Bangladesh chastened after scare

The hosts are into the Super 10s, but it was with a whimper as they suffered embarrassment at the hands of Hong Kong after an awful display with the bat

In 1981 when Norway shocked England in a football World Cup qualifier, so excited was the late Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien that he beckoned four British prime ministers, an admiral, a press baron, a boxer and a member of the Royal family in a famous outburst.

Hong Kong does not have a famous cricket commentator, nor cricketers. But they have handed Bangladesh an objective lesson in how not to be overconfident after crushing two Associate nations.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, like he has done a few times in the past, took a bit of the blame when clearly he was not the only one who played a shocking shot or showed a shocking attitude. Tamim Iqbal did not necessarily have to chop a ball homing in on off stump, neither was Shakib Al Hasan was required to slog one right into deep midwicket's throat when Bangladesh were batting well on 85 for 3.

Anamul Haque had struck three boundaries in a row but got out trying to play another attacking shot off the next ball. But Mushfiqur did not mention him, nor held Tamim or Shakib responsible.

"I don't think they were too attacking," Mushfiqur said. "Tamim missed the line of the ball while trying to play a defensive shot. Shakib was the only set batsman in that wicket and he had the responsibility to not just keep the batting in shape but put up a competitive score.

"So in that sense, he was playing well and nobody was supporting him that well. He played a good shot but it went to the fielder. I could have waited to play my shot for two or three overs. But I never expected the collapse that came after me. I was telling them in the dugout that we need a partnership in the late order. It is really disappointing because there is a way to get out. I think they are trying, but they should do it a little more willingly."

The full impact of the collapse was 7 for 23 in 5.5 overs. Bangladesh crashed from 85 for 3 in the eleventh over to be bowled out for 108 in the 17th. Mushfiqur laid the blame for the defeat on the collapse, but said Nasir Hossain was unlucky to have Al-Amin Hossain as a partner in the last five overs and suggested Farhad Reza will be dropped in the next game.

"Nasir hasn't been performing up to his potential but he didn't have a batsman at the other end to support him at that stage. He could have batted naturally in the last three or four overs. He was having problem timing the ball so he was unlucky. The full blame is on the top and middle-order.

"The team management thought that it would be better to pick the extra seamer in an evening game. Unfortunately he didn't perform tonight and in the last few matches. Hopefully we will have a different combination in Dhaka where there will be different conditions."

Mushfiqur still had hopes of a turnaround in the Super 10s, to which they qualified quietly in the 14th over of the Hong Kong's innings.

"This is a very bad feeling, whether we make it to the Super 10 or not," he said. "I could never expect such a poor batting performance from our team. But having said that, anything can happen in T20s, so I would say that we have a chance against all four big teams. If we play to our potential, we can win any day."

That day however wasn't Thursday. With Lillelien's spirit hovering somewhere over the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury media centre, moments after little-known Haseeb Amjad took a six off accomplished left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak to win Hong Kong the game, who could almost hear a version of the famous line 33 years ago.

"We are the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have beaten Bangladesh by two wickets in cricket!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten Bangladesh! Bangladesh, birthplace of minnows. Akram Khan, Aminul Islam, Minhajul Abedin, Naimur Rahman, Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful, Salma Khatun - we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all."

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Great to knock off a Test nation - Atkinson

Jamie Atkinson, Hong Kong's captain, said that his side's victory over hosts Bangladesh in front of a packed house at the World T20 was a significant moment for Associate cricket as well as a dream come true for his own team.

Hong Kong had lost both their previous games and, going into the match, Atkinson said it would be one of the greatest upsets at a global tournament if they were to win. The pressure of playing in front of big crowds and a worldwide TV audience had inhibited their performances against Nepal and Afghanistan but, in the biggest game of their careers, they held their nerve for a two-wicket win that was celebrated on the Hong Kong bench to almost total silence in the stadium.

While Hong Kong remained bottom of the group despite victory and Bangladesh held on to top spot and a berth in the Super 10 stage, much else had changed. The last side to qualify for the tournament, apparently the weakest after two poor displays, had scalped a Test-playing nation and joined the likes of Kenya, Ireland, Netherlands and Bangladesh themselves in the category of giant-killers.

"We're just absolutely over the moon, to beat Bangladesh in their home ground in front of a very big crowd is just fantastic, it's the sort of stuff the Associate teams dream of and I'm just really proud of how all of our players performed today and got us through in the end," Atkinson said.

Hong Kong could have eliminated Bangladesh at the expense of Nepal by winning inside 13.1 overs but Atkinson said they "didn't have any thought" about trying to do so. "We just wanted to concentrate on our own game, we wanted to pick up a win for Hong Kong because we always knew it was going to be tough against a strong Bangladeshi side, particularly playing at home as well, so we wanted to concentrate on getting the runs.

"I think it's another significant victory for Associate cricket, it shows that the gap is beginning to close and it shows how far Associate cricket has come as well. It's a big win and it's always great when some of the lower-ranked sides can knock off a Test nation."

While Bangladesh were guilty of reckless batting, the noise that greeted their early run-scoring came in crashing waves. Tanwir Afzal had taken two wickets in the opening over before Anamul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan appeared to have righted the innings during a 48-run stand but a full-scale implosion was to come, Bangladesh dismissed for 108 with 21 deliveries unused. Given how Hong Kong had wobbled previously, particularly in the field, their response to a situation of much greater intensity was impressive.

"We told them throughout the game that there was likely to be quite a bit of noise when Bangladesh were scoring boundaries and just to concentrate on our own game and enjoy the atmosphere because there's not many times that we'll have the opportunity to play in front of such a big crowd," Atkinson said.

"They were very attacking and our bowlers responded really well. It would have been easy to fade under the pressure of the Bangladeshi batsmen but the bowlers performed very well, managed to pick up a few dots balls here and there and that's what put pressure on the batsmen. They went for quite a few big shots and that brought about their downfall. It was fantastic how we clawed it back."

In the circumstances, a straightforward march to victory was never likely to materialise and Atkinson admitted the usual superstitions had taken hold on the Hong Kong bench as they edged closer to victory.

"We definitely made it difficult for ourselves, we got off to a decent start being 30-odd for one and then lost a couple of wickets so at 50 for 5 it was looking a bit more in the balance. But the lower order got us through, Munir Dar played a fantastic hand and then the two bowlers Nadeem and Haseeb played very sensibly at the end and got us through. It was very nervous for us in the dugout, people staying in the same seats, that sort of thing."

Munir was Hong Kong's leading wicket-taker at the World T20 Qualifier last year but he has since been banned from bowling due to his action. He was retained in the squad because of his ability with the bat and could still offer advice to fellow left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed, who credited one of his four wickets to his 40-year-old team-mate.

"He gave me advice on the last wicket I got," Nadeem said. "I was having a mid-on up and he said keep mid-on back and bring midwicket up and that's where I got another wicket... That wicket is for him."

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Finn makes Middlesex return

Steven Finn had his first bowl in a match situation since the end of November as he began to plot his way back towards the international scene after becoming, what Ashley Giles termed, "not selectable" during the Ashes tour.

He took 1 for 25 from 11 overs against Surrey in a two-day friendly at Merchant Taylors' School, significantly without sending down a single no-ball or wide during his spells. His wicket came after lunch when he had Zafar Ansari caught behind for a duck.

Finn flew home before the end of the Ashes tour after it was decided that it was not in his best interests to remain around the England squad with no chance of being selected for the one-day or Twenty20 series.

The decision made between Finn, the ECB and Middlesex, whose director of cricket Angus Fraser is now an England selector, was that he needed a complete break from the game and he was not considered for the World T20.

The last time he bowled in a match was against a Chairman's XI in Alice Springs when he took none for 61. He had lost his Test place last year after the opening match against Australia, at Trent Bridge, although was part of the one-day side at the end of the season.

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Shillingford to return after action work

Shane Shillingford, the West Indies offspinner, will return to first-class cricket on Friday after undergoing remedial work on his action following his suspension from international cricket in December.

Shillingford was reported for a suspect action during the second Test against India, in Mumbai, during November and following analysis in Perth both his regular offspin delivery and his doosra were found to breach the 15-degree limit laid down by the ICC. It was the second time he had been suspended due to an illegal action.

The findings came out during the Test series against New Zealand and Shillingford then returned to the Caribbean. Since then he has been working in Barbados alongside Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies pace bowler, to find a solution to his problems and is now confident of the outcome ahead of playing for Windward Islands.

He has had follow-up Tests at the University of Western Australia, which took place on March 4, and the results of those are awaited before Shillingford can be cleared for a return to international level.

"Obviously, I am extremely happy that I will be playing this weekend," Shillingford said. "I have put in a lot of hard work over the past few months.

"It was a bit tough at first, but once the coaches told me what I had to do, I went straight to work. I just had to be really patient and I worked really hard."

"I am happy for the advice that I have received from the coaches, especially Vasbert, and I must also thank everyone for the support they have given me during this period."

Richard Pybus, West Indies' director of cricket, said: "It's great to have Shane playing first-class cricket again and I'm sure Windwards are delighted to have him back We look forward to getting the results of his re-test in Perth, so that he can re-start his international career."

West Indies' next Test cricket will come around May or June when New Zealand are due to visit the Caribbean.

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Khurram hopes for UAE investment

Two tame defeats to Netherlands and Ireland revealed the gap that exists between the amateurs of UAE and the leading lights of the Associate world. They are yet to play Test nation Zimbabwe, but UAE's World T20 campaign has already come to an end.

They fell short both on fitness and skill levels, more the former. While they will have picked up plenty of insights by participating in a world tournament, as their captain Khurram Khan agreed, he was also forthright in admitting that unless more professionalism was introduced by administrators back home, it will be difficult for UAE to bridge the distance between themselves and top Associates. While UAE do have the services of a respected former Test cricketer in Aqib Javed as their coach, the squad is composed entirely of part-time cricketers.

"The cricket board and the authorities in the UAE have to look into this matter," Khurram said. "Obviously if you are not professional...even if at least five, six, seven, eight guys, if you make them professional, let them get fit, I think it is going to make a difference. It is a good idea, the suggestion is already there and hopefully they are working on it."

Professional or not, UAE had earned their right to share this platform, and Khurram had said earlier that playing in this World T20 this was the biggest moment for them. He was confident that the exposure would assist his side's development considerably. Their next challenge at this level will come in less than a year at the World Cup.

"Definitely it is going to help a lot. The teams that we are playing at the world stage, we have not been exposed to such a stage. So obviously we are going to learn a lot from here and that is what we are doing. We already tried working hard since we came from New Zealand (where they played the World Cup qualifier). There wasn't enough time to prepare for this tournament but hopefully we will go back and start working hard for the next one."

While Khurram had blamed poor fielding and bowling for the defeat to Netherlands, he said UAE had just not been able to put enough runs on the board to push Ireland. "On this wicket the score was below par to be honest. If you look at the previous games 140-150 has been regularly achieved here. So 25-30 runs short on this wicket because of the finishing overs. I think we did not score much in the last few overs. In the last two-three games, every time that has been happening."

Not that the UAE batsmen fell short for lack of trying. They kept going for the big shots but were pulled down by eight overs worth of dot balls. Khurram admitted they had tried too hard, and in the end, could come up with neither enough boundaries nor rotate strike regularly.

"Let us not take any credit from them. They bowled very well, in very good areas. We were looking to get boundaries. The batsmen who were batting at that stage did not try to get singles. That does not mean you cannot get a boundary also. So a mix of both. We tried to get boundaries and did not concentrate on singles at that stage.

"There were a couple of times when we sent a guy in with the message that if you are not getting boundaries at least keep getting the runs , rotate the strike, and in between you will get the boundary. I think that was the difference in the end. We could not get enough boundaries in the last four or five overs to put pressure on the opponents."

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Sibanda shreds Zimbabwe nerves

Zimbabwe thought they'd sealed the deal, albeit fortuitously, when Sean Williams' inside edge skooted past Wesley Baressi for four. The scores were tied and there were three deliveries remaining. Surely it could not go wrong from there?

Williams missed the next ball but the scores were still tired and there were two deliveries remaining. Surely it could not go wrong from there?

Then Williams ran himself out trying to scramble a single to ensure it did not go wrong. The scores were tied and there was only one delivery remaining. It could easily go wrong from there.

Vusi Sibanda was under intense scrutiny. He was batting well outside of his regular opening berth, having being pushed all the way down to No. 6 because of the strategy on the day. He also didn't inspire much confidence. He only averages 15.28 in the format, an indictment for a batsman of his quality. Two of his last five T20 scores were in single fingers and when he did get going, he failed to push on. In the last match, he succumbed to the pull shot - the stroke that he tends to go back to when he feels cornered and that is often responsible for his undoing.

Against that backdrop, he had to face more pressure than has befallen him. It was not the pressure of building an innings but the pressure of ending one. At least someone one backed him to stand up to it.

"Vusi has been playing international cricket for 10 years; he is a very talented player," Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe captain, said. "Obviously it was not a familiar position that he is used to and something new to him. But we always had faith in him and when the field's up, it does make it a little bit easier."

All Netherlands fielders were saving the single so Sibanda's only choice was to go over them. He sent Ahsan Malik's last ball further into the stands than anyone else had managed to in the match to remove Zimbabwean worries and keep them alive in the competition.

Sibanda gave fighting spirit a new image, one Taylor feels it could have done without, given what it did to his nerves. "We needed that win but we made it very difficult for ourselves," he said. "We shouldn't have finished in the last over."

Taylor felt the same about Zimbabwe's first match against Ireland. That was decided on the last ball as well and then, Taylor blamed his batsmen for not posting a sizeable enough score to defend. Then, a total of 180 on this pitch looked par, this time Taylor thought it had much less in it and felt responsibility lay with his fielders for not restricting Netherlands even further. "We leaked 15 or 20 runs and we should have restricted them to 120," he said. "We were really sloppy and we made it a lot more difficult than it should have been."

Although Zimbabwe did not drop any catches, they were lazy in protecting the boundary and on three occasions, lost the ball as it approached the rope. They were also beaten too often in the infield and sometimes, more times than Taylor was happy with, failed to pick up the ball cleanly when chasing. Taylor identified that as one of the areas they need to improve on before their last qualifier on Friday.

Despite letting Netherlands get away a bit, Zimbabwe never felt the chase was out of their grasp, even when the run-rate ballooned over nine. "We felt we needed wickets in hand," Taylor said. "Chasing 140 with a quick outfield on a pretty decent wicket to bat on, if you have got wickets in hand, you can always chase 10, 12 or even13 runs an over at the end." And if you are Sibanda you can even get six off the final ball.

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Ireland show who are 'top of the tree'

There has been this sense of quiet inevitability to Ireland's World T20 campaign so far. From the start, they have maintained that they are here to win three games and get into the Super 10.

Of course, that should ideally be any side's goal coming into the tournament, but Ireland have achieved two-thirds of it so convincingly they can now go back to doing what they often do. Making statements. This time, it was a rarer one - for their fellow Associates. Ed Joyce, Man of the Match in the emphatic victory over UAE, said Ireland wanted to let them know who was "top of the tree." Which is partly why Ireland wanted to win big over UAE, which they did.

"We have obviously got four points and there is the chance that we could lose the last game. Netherlands could have four points, Zimbabwe could have four points," Joyce said. "It was important to win well but also make a statement against our fellow Associates that we are still top of the tree there. So it was good to get a relatively easy win.

"We have played well against the others for a really long time now. We are aware that the teams around us are improving all the time. We have played a lot of close games against teams like UAE and Afghanistan and Scotland in the last few years. We have come out on top most of the times. We definitely can't take anyone for granted."

In the event they do go down to Netherlands in their final group game, net run-rate will come into the frame, which was the reason why Ireland went harder as they closed in on UAE's total. "It could come to run-rate. Once we were about 80-odd, we talked about it, made a conscious effort to increase the run-rate. Kevin [O'Brien] came in, he usually wouldn't do so. It didn't work out but we knew we were close enough, the game was won anyway."

Ireland had already seized control when they restricted UAE to 123 for 6. Paul Stirling's offspin brought two early wickets after which the seamers, led by O'Brien, tied UAE down throughout the innings on what Joyce felt was a good batting surface.

"We pride ourselves on the way we bowled and the wicket was probably more an Irish and UK wicket than we are used to here which is why we picked [seamer] Tim Murtagh ahead of [spinner] Andy McBrine. It was a good choice by the captain and the coach, so credit goes to them.

"But huge credit goes to the bowling attack. It is a very good wicket and to restrict them to 120-odd, Man of the Match should have gone to one of the bowlers, really. They did a fantastic job, we fielded reasonably. We've still got a way to go with our fielding but we bowled very well, with great discipline."

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Bravo wants batting promotion

Dwayne Bravo wants to bat higher in West Indies' order as they aim to defend their World T20 title with Sunday's opener against India looming. Bravo, who hit 43 off 31 balls in the warm-up win over Sri Lanka, believes that a move up will allow him his desired role as the fulcrum of the West Indies' middle-order.

"In this format of the game, I always fancy myself batting higher and as early as possible to give myself that extra time to get set and take the game right down to the end [of the innings]," he said. "Obviously, we have a lot of power-hitters in our line-up but my role is to hold the middle and help us lay a good foundation."

Bravo pointed to Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell as the batsmen he would be able to take on the responsibility of big-hitting as he felt his best role was as a "stabiliser" in the team. He praised the openers, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith, for relieving the pressure off the middle-order and thinks they will be a key duo, particularly by allowing him to bat freely in the crease.

However, Bravo added that all the batsmen were high on confidence after series win at home against England, followed by warm-up wins against England and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh, and thinks that his team have already adjusted to the World T20 conditions.

"It's good to win these practice games and we're looking forward to Sunday [against India]. We left the Caribbean after winning the series against England with good momentum and after these warm-ups, we feel confident and reassured as these are the conditions we'll be playing the big games in. We expect the conditions to be good for batting. It's a bit on the slower side so try not to be predictable as a bowler.

Bravo also said that while focus would be placed on their spin bowlers, one player who would be a huge asset would be left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie for his variations, swing and slower-balls. Bravo believed that Santokie, coupled with Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine, was one of their most formidable T20 bowling attacks to date.

West Indies, though, are aware of the dangers of becoming complacent but added that their experience in T20 cricket would counter this, especially as the core of the 2012 title-winning squad was still intact.

"Compared to the last World Cup, this one is harder as it is fewer games and we are in a tough group," he said. "We still have most of our players [from 2012] and we're not going to get ahead of ourselves. But we're playing good cricket and once we continue to show this form, we'll fancy our chances to defend the title. It might be the last World Cup for some of us in this format of the game."

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England batting continues to stumble

West Indies 132 for 3 (Gayle 58*) beat England 131 for 7 (Morgan 43*) by seven wickets
Scorecard

England captain Eoin Morgan was forced to address more questions of England's batting after a miserable performance saw them swept aside by seven-wickets by West Indies in their opening World T20 warm-up.

Despite a new "solar red" kit, England, as they did in the Caribbean, lost wickets in the Powerplay and brought their middle order to the wicket sooner than they would have liked. England's top three were dismissed by the end of the sixth over and made only 45 runs between them.

"It did hurt us a bit," Morgan said. "It was tough to get going. Their spinners are high class, they take wickets early and we've struggled with that. We never really got any substantial partnerships going which was disappointing given the progress we made at the back end of the West Indies trip."

England ended their tour of the Caribbean with a victory in the final T20 but a change of scenery saw them relapse despite conditions that Morgan described as similar to the West Indies.

"The only difference is the bounce," he said. "There is similar turn and similar pace here but it doesn't go through. We know about the lower bounce out here and that's something we have to adjust to quickly. Hopefully we can do that sooner rather than later."

England set just 132 in Fatullah, a target West Indies golluped down in only 16.1 overs, and managed to hit only one six, a shortcoming Morgan was not too concerned over.

"I don't think that's the real problem," he said. "You can never just concentrate on hitting sixes, getting the fours is more important. Around 82% of games are won by the side who hit the most fours. We never put ourselves in a position to take their bowling on. They bowled well but we didn't play well enough to take them on."

England head to Mirpur for their final warm-up against India before the competition proper begins for them on Saturday against New Zealand in Chittagong. Morgan was hopeful that Stuart Broad would "pull up well" but won't have Luke Wright available, who has a side strain. Ian Bell, called up despite having not played a T20 for England since January 2011, won't be considered.

"We have a range of options which is a good thing," Morgan said. "Moeen's at three at the moment and he offers us some off spin too. Wrighty has done it too and been pretty solid. We are quite versatile and flexible and that can be dangerous when we fire. It's a strength of ours.

"We've always been quite adamant about playing warm-ups as competitive games and trying to get confidence by winning those games. Since 2010-11 Ashes we've always made these games as competitive as we can because we feel we get more out of it that way.

"The last game at Mirpur early on it didn't bounce and later on it carried through. It's about adjusting accordingly. I've scored some runs there in the past but it can vary on the surface and what time of day you bat."

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No going back over KP - Clarke

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has said there is no going back to Kevin Pietersen, putting a line through any speculation of a potential England recall.

Clarke said the decision to sack Pietersen was a "brave one" as England look to rebuild following the disastrous Ashes tour and Andy Flower stepping down as team director. His message to England supporters clamouring for Pietersen's return was to "move on".

"Who plays for England is a matter for the national selectors and their decision was a brave one," Clarke told the Evening Standard. "You select your captain, you discuss what that captain requires, what he's looking for. He has to decide what that team is about and what needs doing. This is about the culture of the team."

Pietersen was sacked in February for breaking team ethics and the only possible path back into the national side would be via a new head coach who insisted on Pietersen's selection. Clarke appeared to have ruled out such a scenario.

"English supporters must move on. There isn't going to be any going back, that's for sure. The Ashes tour was a watershed.

"Your No. 3 batsman leaves the tour after the first Test. That's pretty cataclysmic, frankly. Then your world-class offspinner retires. You cannot stop men retiring even during a series. Then you lose the series. You've got to build a team. You're going to need to make changes."

Creating a new team ethic is at the heart of England's rebuilding, under new managing director Paul Downton, and Clarke is hoping English cricket can learn from rugby, where head coach Stuart Lancaster has led a revival.

"Lancaster has done a fantastic job," Clarke said. "In a very short space of time, he has sorted out English rugby. He's talked the language of teams that Paul Downton and I like very much.

"Paul said to me, 'If you look at the most successful sporting team over the last 100 years, of course, it is the All Blacks'. One of the fundamentals they live by is the team. You just don't get to play if you don't believe in it. In the end the team must matter."

Pietersen may have been judged to not believe in Team England anymore but the Delhi Daredevils feel he is the right man for them, appointing him as captain for the new IPL season. Delhi are coached by Gary Kirsten - seen by many as the outstanding candidate to become England's new head coach; Kirsten has ruled himself out of the running.

England will appoint a new head coach in May ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka but for the immediate future they enter their second World T20 running without the player who led them to their maiden global title in 2010, when Pietersen was Man of the Series in the Caribbean. Their preparations took a further blow with a crushing defeat to West Indies in their opening warm-up match in Fatullah.

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