Cricket
Madushka Balasuriya in Colombo 6y

Mahmudullah rues expensive death-over bowling

Nidahas Trophy, Cricket

Was it poor bowling, outstanding batting, or a bit of both?

Having seen India's batsmen adopt a circumspect approach early in their innings, Bangladesh attributed it primarily to their good bowling. But after India plundered 105 runs off the last 10 overs, Bangladesh attributed that to poor bowling.

"I think we started well with the ball but gave away too many runs in the last few overs," Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah said. "If we had conceded 10 runs fewer, it would have helped us."

Abu Hider, who had been brought in for the out-of-form Taskin Ahmed, proved particularly expensive, going for 43 runs in his four overs without a wicket, while spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz too was hit for more than 10 runs an over.

"I shouldn't single out Abu Hider," Mahmudullah said. "It wouldn't be fair on him. He bowled very well for three overs. But he conceded a bit too much in that last over. Our spinners bowled brilliantly too. Miraz started well and then gave away a bit more runs later on. There are some areas that we need to work on with the ball."

India, however, might have a different take on events. Batting on the same pitch that had produced over 400 runs just four days earlier, the batsmen - particularly Rohit Sharma - showed admirable game sense, as they paid due respect to a surface that was a touch on the slow side and a Bangladesh bowling unit that was keeping things tight.

While this meant India were restricted to 49 for no loss in the Powerplay and 71 for 1 in the first 10 overs, it allowed Rohit to bat through to the end of the Indian innings. He hit 10 boundaries, including five sixes, to finish on a 61-ball 89.

For Bangladesh, possibly with memories of chasing down 215 still so fresh, that patience was sorely lacking - they lost three wickets in the Powerplay for just 48 runs. And though Mushfiqur Rahim scored 72 off 55 deliveries, he was unable to offer the same impetus that Rohit gave India.

"With the bat, Mushfiqur made 72 out of 160-odd. If another top-order batsman could have contributed around 25 runs, things may have been different for us," Mahmudullah said. "I personally felt that we should have chased down that score. Tamim gave us a good start but on the other side, nobody could step up.

"Rohit Sharma initially took a bit of time to get settled. He paced his innings, and took on particular bowlers. He batted really well. I think we were playing too fast in the Powerplay. If some of our batsmen played proper cricketing shots, it would have been good for us. We need to think about these areas, and have clear plans going on to the next game."

That next game is a knockout match against Sri Lanka, and Mahmudullah is hoping for an improved performance, especially when bowling at the death.

"It will be a new game for us. Sri Lanka may feel the pressure since they are playing at home. At the same time, they will get all the support. We need to be fresh and think about what we need to execute in those conditions. I think death bowling is a concern for us, probably. We need to figure out how to lessen the damage at that stage of the innings."

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