STAY IN, FIGHT: Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal (R) gets some advice from his uncle Akram Khan, the former national captain and also a national selector, during practice at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday. The Tigers meet Netherlands in a World Cup Group B match here today.
The pressure was over for only two days, and now it is back on again. Just when a win against England seemed like it would buy the Bangladesh side some chances to relax, another must-win tie against the Netherlands beckons today in their first day match of the ICC Cricket World Cup at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. The hype and expectation surrounding this match may not be as much as it was in previous encounters, but today's match is no less important to the cause.
The Bangladesh team though, was in a happy and relaxed mood when they practised at the venue yesterday after Shakib Al Hasan's men managed to blow away all the dark clouds by winning the nerve-wracking battle against England in the same venue on Friday. And as coach Jamie Siddons said: the victory has given the team great confidence.
Considering the strength, especially of the spin attack, and home conditions, Bangladesh definitely go into the match with the tag of favourites. But in no way can Shakib Al Hasan's men be complacent ahead of their clash against the Netherlands, who lost badly to West Indies and South Africa but showed plenty of character against England and India. The record however speaks in favour of the minnows as they played only one one-day international so far against Bangladesh in 2010 after the ICC Trophy era and won the curtailed game by six wickets at Titwood in Glasgow. Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons has also branded them as a 'dangerous' side.
There is nothing to lose for the Netherlanders in the match, but a defeat will not only dash Bangladesh's quarterfinal hopes but also lead to unbearable pain for the team as well as the millions of cricket lovers in the country. To the Netherlanders, it's not a soccer match but just a cricket game, which is a minor sport in their country, so a win just puts another feather on their cap but for Bangladeshis anything other than a victory will cause mass heartbreak.
The pressure, therefore, is on Bangladesh to play their best game so that they can keep their quarterfinal chances alive, as well as maintain their success rate against the lower-ranked sides, especially in their own den. The Tigers began their World Cup campaign with the target of beating one high-ranked side besides two ICC associate member countries -- Ireland and the Netherlands -- and the job is more than half done following wins over Ireland and England. But as it stands, the initial target might not be enough to qualify for the last eight and hence today's game has taken on even greater importance. “Each time we play a game, we try to win and each win is important. So there is no complacency. The game (against England) is forgotten now, we move on. A whole new set of players, a whole new set of plans, and possibly a whole new team,” assured Bangladesh head coach Jamie Siddons in a pre-match press conference.
But even if Siddons was exaggerating about the whole team scenario, Bangladesh is all set to tinker with the winning combination as left-hander Shahriar Nafees is set to replace Rokibul Hasan in the team, while left-arm spinner Sohrawardi Shuvo may also come into the side in place of off-spinning all-rounder Naeem Islam. The second decision is likely to be taken on the basis that the Dutch are a side loaded with right-handers and thus might face trouble with Shuvo. But it is set to be a tricky decision considering the fact that Naeem Islam has put in a more than adequate showing with the ball so far.
“We are looking at bringing Shuvo in to add another left-arm spinner, they have got a lot of right-handers in their team. It will make it very difficult for them if we put another left-armer in. We are thinking of shifting Naeem and Shuvo, but we haven't really confirmed that. It will be difficult to drop Naeem, rather it is a case of leaving him out, not really dropping him,” Siddons informed.
Siddons might be happy with his batters' performance in the tournament but still the Bangladesh middle-order has been found vulnerable and that's the reason Nafees is all set to play his first World Cup match at number four, the position where Mushfiqur Rahim and then Rokibul have both failed to deliver.
“I beg to differ. One game we didn't do well… only one game. The other two games, we made more runs than the opposition, that's all you need to do. England only made 225, we made one more than them,” defended the Tigers coach when asked whether he was satisfied with his team's batting performance in the tournament.
“We played one really bad game. Not sure what happened there. Apart from that, we have been reasonably consistent. Reasonably consistent putting scores on the board. I think we will step up again tomorrow and play good cricket that should be enough to win the game,” he said adding that there has been a lot of difference between the wickets of Bangladesh and India.
The Bangladesh coach also played down their chance of reaching the quarterfinal stage.
“If England win against West Indies, it is a long way away. If West Indies win, we have got to win both our games. But first we have to win tomorrow, and then if England lose, we have a chance. Otherwise it's very difficult.
“Mathematically if England win their next game, we can't get in, unless we win against South Africa, which is a very difficult task. I am not going to guarantee that we will win against South Africa,” he continued.
Above everything it's a must win match for the Tigers and many believe Shakib's men can walk on their opponents if they just play their normal game.
