Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003 |
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Cricket
By S. Dinakar
Bangladesh's Habibul Bashar being bowled by South African speedster Alan Dawson.
For the crowd at the Bangabandhu Stadium, there was at last a sliver of light amid much darkness, with the side finally surmounting the 200-run barrier. The feat was greeted with a huge roar and the host almost lasted 50 overs too. Bangladesh cricket is going through such crisis these days that crumbs of comfort, even if they do not alter the state of the match, are enough. Though South Africa clinched this TVS tri-nation series match by 83 runs on Monday, there were quite a few Bangladesh supporters who left with a smile on their faces. There were thunderous cheers for Mohammed Ashraful, man of the match, and Habibul Bashar when the two produced some spunky strokes as Bangladesh chased 295 for an unlikely win under the lights. Indeed, there were moments when the South Africans looked rattled. But Shaun Pollock, who was once again not handed the new ball by Greame Smith, bowled a testing first spell — 6-0-16-1 — and was well supported by Alan Dawson (6-1-12-1) and there was only one way the contest was going to end. Pollock eventually scalped four by bowling straight and winning leg-before verdicts. Dawson ended up with three in 10 niggardly overs — 10-1-26-3 — and the South Africans picked up their first points in the competition. For Bangladesh, opener Ashraful gathered 52 (94b, 7x4) before his attempted cut off left-arm chinaman bowler Paul Adams, who replaced Robin Peterson in the XI, ended in the hands of Boucher as the ball turned away. Towards the end of the innings, skipper Khaled Mahmud (40, 41b, 6x4) struck some defiant blows to take his side past the psychological 200-mark. The South Africans had to pick themselves up soon after the pounding at the hands of the Indians. A duel that also cost skipper Smith, 20, and the rest, 10, per cent of the match fee for slow over rate. The Bangladesh attack might not have held much of a threat but getting back on track so soon after a disaster was a challenge to the Proteas, irrespective of the opposition. There had been much soul searching too in the Bangladeshi ranks after a meek batting display against India. There was a shuffle in the top-order with Mehrab Hossain and Tushar Imran making way for Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar. Left-arm paceman Monjural Islam, who was unimpressive the other day, also lost his place to Tariq Aziz. Smith won the first toss of his international career and then proceeded to stroke the ball crisply off his legs — the southpaw's area of strength. Herschelle Gibbs, in characteristic fashion, did not take long to meet the ball with the meat of the blade and the Proteas were off to a good start. Among the home pacemen, the hard-working Tapash Baisya managed to earn more respect than Tariq who struggled to find his rhythm. Even Baisya couldn't cause a dent however. With Gibbs drilling holes in the off-side field and Smith, finding the gaps on the leg-side, the opening pair raised 112 in 96 deliveries before left-arm spinner Mohammed Rafique got the South African captain stumped. The expression on Smith's face said it all — he had wasted a wonderful chance to notch up a big score. It was a lapse in concentration Smith could have done without. Gibbs (62, 62b, 10x4) got to his fifty, though, and just when he might have been eyeing a meatier slice of the South African total he was done in at the non-striker's end by a Javed Omar direct hit from extra cover while attempting a second run. There is an unmistakable touch of class in Jacques Rudolph — evident in the southpaw's exquisite cover-drive off Ajit Agarkar on Sunday — during that all too brief knock. He promised much today, reaching 44, before slicing Rafique into Tariq's hands at point. Young Rudolph would do well to make his starts count in the future. With skipper Khaled Muhmud, normally effective with his seamers, going for runs Bangladesh did have a problem in the middle overs and it was Rafique, with his flattish left-arm variety, who put the skids on. Leg-spinner Alok Kapali supported him well. However, the unbeaten 105-run fourth-wicket partnership in 110 balls between Boeta Dippenaar, pleasing when he hits the ball straight, and Neil McKenzie, not the most free-flowing batsman, ensured that South Africa gathered 71 runs in the last 10 overs and finished with a total close to 300. * * * SCOREBOARD
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