ODI series Preview, India in Bangladesh 2007: Bangladesh aim to continue domination over confused India

Two teams that met in the world cup in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 17th March 2007, are facing each other again, for a 3 match ODI series. After the fanciful prospect of Bangladesh win has turned into reality and resulted in chaotic development in the commercial capital of cricket, the world cricket is enjoying a completely different build-up for the series. Amid uncertainty of supremacy in shorter version of the game, Bangladesh is expecting to win an ODI series against India for the first time in their cricket history.

While the win over India in world cup paved the way for more cricketing success for Bangladesh, the loss has hit India with more muddles they ever faced in their rich cricketing history. World Cup exit at the hand of Bangladesh, a team they denied to host for years for commercial reasons, has brought rings of changes in Indian cricket, and have opened the Pandora box, which they are struggling to restore in its previous state.

Coach axed, senior players rebuked, endorsements scrapped, payment denied, key players getting injured, and denial to sign contracts, these are the headlines hitting the Indian newspapers ahead of a very crucial Bangladesh tour. After the premature world cup exit, things are going from bad to worse in Indian cricket. Amid these muddles, Indian players are facing intense heat from the fans, endorsements and cricket board to perform, and restore the pride of Indian cricket.

On the contrary, after a very successful world cup mission, Bangladesh is enjoying their best moments of cricketing history. Players getting reception, world cup reward money, positive media attention, fans never ending affection and the warmth of home condition before facing India again. Bangladesh outfit is representing themselves as a happy family, who are ready to say good bye to Dav Whatmore, their father figure coach, after a successful stint of four years.

Bangladesh fans, who always express gratitude to every little success of the Tigers, watched the glorious moments of Bangladesh cricket on the television. Now, a refreshing looking young Bangladesh is aiming to topple India, yet another time, in front of their fans at home. While Bangladesh discovered confidence from the world cup, Indian confidence and pride is shattered badly and recent developments are making them increasingly confused over their future strategies. Bangladesh is keen to exploit every single opportunity to continue the domination, which they ruthlessly executed at Queens Park Oval in Trinidad.

Bangladesh kept their faith on the world cup squad, and made no changes for the India series except Rajin Saleh, who has not featured in any of the world cup matches. The spirit is high in the team, and skipper Habibul Bashar is upbeat to win the ODI series.

"There is always pressure in a home series and now the expectation is high after our victory against India. India will definitely be desperate to erase the bitter memory but I am confident of beating them again. I think it is difficult but not impossible to win the one-day series against India," said Bashar after returning from the Caribbean. The whole team echoed his voice and they are keen to retain the hard earned respect, knowing a series win over India can only augment their achievement.

Indian selectors tried hard to deliver a new look Indian team. In a bid to look for the future, the board wanted young players after the shambolic defeat at the hand of Bangladeshi youth brigade averaging 18 years. Despite the call, the scenario remained the same as selectors could only manage to offer two places for the young talents in the 14 member squad. Manoj Tiwary and Piyush Chawla earned their places in the squad, and there is a slim hope that one of them will get a nod in the playing XI. Ironically, none of the future talents managed to find their names in the test squad.

Dropping out of form Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Ajit Agarkar from the ODI, and selecting Dinesh Mongia, Romesh Powar and Sreesanth in their place could hardly camouflage the fact that, India still believes in their old and tested cricketers, and not yet ready to groom young stars for the future.

None of the Indian batsmen except Yuvraj Singh is enjoying good form and the rest have to rely on net practices to gain their form back as there is no tour match scheduled before the ODI series. Inclusion of Sreesanth and RP Singh will boost India’s bowling attack, but lack of quality spinner in spin friendly Bangladesh condition is a significant weakness.

After starting the preparation camp in Kolkata, where conditions are somewhat similar to Bangladesh, India faced more dramatic developments, which dented their plans for Bangladesh series. Both Sachin and Dravid managed to get themselves injured, and players refused to sign the contract over pay disputes, things are not looking ideal for “Team India” who face an acid test in the up-coming ODI series. Newly appointed coach-cum-manager Ravi Shastri is trying hard to restore the order and discipline, which is the key requirement for the Indian team, who are facing constant criticism and aiming to bounce back

Bangladesh have progressed significantly as an ODI outfit over the last couple of years, and after the world cup success, they have earned valuable confidence to compete at the top level. Having said that, lack of consistency still remains as a major concern for the young Bangladesh team. Bangladesh have consistently managed to mix the best with the worst, and some superb performances are more than often marred by below par displays. They must find the right balance to continue the success, they achieved in the world cup. While bowling department has performed and elevated them to world standard, batting has let the team down in numerous occasions.

Bangladeshi top order must find their lost rhythm in favorable home condition to outshine India. The aggressive and positive intent of Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful is the key to Bangladesh’s success in ODI, but failure to control the rush of blood is another key concern. Out of form Shahriar Nafees, who lost his vice-captaincy to Mohammad Ashraful and skipper Habibul Bashar, who is playing his last home series in ODI, need to sort out their batting woe to stabilize the explosive but fragile batting order.

The spin trio of Bangladesh is the heart of the bowling attack and the smothering influence of Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak and Sakib Al Hasan, on opposition batsmen, has lifted Bangladesh even in most difficult conditions to bowl. They are expected to fire on all cylinders in favorable home condition and their domination can effectively tie up even the spin experienced Indian batting line up.

The new ball bowlers, Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel, provide the effective balance in the attack, and both of them are genuine wicket takers. While Mashrafe surprises opposition with his pace and swing, Rasel deceives batsmen with lack of pace and accuracy. Considering current form, Bangladesh will be heading to the ODI series, with a much better and balanced bowling attack compared to rival India.

Bangladesh have already established their supremacy in fielding, which is the third frontier of the game, over their sub-continent rivals, India and Pakistan. The aging Indian cricket team will find it difficult to deal with the youthful and agile Tigers, and this can make a real difference in a keenly contested series.

Bangladesh is trying to cope with the busy schedule of International cricket, as they got only a week rest after a grueling three months long Caribbean mission. A success over apparently struggling India, who received sufficient rest due to their first round exit from the world cup, can bring some refreshing moments for the Tigers.

With confidence running high, Bangladesh are aiming to continue their domination over their neighbor, who until recently considered them as a walkover. The youth brigade is ready to offer more sleepless night to the declining cricket super-power, in a bid to establish them as a new powerhouse of world cricket.

Heroes returning home after successful world cup mission

Tigers are returning home after a successful world cup campaign, they will reach Bangladesh tomorrow (26th April) in the early morning. BanglaCricket is welcoming the Tigers to their den and expressing gratitude for raising the image of the country.

Bangladesh team have already left London via flight number BA 145 which is expected to land at Zia International Airport at 06:10 AM. Tigers who brought immense pride for the country are expected to be received by BCB officials, former captains, journalists, and thousand of fans.

Heroes returning home © Cricinfo

In the world cup Bangladesh managed to achieve their target to reach the super eights by toppling India at the group stage. Tigers continued their giant-killing act by defeating top ranked South Africa in the super eights encounter and eventually revived the world cup. Bangladesh also managed to defeat New Zealand in the warm-up match and registered win over Bermuda in their last group match.

Despite some poor performances, this is the biggest achievement by Bangladesh team in their cricket history. Bangladesh finished 7th in the 14 nation tournament.

After a gruelling three months long Caribbean tour in which they won the ICC tri-series and reached the top stage of the world cup, Tigers will be back on the field within a very short time. The home series against India will be starting from 10th May.

Review of Bangladesh World Cup 2007 mission in numbers

Here's a mini review of Bangladesh world cup mission in numbers.


5 : The winning margin in wickets against India at group stage match in Trinidad

216 : Runs scored by Mohammad Ashraful and the new record for most runs made by a Bangladeshi batsman in world cup.

28 : Number of wickets taken by the spin trio of Bangladesh

5.16 : Average of Shahriar Nafees in world cup. He managed to score 29 runs in 6 innings.

3.85 : Bowling economy of Syed Rasel. He took 8 wickets at an average of 29.85

67 : The winning margin in runs against South Africa at super eights match in Guayana

318 : Highest run scored against Bangladeshi bowling line up. Sri Lanka piled 318-4 in the group stage match.

13 : Number of wickets taken by Abdur Razzak and is the new record for most wickets by a Bangladeshi bowler in world cup.

84.76 : Strike rate of Aftab Ahmed. He scored 128 runs with an average of 14.22

25 : Number of boundaries hit by Tamim Iqbal, only Ashraful hit more boundaries (27) than him.

39.00 : Strike rate of Javed Omar Belim in this world cup. He scored 55 runs in his 3 innings.

112 : Lowest total by Bangladesh in world cup 2007 (against Sri Lanka)

3 : Number of 6's hit by 3 Bangladeshi batsman (Sakib, Aftab, Mashrafee)

87 : Highest individual score by any Bangladeshi batsman in world cup. Ashraful scored match winning 87 against South Africa

4-38 : Best bowling by any Bangladeshi bowler in world cup. Mashrafe Mortaza took 4-38 against crucial group match against India.

56* : Highest score in world cup debut by any Bangladeshi batsman. Mushfiqur Rahim remained unbeaten on 56 to guide Bangladesh home against India.

9 : Number of matches Bangladesh played in world cup 2007

156.25 : Strike rate of Mashrafe Mortaza in his little cameo (25 off 16 balls) against South Africa

46 : Number of opposition wickets taken by Bangladeshi bowlers.

251 : Highest total made by Bangladesh in any world cup matches (against South Africa)

84 : Highest partnership made by Bangladeshi batsmen in this world cup. Sakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful shared a 4th wicket 84 run stand against South Africa

6 : Number of catches taken by Aftab Ahmed and Tamim Iqbal

86 : Most runs conceded by a Bangladeshi bowler in his 10 over spell in this world cup. Abdur Razzak bagged 1 wickets for 86 runs against Sri Lanka

2.20 : Ecoonomy rate of Mohammad Rafique against South Africa. It is a new record of best economy rate in a 10 over spell by any Bangladeshi bowler in a world cup match.

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"Self-belief is the main difference" - Whatmore

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore who is set to resign after the forthcoming India series said Bangladesh has made giant strides in international cricket over the last few years and the confident and talented young players will continue to progress.

According to Dav, "self-belief" is the main difference between the current team and the previous Bangladesh.

"The Bangladeshi side of three years ago wouldn't have been able to overhaul the target of 192 (against India) or could not defend 251 (against South Africa). They have learnt to win and approach the game with a positive frame of mind" he said referring to the historic wins against India and South Africa.

Self-belief is the main difference - Whatmore © Getty Images

Whatmore in his first interview after taking the charge of Bangladesh said "We have to try and change that defeatist attitude. Individual improvement and collective improvement are the areas in which I am going to work on".

And he did exactly what he said and during his 4 years tenure has effectively turned a losing side into a winning outfit. He effectively instilled a new optimism and discipline to a team that had not won a single match for four years. The comprehensive transformation from the 'defeatist attitude' towards 'victorious approach' is the most significant achievement for Bangladesh cricket in years.

"It gives me a tremendous satisfaction to see a group of players who have come a long way since I joined in 2003. The team has changed and it will continue to change. It will always evolve. That's how I look at it" said Whatmore in his reaction to AFP.

"A lot of these boys are willing to work a lot harder out in the middle during difficult periods. I believe these young players will take Bangladesh to a long way".

Dav Whatmore took the helm of Bangladesh Cricket in June 2003 and will stay in charge until the end of May 2007. Upcoming home series against India will be his last series with Bangladesh.

Whatmore has led Bangladesh to 33 wins in 86 one-day internationals and also coached the side to a first ever test victory, against three draws and 21 defeats.

Dav Whatmore resigns as Bangladesh coach

After coaching Bangladesh for 4 years and leading them to World Cup Super Eights, Dav Whatmore has stepped down as Bangladesh's coach citing personal reasons.

He has decided not to renew his contract with BCB which expires at the end of April. However, he has agreed to remain in charge of Tigers until the end of May to cover the India series. This will allow Bangladesh Cricket Board to find his successor before the away series to Sri Lanka which starts in July.

Dav Whatmore quits as Bangladesh coach © Cricinfo

Whatmore took the charge of Bangladesh after Tigers infamous debacle in World Cup 2003 and in his 4 years (he extended his initial 2 years contract in June 2005 for another 2 years) he has transformed them into one of the most exciting side of world cricket.

Whatmore has led Bangladesh to 33 wins in 86 one-day internationals and also coached the side to a first ever test victory, against three draws and 21 defeats.

Bangladesh Cricket Board in a media release expressed gratitude to Dav Whatmore for raising the standard of performance of the National Team in International cricket.

BCB also formed a six-member committee to find the successor of Dav Whatmore

Bangladesh have a point to prove against West Indies

Bangladesh is facing host West Indies in their final super eights match of the world cup at Kensington Oval in Barbados today. After losing to Ireland on last Sunday at the same venue, Bangladesh is desperately looking for a win to bow out of the world cup on a high.

Bangladesh managed a roller coaster ride in the tournament and enjoyed some glorious moments after defeating India in group stages and South Africa in the super eights. The unpredictability of the Tigers were evident in rest of the matches and loss to Ireland raised question marks about their consistency in the top fights.

Bangladesh have a point to prove against West Indies © Cricinfo

Bangladesh is now fighting to avoid the bottom place in the super 8's table and skipper Habibul Bashar showed his frustration over the situation but vowed to finish the world cup with a better performance.

"We created our chances to reach semi-final by beating South Africa but here we are now fighting to avoid finishing in the last two". "We must give it our best shot to end on a high note, we must realize that we deserve a better place than last" said Bashar.

Host West Indies will try to lift the morale of the Caribbean supporters in their last two world cup matches. West Indies is already out of the semi-final race and the team management including Lara is facing harsh criticisms for the poor show from former West Indian greats.

Skipper Brian Lara who is retiring from one-day cricket at the end of the tournament, urged his team-mates to perform for the fans in their last two matches but he is not taking Bangladesh for granted. Team manager Clive Lloyd shared similar vision with Lara.

"They are a formidable side and have done well in this World Cup and they have beaten quite a few good sides in Tests so they are on their way up," said Lloyd.

"We don't take any team lightly, it's just that we haven't played quite as well as we could, our results have shown that," Lloyd added in an interview with AFP.

.Bangladesh has left out vice captain Shahriar Nafees out of the playing XI and left-arm seamer Syed Rasel, who missed the Ireland match due to last minute injury is retiring to the side.

Bangladesh is yet to win any match against West Indies in their last 12 encounters.

West Indies (from): Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor, Denesh Ramdin, Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Daren Powell, Kieron Pollard.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (captain), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Farhad Reza, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar.

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Rudi Koertzen (SA).

Bangladesh face their first upset of world cup

Ireland dashed Bangladesh's slim World Cup semifinal hopes after an excellent all-round display handed the debutants a 74-run victory in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday.

With this upset win Ireland earned the 12th place in the ICC ODI ranking. The result also gave Ireland their first Super Eights win, leaving both teams on two points each and fighting to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table with one match to play.

Having earmarked the contest against Bangladesh as the one Super Eights match they could win, Ireland ensured their surprise progress to the second round at the expense of Pakistan had not been in vain.

Opening batsman William Porterfield top-scored with a chancy 85 to guide Ireland to their highest Cup total of 243 for seven after choosing to bat.

Bangladesh slumped to the bottom of the standings after they were bowled out for 169, with their top order batsmen falling to reckless shots.

Ireland's amateur players took a lap of honour and their fans danced in the stands after claiming the battle of the two giant-killers.

Bangladesh can take almost nothing from the match as they were sloppy in all departments of the game. Bangladesh must regroup before facing host West Indies on next Thursday at the same venue.