Pak rattle Bangladesh, crowds battle boredom

If there’s something more threatened than the status of one-dayers in post-IPL times, it is the existence of smaller nations within those 50-over games.

If there’s something more threatened than the status of one-dayers in post-IPL times, it is the existence of smaller nations within those 50-over games. A perfect doubling of the T20 format in the rain-truncated tri-series opener between Pakistan and Bangladesh saw the hosts offer no resistance to a solid performance from the visitors. What that resulted in was a clear halving of spectators at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium midway through Bangladesh’s stuttering response to Pakistan’s 233, in a match they eventually lost by 70 runs.

Patience will be at a premium amongst audience now, accustomed to compact action of the T20 format. Mismatches — like the one on Sunday — will be clucked at even more, with those watching, arguing on the futility of such a competition. Quaint as it looks, there will be little appreciation for a drinks trolley dressed up as a Dhaka cycle-rickshaw.

Today, memories of Bangladesh’s 1999 win at the World Cup, their only one in all these years, seemed more distant than ever. The Tigers helped Salman Butt (70) to his fifth successive 50-plus score, and Md Yousuf (59 off 56) milked their bowling to erase recollections of his unemployed summer.

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Pakistan hardly missed Mohammad Asif, as left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz emerged from out of nowhere — he comes from Lahore, actually — to sneak in as first-change and grab three wickets, making the most of his stay in Dhaka over the last month with Pakistan’s Academy XI. Shahid Afridi found customary redemption after wasting his start with the bat, with bowling figures of 3/19 at an economical 2.37.

Mohammad Ashraful top-scored with 56 — but even he must be getting tired now of being captain and one-man batting-order in a game expected to be played by eleven. If he keeps it up, he might even get an IPL contract next year, but as of now, Bangladesh have an even bigger task at hand if they want to sustain interest in the ODI format.

Scoreboard

Pakistan: S Butt c Hasan b Kapali 70, K Akmal c Rahim b Mahmud 25, Y Khan run out 0, M Yousuf c Razzak b Kapali 59, S Afridi c Nafees b Kapali 20, S Malik b Razzak 9, Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Mortaza 39, F Alam c Iqbal b Mortaza 2, S Tanvir c Nafees b Razzak 2, U Gul not out 0, W Riaz lbw b Razzak 0

Extras (w-6, lb-1) 7, Total (all out, 39.3 overs) 233

FoW: 1-75, 2-75, 3-140, 4-170, 5-179, 6-227, 7-229, 8-232, 9-233

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Bowling: Mortaza 7-0-36-2, Hossain 6-0-46-0, Mahmud 4-0-27-1, Razzak 7.3-0-35-3, Mahmudullah 7-0-39-0, Kapali 8-0-49-3

Bangladesh: T Iqbal c Akmal b Afridi 29, S Nafees c Akmal b Riaz 9, M Ashraful not out 56, S Hasan c Khan b Riaz 8, A Kapali b Afridi 0, M Rahim c Tanvir b Afridi 15, Mahmudullah b Gul 7, M Mortaza c Akmal b Gul 0, D Mahmud b Riaz 0, A Razzak not out 26

Extras (w-12, nb-1) 13; Total (8 wkts, 40 overs) 163

FoW: 1-35, 2-49, 3-62, 4-67, 5-98, 6-118, 7-118, 8-121

Bowling: U Gul 7-1-28-2, S Tanvir 8-0-41-0, W Riaz 7-2-22-3, S Afridi 8-1-19-3, F Alam 6-0-34-0, S Butt 3-0-19-0, Y Khan 1-1-0-0

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