[Miraz]

Bangladesh report cards for the ODI series against Sri Lanka

Despite the hint of competitiveness in the first and third ODI, Bangladesh were soundly thrashed in the recently completed ODI series against Sri Lanka. Bowlers did their best to keep Bangladesh in the contention of winning matches while batsmen failed to deliver when mattered most.

Overall ODI team rating : 6

Batting : Bangladesh batting were in complete disarray throughout the tour and it continued in the three-match ODI series. 165 all out in the first ODI was the highest team total for Bangladesh and it clearly shows the lack of application from our batsmen. Four top order batsmen scored on an average 50.33 runs between them and the tail failed to wag to complete the sorry affair.
Rating : 4

Bowling : Bowlers tried their best on every occasions with very little total to play with. They created perfect opportunities to win the series by restricting Sri Lanka to modest totals in the 1st and 3rd ODI, but was completely undone by the senseless batting. There were genuine lack of 3rd seamer and poor show from Shakib Al Hasan were the blemishes for the much disciplined bowling attack.
Rating : 9

Fielding : Except stunning catch by Tamim Iqbal in the 3rd ODI, fielding was really woeful by any standard. Butter fingered fielder's spilled countless catches on crucial occasions to let Sri Lanka off the hook and threw the advantage away. Ground fielding was sloppy and run out chances were never grabbed to enforce pressure on the much vaunted Sri Lanka batting.
Rating : 5

Captaincy : A refreshing change on the field with more positive attitudes, good use of bowlers and field settings, but the captain failed to lead from the front. On the field, the body languages of the players weren't great, shoulders dropped halfway through the game and the undying spirit was absent. He was as good as a non-performing captain and was very prolific in giving out excuses after each and every defeat. His early days, but I seriously want him talk more with the bat than mouth.
Rating : 6



Individual rating

Tamim Iqbal : Except 3rd ODI, Tamim failed to live up to the expectation partly due to unwise change of batting style. He did his best in the 3rd ODI to bag a consolation win in the dead rubber but was denied by the routine display from others.
Rating : 6

Shahriar Nafees : Looked good in the first ODI until he played a nothing shot to complete the top order collapse. Struggled in the 2nd ODI and was left out for the 3rd. He was the last minute addition due to captain's choice but completely failed to honor the faith.
Rating : 5

Javed Omar : Played only in the 3rd ODI and successfully managed a nice 4th ball duck only to slap his captain’s face who preferred him over Nafees.
Rating : 0

Musfiqur Rahim : He managed two ducks out of 3 innings and only scored 28 runs which were well below the expectations from everyone. His keeping was OK with occasional fumble, managed to keep his voice loud throughout the series to direct fielders the right end to throw in.
Rating : 6

Shakib Al Hasan : Worst performer of the series with both bat and ball. He looked like a fish out of water, and managed only 15 runs in 3 innings and 1 wicket conceding 93 runs.
Rating : 1

Aftab Ahmed : 66 runs at an average of 22.00 with a strike rate of 53.66, not a typical Aftab Ahmed statistics. His overcautious attitude killed his natural game and he should stop putting unnecessary pressure on him. Batting at number 6 didn't help him at all.
Rating : 5

Mohammad Ashraful : After getting a 3-0 debut thrash as a Test captain, Mohammad Ashraful failed to lead the team from the front in the ODI series. His 53 runs in 3 innings was never enough to inspire the struggling top order or provide some breathing space. Captaincy failed to add positives to his ODI batting and he managed to find innovative ways to get out leaving the team in disarray.
Rating : 5

Farhad Reza : His bowling looked better than his batting but none of them were effective enough to occupy a place in any international side. Ability to play big shots mean nothing when a batsmen can manage only 37 runs playing all 3 matches of the series.
Rating : 3

Abdur Razzak : Razzak continued picking wickets at crucial time but went over 5 runs an over which is way higher than his career economy of 3.98. First ODI 28 shows his capability as a batsman but he never tries to use his batting potential. Not a thinking cricketer.
Rating : 7

Tushar Imran : He hasn’t done any harm to his reputation as “international chocker” in the ODI series. 4 runs in two innings with a strike rate of 11.76 can never be the stat of a number 3 batsman, not even in the ACC Women’s tournament where runs were hard to come by.
Rating : 0

Mahmudullah Riyad : 36 runs and 2 wickets for 28 runs from 5 overs, not a spectacular debut, but effective enough to occupy the all-rounder slot of the ODI team. He tried to keep everything simple and that’s the way to have a long international career.
Rating : 7

Syed Rasel : The unsung hero of Bangladesh bowling attack finished at the top taking 5 wickets with an impressive 3.57 economy rate. All the big guns of Sri Lanka cricket had no answer to his impeccable line and length, and his bunny was none other than Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene who struggled before bowing out to the pavilion twice. One of the best new ball bowlers of modern ODI cricket.
Rating : 8

Mashrafe Mortaza : The highest wicket taker of 2006 calendar year started the series well with an impressive 2 for 31 from 10 overs. He could not make the rest two ODIs due to sprained ankle and Bangladesh were no way near “1000 times better outfit” in the remaining two matches.
Rating : 7

Shahadat Hossain : Bowling with the heart isn’t helping Shahadat or Bangladesh to make regular breakthrough with the new ball. The lanky pace bowler must use his head to utilize his pace and aggression in a more effective way to seal a place in the ODI team.
Rating : 6