Wily Jadhav cuts Bangladesh to size Tamim knock lifts Bangladesh
GOLDEN ARM Parttimer picks important wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur before India bowlers take control TAMIM IQBAL GOT A LUCKY ON 17. TRYING TO PULL A SHORT OF LENGTH DELIVERY FROM HARDIK PANDYA, TAMIM DRAGGED THE BALL ONTO HIS STUMPS.
good for a score close to 300.
Kohli’s decision to introduce Jadhav proved to be a masterstroke. The pressure of dot balls forced the two set batsmen into making errors as both Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were out to loose strokes.
Tamim and Mushfiqur produced a glorious 123-run third wicket stand after Bangladesh were down to 31 for two in the seventh over. Tamim scored his 38th ODI fifty and Mushfiqur got his 26th but Bangladesh needed more than that from two of their best batsmen.
Bangladesh, playing their first semifinal of an ICC tournament at this level, tried to take the game by the scruff of its neck but the ploy did not work.
India retained the XI that smashed South Africa by eight wickets at The Oval on Sunday. Jasprit Bumrah shared the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the latter got the early wickets of Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman.
Bhuvneshwar was rewarded for bowling a good off-stump line as both the Bangladesh batsmen tried to force the pace in the first powerplay.
Rahman, particularly, was off to a brisk start with a lovely cover drive off Bumrah. Three more boundaries flowed from his bat but an uppish square cut straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point ended an innings that could have hurt India.
If R Ashwin was ineffective on a flat batting wicket, Jadhav and Jadeja cleverly used the fuller length ball to good effect.
Shakib al Hasan was a big disappointment, scoring just 15 on a big day. He, too, misjudged turn and length and perished edging to MS Dhoni, whose glovework was once again impeccable.
Bumrah returned for his final spell and his IPL experience came to the fore. Two wickets in the space of 10 balls polished off the Bangladesh lower order.
In the final overs, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza (30 off 25 balls) chanced his arm and struck a few lusty blows (five 4s) much to the delight of the Bangladesh fans. The onus will now be on their bowlers to keep their fairytale journey alive.
Tamim Iqbal overturned a scrappy start, brought his big-match experience into play to power Bangladesh’s batting in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal vs India at the Edgbaston cricket ground here on Thursday.
Tamim Iqbal, the 28-year-old opener, stroked the ball sweetly en route to his 38th ODI fifty off 62 balls and then accelerated to a score an 82-ball 70 to add muscle to Bangladesh’s middle-over momentum.
The former Bangladesh captain has been in great touch in the ICC Champions Trophy. After the Bangladesh innings, Tamim led the tournament aggregate with 293 runs, ahead of Shikhar Dhawan’s 271.
On the opening day of the Champions Trophy on June 1, Tamim started with a solid 128 against England in Bangladesh’s first group A game at The Oval. Four days later at the same venue, he scored a 95 against Australia. The match was abandoned due to rain.
Tamim scored a duck against New Zealand in Cardiff but that seemed to be more of an exception than a rule as the left-handed star took into good form into the historic game against a fancied India side.
Tamim Iqbal got a lucky reprieve when he was on 17. Trying to pull a short of length delivery from Hardik Pandya, Tamim dragged the ball onto his stumps but to his good fortune, the Indian pacer had overstepped. He found the gaps with aplomb and on a pitch that did not offer much turn, he adjusted well to score both in front of the wickets and off his legs. Tamim took 13 runs off a Ravichandran Ashwin over 12 of which came off back-to-back boundaries.
It was his ability to find the gaps in the field and keep the ball on the ground that underlined his skills on a high pressure day.
Tamim and Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim produced 123 runs for the third wicket as Bangladesh were reduced to 31 for 2 after Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman were out to reckless shots. But Tamim undid his good work with a rash stroke in the 28th over.
He was bowled trying to play a pre-determined sweep. Tamim was never on top of the delivery that Kedar Jadhav pitched well up because Tamim dug his left foot in deep.
Tamim’s wicket – Bangladesh 154 for three – brought India back in the game. That could well be the turning point in this match.