ICC World Twenty20, 2012
Bulletins
Shakib heroics in vain
Bangladesh bowed out of the World T20 Championship as they lost their final game to Pakistan by eight wickets. Bangladesh needed a 36 run win to move ahead to the Super Eights at the expense of Pakistan when they set a daunting target of 176 on the back of a 54-ball 84 by allrounder Shakib Al Hasan. This was Shakib's second T20I fifty and his highest score.
Pakistan was able to easily chase down the target on the back of a 124 run first wicket partnership between Imran Nazir (72) and Mohammad Hafeez (45). Pakistan went ahead to win the match with eight balls to spare.
'If I contribute and the team wins only then I am happy': Nasir Hossain
KANDY – Bangladesh batsman Nasir Hossain reflects on the opening match defeat against New Zealand and looks ahead to the crucial game against Pakistan:
Saturday, 22 September 2012 Rabeed Imam
Whether pressure played a part in the loss There is always pressure when you are playing international cricket. However, I think it was more down to loss of concentration after the first 5/6 overs in the New Zealand innings when we had them under control. Somehow we could not keep the intensity going and they came back strongly. Also, our main strength is spin bowling but there was hardly anything for the spinners on that wicket and that was another crucial factor.
The batting I will not point my finger at the batsmen. You are chasing nearly 200 and we had to go hard at it from the beginning. Sometimes you get off to a flying start and then the chase becomes easier comparatively. Unfortunately we lost two of our main batters inside the first three overs and from there on it was a struggle. If we had managed to contain them for 150/160 then it could have been a whole new ball game because it was a very good pitch for batting.
Brendan McCullum’s innings We did not want to give him much room when he was batting but obviously we couldn’t execute the plan. When someone plays an innings like that there is little you can do. He found the gaps every time and not a shot went to the fielders. That was an exceptional knock and doesn’t happen always. He definitely made the difference.
His half century When I got there it felt good for a short while but then the feeling went away and at the end of the match I was bitterly disappointed. If I contribute and the team wins only then I get pleasure out of my performance. Even if I get a duck and the team still wins then I am happy rather than when I perform in a losing cause.
Whether playing against smaller teams in the lead up to the tournament affected the performance Look, the Board tried its best to arrange Twenty20 games for us and those were the only teams available. Of course you don’t improve much if you don’t play top teams but that was not in our control. We saw this more as an opportunity to get acclimatised to the demands and requirements of the shortest version.
The Pakistan-New Zealand match We have not talked about it. It will become a straight equation if New Zealand win but we are thinking of September 25. We have to beat Pakistan to have any hope of staying in the tournament. We had a poor match yesterday and we dropped our standards. Everyone is keen to give a good account of themselves against Pakistan.
Team spirit Very good indeed. We are all professionals and we have been in these situations before. Until we put that solid team performance together we cannot be satisfied. Hopefully Allah willing, we will be much better in all departments against Pakistan.
Brendon McCullum Maul's Bangladesh
New Zealand 191/3 (20/20 ov) Bangladesh 132/8 (20.0/20 ov) New Zealand won by 59 runs
Details to follow
‘We are a work in progress, we are a good team’: Pybus
KANDY – Bangladesh Coach Richard Pybus speaks about his expectations at the ICC WT20.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012 Rabeed Imam, BCB Media Manager
Realistic target We have to play well to win the game. On the day it could be anybody’s game, but I’m pretty happy where we are at. Bottom line is our focus is on the first game. I thought we were pretty poor against Ireland and it could be because we spent three days travelling to the West Indies, four days playing and another three days to travel back. So I will give the boys a bit of grace there. But we had a good training day today and another training day tomorrow and get back into the game.
Area of concern if any The boys are fit, no niggles in the camp. So we are really looking forward to the first game.
Spinners It is one of our core strengths, and we have different types of spinners. We could use six or seven spinners if we wanted to. I am also pleased at the seam attack. We have a raw fast bowler in young Raju (Abul Hossain), we have some high quality swing and seam from Mash and Shafiul. And a few overs from Zia and also have an all-rounder like Farhad Reza.
Group of death When you’ve got a group of three teams, each group is a group of death. The two sides are brought closer in 240 balls. I wouldn’t call it the group of death; we know what we have to do, we have been training hard for the last three months.
Areas that need improvement It is about being focused on the day. We have to be very precise in the things that we need to do. An area where I expect improvement is our fielding, not skills but intensity has not been what I expect.
Pitches You could play on every square in the world, but each track will have different quality. The main thing for me is that sides that read the conditions quickly and adapt, get their lengths right, that’s what it is going to be about. I think we are pretty well suited with the variety of our attack but the ability of the bowlers to adapt will be the key.
If he had the option to add one thing… It’s important we are on top of our game; being calm and composed is one of the biggest things in Twenty20 cricket. You watch the players and see if they hold their shape. We are a work in progress, we are a good team.
On coaching Sub continental teams Teams play as a reflection of their culture. It doesn’t change the way that you prepare. It is really about understanding about your boys, and not overly focus on your opposition. You need to know how they construct their game. Bottom line is for coach is to making sure we focus on what we can control.
Main strength of New Zealand They are quite a strong team in fact. Daniel Vettori is the key man. As a batting unit, they have a few dangerous strikers of the ball like Brendan McCullum and Ross Taylor. They have pretty good depth, and NZ is always very competitive and focused unit. I think for us, the boys are looking forward to the game.
Their weak point It’s not for me to point out the weak point of their side. They are a good unit.
Bangladesh beats Zimbabwe by 5 wickets in first warm-up match
Bangladesh had a comfortable victory over Zimbabwe in their first ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match against Zimbabwe at the Colts Cricket Ground on September 15. Batting second Bangladesh
reached the target of 135 with ten balls to spare.
Zimbabwe were sent in to bat after Bangladesh won the toss. They got off the blocks rather slowly and were struggling at 106 for 5 with 3 overs to go. The 27 runs put by Elton Chigumbura and Craig Irvine helped them reach a more competitive score of 134. Vusi Sibanda top scored with 40 off 47 balls.
Bangladesh's chase was anchored by two big partnerships of 52 and 50. Opener Mohammad Ashraful's 38 gave Bangladesh a good foundation for the chase but they had a little hiccup in the middle when they slid to 85 for 5. But solid batting from Mahmadullah and Ziaur Rahman saw them reach their target with no further scares.
The Bangladesh cricket team arrives in Colombo
The Bangladesh cricket team arrived at Colombo from Trinidad & Tobago to begin their campaign for the ICC World Twenty20.
The team will play two warm-up matches -- the first against Zimbabwe on September 15 and the second against Ireland on September 17 at Colombo before heading for their group matches at Kandy.
Bangladesh is in Group D along with New Zealand and Pakistan. They will take on New Zealand on September 21 before meeting Pakistan on September 25. Both matches will be held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh ends Caribbean tour with a loss
Bangladesh lost the final match to Trinidad and Tobago in the 4-nation Asia vs. the Caribbean T20 tournament in Trinidad. Playing as the BCB XI, they lost to Trinidad and Tobago by four wickets. Batting first, Bangladesh scored 124/9 in the allotted 20 overs. Trinidad and Tobago were on the ropes at 26/5 after 8 overs but the game went out of Bangladesh's reach as the middle order consolidated and then accelerated to overhaul the Bangladesh score with the additional loss of just one more wicket. With this loss, Afghanistan ended up champions on a superior run rate,
Earlier, Bangladesh had defeated both Barbados, the 4th nation in the tournament, and Afghanistan in rain-shortened matches. In their first match against Barbados, rain caused the match to be curtailed to an 8 over match. Barbados managed to score 65 for 4 that was easily chased down by BCB XI for the loss of just three wickets. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim top scored with 18 off 13 balls with three fours.
In their second match, rain again shortened their match against Afghanistan to a 15 over match. Bangladesh chased down Afghanistan's 99/5 quite easily to win by 8 wickets. Mohammad Ashraful top-scored with 47.
Bangladesh leaves for Colombo on September 9 to take part in the ICC World T20
Bangladesh leaves for Trinidad and Tobago
The National team left for Trinidad and Tobago to participate in a 4-team
four-team international Twenty20 tournament set up as part of the their build-up for the ICC T20 World Cup. The Bangladesh team for the WC will play in the tournament as the BCB XI.
In addition to the Bangladesh and the hosts, the tournament is also featuring Barbados and Afghanistan. This tournament is being billed by the organizers as Asia vs the Caribbean.
The national team will play the first match against Barbados on September 6, the second against Afghanistan on September 7 and the third and last against Trinidad and Tobago on September 8 (D/N).
Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Farhad Reza and Abul Hasan.
BCB announces the Bangladesh Squad for the ICC WT20
The BCB announces a 15 man team to participate in the World T20 later this year. The only change to the team that recently toured Zimbabwe and Europe has been the replacement of Nazmul Hussain with pace bowling allrounder Farhad Reza. This same team will also participate as the BCB XI in an invitational Twenty20 tournament in Trinidad commemorating Trinidad & Tobago’s 50th anniversary of independence. Bangladesh first play New Zealand on September 21 before meeting Pakistan on September 25. Both thse matches will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Farhad Reza, Abul Hasan.
Preliminary 30 man squad announced
preliminary squad for the ICC World Twenty20s to be held in Sri Lanka from September 18. It includes every one of the current national team players who have toured Zimbabwe or Europe this summer as well as seven discarded internationals and six uncapped players. SQUAD Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Zunaed Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Anamul Hoque, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kopali, Shuvagata Hom, Muminul Hoque, Rokibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmud Ullah, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Shabbir Rahman, Abdur Razzak, Enamul Hoque, Mohammad Elias, Shohag Gazi, Masrafe Bin Mortaza, Farhad Reza, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Abul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Kazi Kamrul Islam, Md. Al Amin, Alauddin Babu
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