How will Bangladesh start against Sri Lanka in their first match in T20 World Cup? Can Bangladesh win? Will you be able to blow away all the criticism and start a new sunrise? With so many questions in mind, those who started watching the game in front of the television set in Bangladesh or abroad in the early morning, felt relief like a light rain at the end of the match after waiting with bated breath! Mahmudullah-Rishadra gave a very promising day by taking the thrilling match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas and standing on the winning track.
Those who have seen the game on TV are in a state of exhilaration. And what was the condition of the expatriates who came from far away to watch the game in the gallery of the field of Dallas, it is not necessary to say. Wearing the red and green jersey and supporting your country throughout the match is a different feeling – like undying love.
Such a day will be memorable on the field of USA. Where Bangladesh started the World Cup with a win. The day was witnessed by thousands of expatriate supporters. The scenes of them bursting with joy in front of the television set or agonizing over themselves in times of trouble were no less moving. And all this is for the beloved Bangladesh team.
But before this match, it seemed that Shakib-Shantara were standing on the edge of the abyss. How many criticisms were touching them. There is no reason not to go. The recent performance has been quite negative. Not only the team, but also the top order batsmen including the captain. Only they can say how much ‘tons of pressure’ there was on that team before the start of the World Cup. And today, that heavy burden has been removed with great difficulty and everyone has become dependent!
In the beginning, it seemed that Sri Lanka might be able to get past Vaitarani easily after tying them to 124 runs. Where Rishad-Mustafiz did their job with great bowling. But JK was not completely freed from the ‘touch of failure’ in the top order. It was seen again and again in the opening match. Tanjid, Soumya and Shantara spread a blanket of fear by giving away wickets. Soumya has made a place in the record book of zero. It’s hard to tell when to take care of yourself. Luckily everyone else didn’t join the queue.
Liton Das has hinted at a return to form at the right time after a long absence. Tawheed Hriday has built a big foundation by smashing Wanindu Hasaranga across the boundary three times in a row to top the list of highest run scorers. After that, if Shakib Al Hasan-Taskin can’t do anything, there will be fears again. However, the experienced Mahmudullah kept one end and conquered the fear and made everyone happy. Thousands of supporters in the galleries and television sets of Dallas breathed a sigh of relief when Rishad was put on the other end and reached the victory raft.
Even coach Chandika Hathurusinghe hugged Mahmudullah on the field after the heart-wrenching victory. However, once he was thrown into the book of rejection, but there were people who chased him away!
After many days of relief, everyone now has great logistics to move forward. At least the Bangladeshi batsmen have started to return to form little by little. The bowlers are taking wickets with the ball. Almost all of them came together as a team to win the opening match. At least it will be accessible on the way forward.
However, despite the relief in the first match, there is a match against a team like South Africa ahead. In that match at the New York ground, at least this time, others in the top order like Lytton-Hriday should shine, so that the opportunity to play a big innings is not missed. And Mustafiz-Rishadra have started to fulfill the responsibility of the bowlers properly. After many days, the magic of the whirlwind of leg spin was seen in the Bangladesh team. So Rishad is the man of the match. Maybe his spin magic will continue against South Africa! By doing that, the fate of Super Eight will be opened. Everyone is hoping for this.
#Bangladeshs #victory #needed