Bangladesh v Canada at Durban, 11 Feb 2003 CricInfo Live Report

Bangladesh v Canada at Durban, 11 Feb 2003
Samanth Subramanian

Pre-game: Toss & Teams,
Canada, Pool B innings: 25 overs, End of innings,
Bangladesh innings: End of match,

CANADA PULL OFF SHOCK VICTORY AT DURBAN
A contest between two equally matched minnows is often as fascinating and surprising as one between the top two teams in the world, and the Bangladesh-Canada encounter stayed true to that adage when the former made a hash of their chase of 181 at Durban.

Canada showed their willingness to make a fight of it right from ball one, when multiple fielders converged on the ball in the field, backing up sometimes as far as three deep behind the stumps. The bowling, however, was erratic to start with, and the errant line was punished as both openers flicked off the pads and drove through the covers with panache.

Davis Joseph was the first bowler to break through, having Al Sahariar caught at mid-on, dragging the ball from outside off. Habibul Bashar departed soon after, trying to force a Sanjay Thuraisingam delivery through the off without any footwork and getting an edge through to keeper Ashish Bagai.

Bagai had a much easier catch of it when Hannan Sarkar (25, 35b) played a similar shot off Austin Codrington, and at 46 for three, Bangladesh were in some trouble. Ehsanul Haque and Sanwar Hossain then added 30 runs for the fourth wicket before further damage was done.

Davis Joseph, in his seventh over of the innings, got one to seam away just a touch off the pitch, and Ehsanul (13, 17b) feathered an edge through to Bagai, who took yet another fine tumbling catch.

Sanwar followed after another 30 runs were added to the team's total, playing across the line to a John Harrison delivery and trapped in front for 25 (24b). An over later, Codrington trapped Alok Kapali (18, 23b) in front of the stumps.

Skipper Khaled Mashud could not contribute much either, pulling Harris straight to mid-on after making just one. Mohammad Rafique, a sturdy bat in his own right, played two glorious drives for four in the 25th over, but Canada pulled their rivals further back when Codrington got Tapash Baisya driving with his feet stuck in cement to be caught at slip.

The very next ball, Mashrafe Mortaza tried to withdraw from a ball with a touch of extra bounce, and the resultant edge too flew straight to slip. The last-wicket pair did not last long, and when Rafique pulled Codrington awkwardly to midwicket inside the circle, Canada had pulled off a shock victory over Bangladesh, Codrington ending with five wickets for the match.

CANADA SET BANGLADESH 181 TO WIN
If it was the pace brigade that set up Bangladesh's fine start to their game against Canada, it was the spin department that cleaned out the Canadian innings.

With intelligent line, just enough turn, and - most importantly - accurate length, Mohammad Rafique, Sanwar Hossain and Alok Kapali strangled the Canadian middle-order, taking wickets and effecting run-outs because of the slow build-up of frustration.

Fazil Sattaur (13, 40b) was out to Kapali when, induced into an indecisive mood after overs of spin, he played neither forward nor back and was caught plumb in front of the wickets.

The biggest setback for Canada came when Ian Billcliff, their highest scorer with 42 (63b, 6x4), was run out courtesy a fine piece of fielding by Hannan Sarkar. Mortaza, in his comeback spell, then accounted for Ashish Bagai, getting the batsman to chop the ball onto his stumps after scoring just seven.

Rafique dismissed Sanjay Thuraisingam with an arm ball that rapped the batsman on the pads before he could get in a full forward stride, and the Canadian innings ended after another 21 runs were added to the total. Tapash Baisya caught Austin Codrington on the deep point fence with a fine diving effort off the first ball of the last over of the innings.

Bangladesh have thus been set 181 to win this Pool B encounter, and just their international experience should get them to that target easily. But Canada do have a decent number of runs to play with, so there may be a few surprises yet in this game.

WICKETS PEG CANADA BACK
Bangladesh's medium-pacers have had some experience of South African conditions in the recent past, and they made full use of it in pegging Canada back early at Durban on Tuesday.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Manjural Islam bowled tight line and length, affording the Canadian openers little chance to free their arms and go for their shots. When Mortaza had John Davison playing forward to a ball that moved into the batsman just a touch, Davison was bowled neck and crop, Canada at the time on 18.

Ismail Maraj and Desmond Chumney looked fairly compact during their stays at the wicket. Both stroked the ball around fluently for singles and played with defensive calm otherwise, so it was against the run of play that Maraj's dismissal - flicking to leg to be caught by midwicket inside the circle for 24 - came about.

Chumney hit one big six and three fours in his knock of 28 (25 balls) before he fell, run out after calling for a non-existent single. Turning just behind square on the legside, he set off only to be sent back too late.

Wickets continued to tumble for Canada. Captain Joseph Harris essayed a sweep to Sanwar Hossain and only succeeded in gloving the ball to Khaled Mashud behind the stumps. Nicholas de Groot tried to work the same bowler to leg, but ended up getting a leading edge to give Alok Kapali at mid-off a simple catch.

After 25 overs, Canada were 105 for five, with Ian Billcliff on 30 and Fazil Sattaur yet to open his account.

CANADA OPT TO BAT AGAINST BANGLADESH AT DURBAN
In front of a fairly sparsely populated stadium at Kingsmead, Durban, Canada opted to bat first in their World Cup opener against Bangladesh.

Both Canada and Bangladesh have played in one World Cup before, but the former's last such tournament was way back in 1979, so they must count as more of the minnows in this contest.

The Kingsmead pitch looks grassy, but most of the grass is dry, and the only menace that it holds was in the form of a few cracks that could widen as the game progresses.

The overcast skies may aid the bowlers more in the initial part of the match, with temperatures nearing 30 degrees centigrade with little chance of rain.

Teams:

Canada: Joseph Harris (captain), Ishwar Maraj, John Davison, Desmond Chumney, Ian Billcliff, Nicholas de Groot, Abdul Sattaur, Ashish Bagai, Sanjay Thuraisingam, Austin Codrington, Davis Joseph

Bangladesh: Khaled Mashud (captain), Habibul Bashar, Al Sahariar, Hannan Sarkar, Sanwar Hossain, Ehsanul Haque, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Manjural Islam, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza