banglawash of Pakistan when they meet in the third one-day international match at Mirpur on Wednesday.

The Tigers, who recorded their first ODI win after 16 years and also two in a row, do not want to miss the opportunity to seal a 3-0 series victory.

Bangladesh’s top order batsmen built the platform in the first two matches to make comfortable wins in the end – in the first one they posted a huge 329 runs and in the second match, they chased down Pakistan’s 239 runs without any fuss.

Opener Tamim Iqbal, too, is awaiting a landmark to score a third consecutive century in the series.

The home side have been more encouraged by Pakistan’s acknowledgement that their team are in a rebuilding stage at the moment.

Still, both the captains will be desperate in their respective missions – Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is set to improve on two wins while Azhar Ali is expected to play an all-out game to avoid what is called “Bangla-wash” for the first time.

Pakistan cricket is in trouble: Waqar

DHAKA: As Bangladesh clinched a historic series win over Pakistan on Sunday, head coach Waqar Younis had to give in to the criticism from all quarters.

He admitted that the team was in ‘trouble’.

“I accept what the critics’ say, Pakistan cricket is facing problems,” Waqar said in an interview to the local media.

“Pakistan need to change the way it plays cricket. Our cricketing style is very defensive and it will take us time to get free from this mindset,” he added.

The defensive playing style is not the only worry for Pakistan though. The national team is currently facing a 'fitness crisis' of sorts which has meant the coach has not been able to pick the best side.

Pacemen Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil, leg-spinner Yasir Shah and middle-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood were ruled out due to injuries for the series against Bangladesh.

Right before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Pakistan’s camp had been affected by fitness issues, resulting in the nonavailability of seasoned players such as Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Hafeez.

“Our team’s biggest problem is fitness and we will not compromise in ensuring that each and every player is match fit,” he said.

Waqar rejected the idea of looking back at the ‘tried and tested’ lot following the historic series defeat against Bangladesh. “There is no need to look back,” he said, adding: “We have to move forward with younger players.”

Pakistan is scheduled to play the third and the final One-Day International against Bangladesh on Wednesday, April 22, at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.

The one-day series will be followed by a Twenty20 International and two Tests.

"from the dawn"

Misbah defends Pakistan’s poor show against Bangladesh

KARACHI: Former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has defended the poor performance of Pakistan cricketers in the opening two One-day Internationals against Bangladesh.

“This is a young team and needs more time to improve under a new captain Azhar Ali,” said Misbah on Monday.

Pakistan lost the first ODI by 79 runs and suffered seven-wicket loss in the second one-dayer as Bangladesh registered their first series win over their rivals in two decades.

Misbah, who retired from ODI cricket after leading Pakistan to the quarter-finals in the World Cup, believed the team needed some time to settle down.

He said Azhar just took the reins of captaincy and it was not easy to turn the things around overnight.

Misbah said the team was undergoing rebuilding process and it would take some months to develop.

Commenting on Saeed Ajmal, he said the off-spinner was staging a comeback after eight months when he was suspended by the International Cricket Council for illegal action.

Ajmal has been included in the side after remodeling his action and getting cleared by the ICC.

“It’s not easy for Saeed Ajmal to be the same again within a short time,” Misbah remarked.

He complimented Bangladesh for their first series win over Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is a tough team in their own conditions and they have improved a lot,” he pointed out.

from the dawn

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES History or a turnaround?

It's amazing what good rhythm can do for the Tigers. It tends to give them a new identity, a new realisation. Take the World Cup for instance. They went into it having lost 12 out of their first 13 ODIs in 2014 and their prospects of making it through to the quarterfinals seemed more than just dim.

However, an exemplary performance against Scotland changed all that. What followed next was a heroic turnaround against England and a close contest against hosts New Zealand. 2013 was no different either; with a series win against the West Indies at home leading the Tigers to a rare ODI win against Sri Lanka in their own den.

On Friday, Bangladesh beat Pakistan for the first time in 16 years and talks regarding a series win have already begun dominating different forums. It doesn't matter that this was the same side that the Tigers failed to beat despite having come agonisingly close on so many occasions. It doesn't matter that this is the side that once included players whom some of the Tigers referred to as their inspiration.

All that seems to be a thing of the past now, as the Tigers look to hunt their first series win against Pakistan at Mirpur today. While the Tigers did have a good day on the field, there are still certain grey areas which they will be looking to improve upon. One of those would be the way they played in between overs number 10 and 20 on Friday; they scored just 23 runs and lost two wickets.

One of the main reasons behind that was the lack of singles taken by Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad. That scenario however changed as soon as Mushfiqur Rahim entered the crease. Pacer Abul Hasan, who leaked 42 runs in five overs, is likely to be replaced by skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza today.

The visitors may be down, but they are far from being dusted. Pakistan have a habit of striking in the most unexpected scenarios and if the Tigers think that they are an easy match away from a historic series win, that would be a mistake.

This young side has a bunch of players who can change the game around anytime. Captain Azhar Ali led from the front on Friday with a half-century. Young Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 67 off 58 in the game, seems a nifty player and could do better with a bit more experience.

However, for a comeback they will need their fielders to support their bowlers. They were torn apart by Tamim and Mushfiqur in the first match, but things could have been different had the visitors grasped the opportunities presented to them early on.

Can Pakistan's new-look side make a contest out of this series? Or will Bangladesh create history tonight? Either way, an exciting day of cricket is in store.

from dailystar

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES No Pahela Baishakh for Tigers

The Tigers, except for Shakib Al Hasan and Rubel Hossain, attended their first official practice session for the Pakistan series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

It was a long day for the players. They first hit the gym for a number of hours in the morning and then attended various skill sessions in the evening.

As all three ODIs are day-night affairs at Mirpur, the Tigers had a batting session under lights at the centre wicket where Tamim Iqbal and his most likely opening partner Rony Talukdar went first to have some knock.

Shakib, who will be captaining the Tigers in the first ODI in place of the suspended Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, skipped practice as he wasn't feeling well and decided to take a day-off. Rubel, on the other hand, had a few issues to settle in court.

In a bid to battle Pakistan's strong left-arm seam attack, the Bangladesh batsmen faced left-arm pacers in the nets for a long time yesterday. They will be training today on Pahela Baishakh as well.

DAN CAKE ODI CRICKET SERIES BAN v PAK: Squad for first and second ODIs

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announces the squad for the first two ODIs (on 17 and 19 April at SBNCS, Dhaka) of the three-match series against Pakistan:  

1	Tamim Iqbal
2	Rony Talakdar
3	Soumya Sarker
4	Mominul Hoque
5	Shakib Al Hasan   - Vice-Captain
6	Mushfiqur Rahim
7	Mahmud Ullah
8	Nasir Hossain
9	Shabbir Rahaman
10	Masrafe Bin Mortaza    - Captain
11	Taskin Ahmed
12	Abul Hasan Raju
13	Rubel Hossain
14	Arafat Sunny

BCB XI for one-day practice match v Pakistan (15 April 2015 at KSOAS, Fatullah)

1	Imrul kayes
2	Rony Talakdar
3	Liton Kumar Das
4	Mominul Hoque
5	Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury
6	Shohag Gazi
7	Al-Amin Hossain
8	Nasir Hossain       - Captain
9	Shabbir Rahaman
10	Zubaer Hossain
11	Taijul Islam
12	Abul Hasan Raju
13	Muktar Ali
14	Mohammad Shahid