The approximate 6000 crowd present at the Fatullah stadium on a Friday afternoon left with happy faces as Bangladesh after a grueling year so far, rode on blistering fifties from skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib al Hasan to shape up their World Twenty20 campaign in some style. The two seniors of the side exhibited some classy strokes to add 116 runs in the last 9.5 overs which eventually made the difference in their 44-run win over Ireland in their last warm-up game yesterday.
The warm-up games allow 12 players a side, though 11 takes the field, and Bangladesh made three changes from their previous game against UAE. Sohag Gazi, Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman replaced Mominul Haque, Rubel Hossain and Al Amin Hossain and the latter was used as a bowler.
With 179 to defend, the Tigers showed no mercy in their approach in the second-half of the game. The bowlers were strict in maintaining their line and length while the ground fielding and catching was also better than the recent past as Ireland were restricted to 135 for eight.
Gazi took the new ball and gave the first breakthrough by cleaning up Paul Stirling in the third over while Mashrafe too looked in song having claimed two for 28 off his quota. Shakib was instrumental with the ball and the left-arm spinner took full advantage of the sluggish track to end with match best figures of two for 13.
44 from opener William Porterfield and a 19-ball 35 from No 7 Stuart Thompson were the only notable scores among the Irishmen.
Earlier, opting to bat first the home side struggled against the Irish spinners and were going at a slow rate before the right and left-handed combination took their opponent bowlers apart. The world No 4 ICC Twenty20 all-rounder Shakib faced 32 balls for 58 while Mushfiq was unbeaten on a 30-ball 59 as the Tigers posted 179 for three which after even 10 overs was looking an impossible score to achieve.
Bangladesh were reeling at 63 for three in 10.1 overs when Mushfiq joined Shakib, promoted at four, following the dismissal of rookie batsman Sabbir who was cleaned up by off-spinner Andrew McBrine for a run-a-ball 23. Shakib and Mushfiq concentrated on rotating the strike with singles from their first ball at the crease before the duo broke loose in the last eight overs where they added 105 runs together.
Both Mushfiq and Shakib dominated the Irish bowlers in their strong zone – midwicket and straight – while the odd cut and slice also fetched them boundaries on the off-side. The skipper was the first to reach fifty among the two with a four in his 26th ball, while Shakib took 30 balls to land his half century in the last over of their innings. The skipper hammered eight fours and two sixes in total while Shakib clobbered seven boundaries, four of which came in the ultimate over, and one six.
At the top Anamul Haque was disappointing once again getting out on three before Tamim Iqbal and Sabbir put on 48 runs in 38 balls. Bangladesh’s first boundary in the game came in the fifth over when Tamim sliced over point after surviving a mistimed straight loft which went high and landed in between two confused fielders at mid-on and mid-off.