Now that is called throwing a match - Bangladeshi style

[fwullah]

5th ODI: Pakistan scoring over 300 runs.

Now that's called throwing a match - Bangladeshi style.

It will be a good job for the ICC Anti Corruption Unit to look at this match.

The wrong decisions were:

*** BIG Mistake by Coach Dave Whatmore, Captain Khaled Mahmud and the Vice Captain Habibul Bashar (and who-ever else is in the team management) to let Mushfiqur Rahman opening the bowling.

What happened for this reason is :-

1) Mushfique's slow medium pace along with Tapash Baisya's medium pace has made it easy for the two Pakistani openers - one of whom does not even deserve to play for a test playing country like Bangladesh (i.e., Mohammad Hafeez) finds it too easy to score 44 runs - whereas in his earlier matches he could not even get to a score of 30.

2) Mushfique and Tapash's slow and medium - medium pace has left Yasir Hameed to go to 82 and therefore easy runs to Pakistan for the loss of no wicket to 95 after 22 odd overs.

3) Mashrafee Murtoza, who is a good fast bowler (proof: he could take the wickets of Yousuf Youhanna and Younus Khan), but not a good one day bowler (proof: his economy rate in this match as well as over the last few matches) gives away 4 runs an over even when the 15 overs are gone.

I also have a complaint on behalf of Mortoza. He should have been given the ball to gain some invaluable experience on how to bowl after 40 or 45 overs - but he has mostly been protected in this one day series by captain Khaled Mahmud - who did not do pretty good with the ball at those stages either.

4) Because the openers were allowed to set in the first 10 overs - by Tapash and Mushfique's medium pace bowling, they plus later Yousuf Youhanna could take the advantage of it all and hammered Mohammad Rafique.

Here, I would like to bring up a thing that I have heard before on TV commentary.

Because Indian batsman - opening batsman were allowed to settle by Australian opening bowlers on their tour to India, so even the best leg spinner in the world Shane Warne could not bowl better to the Indians in a test series. Now Shane Warne is a great bowler - how come Mohammad Rafique - who is not such a great bowler - can bowl better - his usual form when Yousuf Youhanna can hit him over the top without any thought of trying to staying at the wicket - also when there is no Mushfiqur Rahman to give him good company just before Rafique is to bowl and thus keep the batsman under pressure.

5) Again - bowling Mushfiqur at the opening stages has left a big hole in the middle overs of the Pakistani innings - when there is nobody to fill up his role - especially since Khaled Mahmud's ability as a player (as a bowler) is going down (may be from the pressure of catancy).

6) Now - we had a really good match in our last match - what will everybody say when they just see the scorecards (that is they don't see the matches - live - on tv) - they will think that the last match was just because Pakistani batsman batted poorly so Bangladeshi bowlers were able to capitalize on that and so ....

In that case, Bangladesh will be termed as a very bad team.

And in that case, what kind of a team Bangladesh really is?

I agree that Bangladesh captancy was poor, bowling was poor, as well as the fielding was poor today, but the things that I have mentioned above, are also, I think, worth noticing.

If I were the BCB president now, I would have fired Dave Whatmore for showing Bangladesh's image like this. But I also know that the current BCB president Ali Asghar Loby doesn't have the guts to do this.

In the end, I would keep Dave Whatmore as the coach - because we want a win - very badly.

[muddaser]

could have been worse the two stumpings should have gone the batsmen way cause there was a little doubt.

[oracle]

Well. Slightly harsh on BD, here are my thoughts. But I agree with you on Mushfiq. Why are they charmed by him? -
1. Monju is being sidelined unnecessarilly.
2 . We need more pace in ODI games. Bring Talha?
3 .Talk of firing Dav at this stage will not serve BD well. Dav needs to stay put despite setbacks.

[Sami]

I understand the fraustation... I really do... But pls dont think abt firing Dav Whatmore...

Let us look at the whole thing... Teams have scored 300+ runs against us a lot of times... and we were like yeah thats normal... and we moved onto the next match...

why does it hurt so much now??? Because BD all of a sudden showed that they are better than what they were and 300+ being scored against them is actually painful... and all the credits should go to Dav... really... he turned us around like Gordon Greenidge did a long time back... BD has shown some glimpses of success amidst the last losses... So stay buckled up for a joyride that is to come... Inshallah!!!

I admit we played bad today... too much experimentation can be blamed... but really the worst bit is that Mahmud is still the captain... and he doesnt know the C of Captaincy...

Don't become hopeless... of all the things that we gained during this series the ''abilty to dare to hope'' is the greatest of'em all and I am proud

[Edited on 21-9-2003 by radicalsami]

[paco]

Whoa Fahmida !! Firing Dav Whatmore ? A little too radical, don't you think ? Remember this is the same team who couldn't score 150 against Canada ...

Whatmore has truly worked miracles for this team so far - we have gained respect of the cricketing world, and everyone screaming for removal of our test status has been finally silenced (at least for a while).

Besides, Whatmore has been at the helm for only 4 months. Even he can't transform a complete bunch of losers to world beaters in 4 months. He's a miracle worker, not God !!

Patience.

[Mahmood]

Have your goals realistic.

Dav is the best thing that ever happened to BD cricket. Give him some time (he still didnt any time with team to practice, always one tour after another upto the England tour), he will make BD players real tigers in one year.