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Originally Posted by Fazal
What a Game,,,, what a game!!!!!
In this game Bangladesh comprehensively beat India from the beginning ….all through the game ….up to the end. The game was very much under control all the way for Bangladesh. Bowling-wise .... fielding-wise .....batting-wise Bangladesh was clear cut superior than the opponent. Unlike other big wins for Bangladesh, in this game, there was too many heroes.... too many players who contributed in so many ways...in too many key stages.... that’s why the game was very much under Bangladesh’s Control all the way. Now let’s see who are the heroes in this game....
Bowling Heroes:
Mashrafee: There was one less FB in the team. It was very important that Mashrafee gets some quick wickets.... and he exactly did that. He was unplayable.... Ganguly just barely survived Mashrafee's attack. He got two quick wickets and shut down dada and suddenly India is in trouble with 21/2 and a RR of 3.5
Rasel: The unsung hero among the bowlers. His controlled line and length and swings compensated more than enough for his lack of speed. He was unlucky not to get few wickets. But he did his role by stopping the runs in one end. That helped Mashrafee to be more aggressive and not worry about the RR. His selection in the final 11 was questioned by some fans. But he justified his inclusion with his effective run stopping bowling. Kudos to Rasel for the great job he did.
Razzak: For the last one year, Razzak is slowly but surely becoming the 2nd strike bowler for the team behind Mashrafee. No disrespect to Rafique.... but Razzak is more and more becoming as effective and in some cases more effective than Rafiq. And we all know how good Rafiq is for Bangladesh. Now the team is depending more and more on Razzak to help them out bowling in the power plays as well as slog overs. As a spinner it’s not easy.... but he is doing it admirably. His wicket against Tendu was one of the best. Great job Razzak especially the way he is growing game after game.
Rafiq: He is a proven fighter, he is a known commodity. And he proved again old wine gets better with ages. He produced when it matters most. He got a maiden wicket when the team needed a wicket. He was kind of declining.... but produced today when it matters most. Rafiq and Razzak got four quick wickets during the early slog overs to snatch any hope of India's comeback at the later part of the innings.
Sakib: He was the fifth bowler and there was no 6th bowler to help him out if he couldn't complete his 10 overs. It’s too much pressure for this young all-rounder against dangerous Indian lineup. I think he did a great job by completing his 10 overs and by not giving too many runs.
Batting Heroes:
Tamim: What can I say about him.... he has no fear. The way he took off the pressure from the rest of the batsman is unbelievable. The way he manhandled the Indian attack was so much fun to watch... that along with Mashrafee's attack was the best part of the innings. Fans (including myself) doubted his inclusion... he was unproven so far.... but what he showed today, few people will doubt him any longer for the rest of the WC... I have feeling he is that type of player who has a tendency to show his best when playing against his best....first against NZ warm-up match, next against India..... so just watch out Sri Lanka !!!! After performing today the way he did.... he made lots of fans from skeptical to a believer (in him). Great job Tamim. With Tamim and SN as openers.... sky is the limit in future.
Rahim: When SN was down and Tamim was doing all the hitting and the target was manageable... I liked the idea of Rahim batting at #3. His job was to stay at one end and let Tamim (and later Sakib) do the assault.... and he exactly did that. When he needed some quick runs... he did exactly that by hitting few 4s and 6s. This 18 year old was as cool as a cucumber....when senior players like Bashar and Aftab couldn't resist the temptation, this 18 years old played like the brain of the team. This guy is a future captain in making. Any one misses Pilot any more for this WC? Anyone doubt this kid's potential any more? Not me. He pretty much shut down any further discussion about any kind of controversy with his selection.
Sakib: What a matured innings. He played exactly what was needed out of him at that time. He stayed for a while and then started to open up later on. When he left, the game was pretty much in our pocket. Only Bashar made it a little bit more interesting by his reckless batting. Again time and time again some fans doubted his contribution... doubted if he can produce against BIG boys. I hope in this game he answered that. Sakib and Rahim played according to the game plan and they delivered at the end.
Fielding Heroes:
The fielding was excellent specially the young players like Aftab, Sakib, Tamim and Razzak. Even Bashar caught a great catch. Rafiq was the weakest link but he really didn't really embarrassed team though. Fielding-wise they were 100% better than the Indian team.
Wicket keeping was excellent. So far I can remember, Rahim didn't missed any opportunity. Bashar's captaincy was great in general. Only one comment, I thought after power play he went too defensive. Also when Masharfee was bowling the final spell against Munaf, the 11th bowler. he should have more aggressive fielding. They gave too many runs in the 10th wicket.
Final Random thoughts:
- We didn't get three LBW calls and India didn't get one. So 75% of wrong decision went against us.
- This was a game, where we were in the top from the beginning and we never gave the edge back to India. It’s a comprehensive beating
- We were the superior team in all aspects: batting, bowling, wicket keeping, fielding and captaincy.
- All the young players responded very well. Except for Rafiq, the rest of the heroes of this game were either very young (Rasel, Sakib, Rahim, Tamim) or still young enough (Mashrafee and Razzak).
- All the young players (Rahim, Sakib, Tamim, Rasel) with question marks answered very well.
- We haven't seen the best of these young players yet. May be we need to wait upto 2011 to see their full potential
Anyway cheers to all....the players.... the coach.... the selectors...the fans.... for this historic win !!!!!
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