Story Bangladesh Begin Blissful Age [India In Bangladesh]

[zammipspman]

i totally agree!

 

[Funknath]

Mate nice update so far KUTGW!!!!

 

[treva]

Bad choice of bowling first if you ask me. The pitch will turn the most in the alst innings, and Bangladesh could have made good use of that. Also I can't see them chasing a score very well under pressure. Lets wait and see, but I can see only one result here.

Great stuff James

 

[Jaztheman]

End Of Day One

The first day of the first Test of the year between Australia and Bangladesh started today, 9th April. Australia who are top of the Test Rankings at the current time are touring Bangladesh, who are at the bottom of the Rankings. The match before hand was said to be heavily one sided and many supporters and Pundits alike did not give Bangladesh a chance in this match. Were they right or did Bangladesh get a magical start? Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field yesterday which meant Australia would bat first.

Australia made a good start with Hayden and Hussey scoring and hitting their shots freely, without much pressure at all. They were batting rather slow and after an hour and a half in the first session they only scored 61 runs. In the next over Matthew Hayden decided to go for it by hitting a beautiful cover driver off Arafat Sunny's bowling, to only get out the following ball. Hayden came down the ground against a short one from the spinner, only to miss it completely and be stumped by 17 year old Rahim who was keeping wicket. 65/1 and after a calm start, Australia weren't looking so good.

M Hayden - st Rahim b Sunny - 33(67)

Ponting was the number three and the captain walked to the crease. Hussey and Ponting kept rotating the strike rather easily until the last over. Ponting came forward to the first two balls by Hossain and defended them rather easily, without much effort being required. On the third one he tried the same shot to a different bowl, which seemed to get a little quicker and the bit of swing deceived him but he was too late to pull out of the shot so he clipped it into the slips. Saleh was standing patiently after doing not so much in the session but reacted well and caught Ponting's dire shot. 76/2 meant that Bangladesh had Australia on the back foot but with the middle order Australia have, it wasn't much of a milestone. Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, could only add 8 to the score and started his season off poorly.

R Ponting - c Saleh b Hossain - 8(28)

Phil Jaques was in and he went big for his first shot, and thankfully for him, it came off. He then parried away the next two balls to see Australia through to lunch without losing another wicket. 80/2 wasn't the start Australia were hoping for, I'm sure of that, but Bangladesh must be overjoyed. Hussey has had a good start to his innings and if Bangladesh can get him out before he does much more damage, then they might be able to restrict Australia below 300 in this match.

Day One Lunch Interval - Australia 80/2
Hussey 26*
Jaques 4*
Hossain 1-22
Sunny 1-24

Hussey and Jaques started well in the first few overs, parrying the shots and carrying on what happened in the first session. A sudden change of bowling occurred which nearly resulted in a wicket as Kabir came back into the bowling attack and got Hussey to edge one just past Nafees. The run rate soon started to increase as Hussey and Jaques started making dot balls into singles and soon enough Hussey had his half century. It took him 149 balls to get it but he has steadied the innings for Australia after two early wickets.

Hussey 50* off 149 balls

The runs kept coming, and although Australia weren't scoring fast or fluently, they were getting the runs and that's what matters. Jaques was batting slightly faster than Hussey and no matter what bowling change Bangladesh threw in, none of it helped that much. Australia easily held on till the end of the session to record the session without them losing a wicket. The run rate was still drastically low, but they were in control.

Day One Dinner Interval - Australia 154/2
Hussey 72*
Jaques 31*
Sunny 1-40
Hossain 1-45

Straight after dinner and Bangladesh almost got their third wicket. Phil Jaques played and missed a straight one from Rafique but it bounce a little too high and skimmed the bails. It didn't make much of a difference though as 3 overs later and he was gone. Kabir was still in the attack and gave Jaques a full toss, only for Jaques to edge it to Saleh in the slips. I don't quite know how he managed to not hit that ball for a boundary, but he didn't and he got out. 34 marked a good innings from Phil for only his second Test match but as he was out, that meant that Justin Langer would come in. Good new for Bangladesh, eh?

P Jaques - c Saleh b Kabir - 34(114)

Langer was in but soon Hussey was in the limelight, but for the wrong reasons for him. He completely played around a straight one from Islam but thankfully for him, it's spin was too great to carry on and hit the wicket. The next over and he played and missed again. This time to Hossain as Hussey was now into his 90's and he looked slightly agitated. A few overs later and Hussey had converted his 90 into a century. There's not really a better way for a batsman to start his season than to score a 100 in his first innings. It only took him 252 balls meaning it took him 103 balls to get from 50 to 100.

Hussey 100* off 252 balls

The new ball was taken straight after Hussey had reached his century and that nearly resulted in a wicket for Bangladesh. Justin Langer mistimed a defensive shot and the ball hit him on the pads but the umpire deemed it to be going leg side of the wicket. 3 overs later though and Langer was gone, without reaching his half century. Hossain this time to appeal for an lbw against the decorated batsman and this time the umpire had to give him out. 45 runs off 78 shows how well Langer had performed with Hussey. Adam Gilchrist was now in which meant we might seen fire works at the end of the day as their is only half an our left.

J Langer - lbw Hossain - 45(78)

The new ball seemed to be doing the trick that Bangladesh needed and Hossain nearly got Gilchrist out in his next over. Adam Gilchrist had only been in for around 4 balls but he nearly didn't get any more as he completely played and missed Hossain's delivery. The next over and danger man Michael Hussey edged a shot for four. Kabir bowled a wide and short one which Hussey had to square cut, but he caught it wrong and it went through the slips. Unlucky for Bangladesh to not get their man. With 3 overs left till the end of the day and the new ball only being 9 overs old, Bangladesh used a shock tactic. They brought in a spinner against Hussey and Gilchrist who are both strong against spin. The result? A wicket first ball of course, what did you expect? Adam Gilchrist tried to play it into the ground to get an idea of where Sunny likes to pitch it but it's spin was so ravenous, it went through the gate, clipped Gilchrist's bat and followed through to Rahim. Adam Gilchrist made a mere 6 runs and didn't do any fireworks, which we were expecting to see. Shane Watson was the new man in, as Australia decide against the option of a night watchman.

A Gilchrist - c Rahim b Sunny - 6(14)

Australia held on till the end of the day without losing any more wickets, or coming close to losing any more wickets. It was a mixed day with Bangladesh performing much better than expected and having a fantastic last session, resulting in 3 wickets. Michael Hussey carried Australia's innings and although he was helped by the top order, 400 may be asking a bit much. 116* is what he ended on as Australia seem to be in control. Shane Watson is in with him on 2* from 6 balls. The bowlers have done Bangladesh proud as Hossain and Sunny have two wickets each. Kabir is the other bowler to get one but has been the most expensive bowler, getting 1-69. Rafique and Islam bowled averagely without picking up a wicket but will be hoping to do better tomorrow.

End Of Day One - Australia 260/5
Hussey 116*
Watson 2*
Sunny 2-53
Hossain 2-68

​

 

[treva]

A good day for the Bangladeshi's, and that late wicket really helped things. If Bangladesh can clear up the tail and restrict Australia to less than 350, then they have a good chance of winning on a batting pitch. Still a long way to go though.

 

[Shri]

That was a long post Jaz.

Interesting position at the end of the first day. Get Australia out for less than 300. Score about 200-250 in your first innings. Bowl the Aussies out for less than 175 in their second innings. Then, hope for a poor bowling performance from the Aussies when you are batting last. Any target that is 300+ will be difficult for Bangladesh IMO.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Great day for Bangladesh. Need to get Hussey out as quick as possible and try and retrict the Aussies for 350 odd. Big Post Jaz well written. Look forward for day 2 of the match. Great update again.

 

[Amiya]

A good start to the match by Bangladesh. But it would be nice to see if they retain their performance on day 2. Hussey played well. Great update Jaz. Keep it up.

 

[Jaztheman]

End Of Day Two

The first day of the first Test of the year was yesterday and it was mainly in Bangladesh's favour. Australia were expected to get a massive score but so far they have been restricted by some tight bowling by the Bangladeshis. It will no doubt be in vain but the bowlers seem to be on a high so I can see the Australian bowlers doing the same. Lets hope day two is as good as day one.

Overnight Australia were 260/5 and Hussey was on 116* whilst Watson was on 2*. Hussey has already proved himself on the International stage but Watson is still yet to do so, so needed a big innings. The perfect start for Bangladesh though as they get the all rounder out early in the day. With only 13 runs added to the scoreboard, Watson was out. The best seam bowler on day one, Hossain, tempted Watson on the offside and that was enough for Watson to slice it into the slips into the hands of a very thankful Islam. 5 was all he could manage as Bangladesh were now into the tail.

S Watson - c Islam b Hossain - 5(19)

Many people regard Lee as an all rounder rather than a pure bowler and his Test average of 21 backs this up. He didn't have the best of starts though as only after he got to the crease, he played and missed two bowls from Arafat Sunny. Hussey was being rampant had made another milestone, 150 runs. Australia were in complete control and Hussey was unstoppable.

Hussey 150* off 323 balls

Shortly after and the 50 partnership was up. Despite this, Hussey kept on striking, being fearless. This ended up being his downfall though. The Australian batsman went to hit Kabir back over his head but missed the ball and his off stump went out of the ground. 163 was a magical score and an awesome way to start his year. Jason Gillespie, who can also score big, was the man in but Bangladesh had a chance of restricting them to under 400.

M Hussey - b Kabir - 163(343)

With only 3 runs added to the score, and in Kabir's next over, Bangladesh got another wicket. Brett Lee had faced Sunny the over before and must of got used to the slow pace and a quick bowl from Kabir sent him into panic. He simply swung his bat and the ball hit his pads, plumb as you like. 23 is a decent score for a bowler but I don't think it'll be enough to make Bangladesh follow on. Stuart Clark is in, who'll be hoping to impress more than Watson did.

B Lee - lbw Kabir - 23(43)

Clark's first ball was almost his last as he played and missed a bowl which thankfully for him, skimmed the off stump. Manjural Islam was into the attack and this pay dividends as Bangladesh got their 9th wicket. Stuart Clark was the man to not anticipate the spin as he went the same way as the man before him. 6 runs was all he could muster but being a bowler, you wouldn't expect much more.

S Clark - lbw Islam - 6(18)

Despite having two bowlers at the crease, Australia somehow held on till lunch and scoring 26 more runs. 118 runs for 4 wickets wasn't what Australia were expecting but as long as Bangladesh can restrict them under 400, then a draw might still be possible for the small Nation. They're going to have to bat well afterwards but they've just got to focus on getting that one wicket now.

Day Two Lunch Interval - Australia 378/9
Gillespie 20*
McGrath 14*
Hossain 3-94
Kabir 3-100

McGrath and Gillespie were carrying on from where they left of and started the first 15 minutes well. Then tragedy struck for Australia as they lost their last wicket. They fell a mere 5 runs short of the 400 mark which would of a been a positive for the men in green. Sunny was the bowler to get the wicket of McGrath, to cap his 3rd wicket. A good performance from the young spinner indeed.

G McGrath - c Rahim b Sunny - 19(31)

Change of Innings - Australia 395 all out
Hussey 163
Langer 45
Kabir 3-100
Hossain 3-104

Nafees and Omar made their way out to the middle to begin Bangladesh's first innings of the year. They couldn't of started much worse though, as they lost their first wickets in the opening minutes. With the score on 4/0, Nafees edged a shot from McGrath through to Gilchrist who doesn't drop easy ones. 2 was all the opening batsman could make and if Bangladesh bat like this all day then it's not going to be a long innings. Captain Habibul Bashar was the man to come in next and he has the experience to play these bowlers.

S Nafees - c Gilchrist b McGrath - 2(8)

Bashar came in and knocked a single on his first ball and as the strike rotated, Omar nearly got out. Javed Omar could only watch on as Glenn McGrath bowled a beauty which deserved a wicket, however it just flew past the stumps. The first boundary soon came up as Javed Omar hit a lovely shot down the ground past McGrath. The runs soon started to come and the batsmen started to just flick at Lee's bowls as he had the pace on the ball already.

A change of bowler from Australia saw Gillespie in and that seemed to dry up the runs and when they started to come again, they brought Clark in for McGrath. Clark's first two overs were maidens and the batsmen were clueless on how to play him. With only 7 minutes until the Dinner interval, Bangladesh almost lost their captain to Lee. A ball that went down leg side, almost clipped the leg stump but missed marginally. Watson came in for the last over till lunch and nearly got a wicket, but the appeal for a catch behind was dismissed by the Umpire.

Day Two Dinner Interval - Bangladesh 56/1(trail by 339 runs)
Omar 26*
Bashar 25*
McGrath 1-12

Lee and McGrath were back into the attack straight after Lunch, leaving the batsmen no time to get settled. A monstrous over from Bree Lee, conceding 13 runs, seemed to put the batsmen in good stead as Bangladesh fought back. Saying that the next over was a maiden so duly made up for it. Runs soon came hard to come by but the main thing was that the batsmen had lasted half an hour without losing a wicket which was important. Haibibul Bashar then brought up his 50 off 87 balls with a single to the offside which meant that he truly was playing as a captain. Bashar and Omar have complimented each other's batting thus far.

Bashar 50* off 87 balls

Can I just note that Bashar's 50 was much much quicker than Hayden's. Bashar > Hayden. The over after Hayden brought up his milestone seemed to be filled with excitement as there were two chances for wickets and two boundaries. Gillespie carried on his tradition of being expensive, but picking up, or nearly picking up, wickets. Then in the next over, the inevitable happened. Javed Omar missed on his half century by 9 runs as Stuart Clark found the breakthrough. A 95 run partnership had put Bangladesh back into the match but unfortunately had to end. Naeem Islam had a tough act to follow with just over an hour of the session left.

J Omar - b Clark - 41(115)

Naeem Islam started his innings with a bang as with his 2nd ball, he smashed it away for six runs. Now that is how you enter an innings. He nearly cut his innings short as the adrenaline seemed to be pumping, but maybe a little too much. The first ball of the next over saw Hayden drop Islam when he was only on 7* off 3 balls. That wicket would of put Australia in complete control. He's got to go more defensive now. Being the strange player that he is, he didn't and nearly got out again in the next over. Whilst Islam was having some fun with the umpire, Bashar was still getting the scoreboard ticking over. He was playing so well, he was flourishing. He hit three boundaries in a row off Lee's bowling as he seemed to be in the form of his life and closing down on that century.

Islam still wasn't settled but with Watson back into the attack, he had a chance to settle. With the 50 run partnership up and both batsmen in full swing, I think it's safe to say that Bangladesh wouldn't of wanted the end of the day to come. But then, as if it was written in the stars, a wicket occurred. It wasn't a normal wicket though, it was a last ball of the day wicket. And it was that of Habibul Bashar. He had played the session so well, managing to stay all the way to the end but fell at the final hurdle. The 76 run partnership definitely helped Bangladesh and he played a magnificent innings.

H Bashar - c Hayden b McGrath - 89(153)

That wicket was the last action of the day. It was a remarkable day for Bangladesh cricket. They got the last 5 Australian wickets for 135 runs and that included the wicket of star batsman Hussey. They then powered themselves to 175/3 thanks to some great batting by the top order. They had the worst of starts but thanks to captain Bashar and vice-captain Omar, they had steered the ship back on track. As long as the Bangladesh batsmen can get around 250 then they have a good chance of getting a draw. Anything over 300 would be a dream.

End Of Day Two - Australia 260/5
Hussey 116*
Watson 2*
Sunny 2-53
Hossain 2-68

​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

395 is a huge score to defend for the Aussie bowlers. But Bangladesh have made a good start there hope they keep the same batting going and score more runs. Bashar was great, now responsibility on some younger players....

Great written Jaz. KUTGW

 

[Zohaib]

what game is this

 

[Jaztheman]

International Cricket Captain 2006. It's my favourite one of the ICC series, although I haven't bought ICC 08.

Cheers for the comment Shan, much appreciated and I love to hear your outake on events.

 

[treva]

Bangladesh are looking in fine form. Hussey played a brilliant knock, and if it hadn't been for him then Australia would be looking at a deficit come 2nd innings. Bangladesh look set for 300, and I really think they'll get something out of this game.

Great pres Jaz. So clean and simple. Very good read

 

[bladescape]

End Of Day One - Australia 260/5
Hussey 116*
Watson 2*
Sunny 2-53
Hossain 2-68

I thought it was day 2!

 

[surendar]

From your previous stories, I can tell without any hesitation that, Your style of writing i.e, the template of story writing has gone up one level further Keep it up..