CT 2017, Match 9, NZ v BAN - Bangladesh Player Ratings

When the New Zealand team locked horns with Bangladesh at Cardiff in the match 9 of the ICC Champions Trophy, it was certain that one team would walk out with their hopes crashed. The loser of the match was set to be out of contention for making it to the playoffs of the tournament. On the other hand, the winning team had every chance of staying afloat in the competition with the eye on the match against England and Australia dictating fortunes.

As the things perspired on the day, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. With a score of 201/3 in about 38 overs, they backed themselves to muster a huge total on the board. However, some exceptional bowling by Bangladesh saw the Kiwis being restricted to just 265/8 in their 50 overs.

With the bat, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson hit fifties. For Bangladesh, Mosaddek Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with 3/13 to his name. In the run chase, Bangladesh stuttered poorly with the scorecard reading 33/4 at one stage. A marathon partnership from Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah helped Bangladesh upset New Zealand by 5 wickets in the game.

Here we look at the Bangladesh Ratings from the NZ v BAN match:

Tamim Iqbal – 2/10

Tamim Iqbal had been the star of the tournament thus far with the bat for team Bangladesh. Coming into this game, a lot of eyes were on him to see if he can take the side home in a relatively small run chase. However, it was a case of rare failure for the southpaw. He was dismissed for a duck on the very second delivery of the innings by Tim Southee. As expected, Tamim went for the review straight away but only to see the on-field call stay.

Soumya Sarkar – 2/10

Soumya Sarkar had a very poor time at the crease in the match. After having lost the wicket of Tamim early on in the innings, a lot was expected from Sarkar to play the role of the anchor in the run chase. He soon saw Sabbir Rahman perish from the other end too. However, he failed to contribute much to the team’s cause and joined the procession of batsmen heading back to the pavilion. He was dismissed on 3 that came off 13 balls on a swinging delivery by Southee in the 5th over of the game.

Sabbir Rahman – 2/10

Sabbir Rahman is often tipped as the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket. Today could have been his day had he steered the team to the victory. He failed to do anything with the bat though. He hit a couple of boundaries first up as he arrived at the crease. However, he only ended up scoring 8 off 9 balls on the day before becoming the victim of Tim Southee in the match.

Mushfiqur Rahim – 6.5/10

Mushfiffqur Rahim would have had a dream script had he scored in abundance on the day. He came in a pressure situation and it was his birthday today that only hinted at a fairy tale finish. However, it was not meant to be. After having faced 34 deliveries, he gave away his wicket to Adam Milne on 14. Earlier in the game, he was very good with the wicket-keeping gloves though.

Shakib Al Hasan – 10/10

Shakib Al Hasan was the hero of the match along with Mahmudullah. After having arrived at the crease in a crucial situation, he stitched a record 224 run stand with Mahmudullah to set up the run chase for Bangladesh. He notched up his 7th ODI ton to put his side in a commanding position.

Towards the end, he looked in a hurry to finish things off. However, he was unfortunate not to have been there at the winning moment. Shakib was dismissed in the 47th over with 9 runs still needed to be fetched. He scored a thumping 114 off 115 balls with 11 fours and a six to his name.

Mahmudullah – 10/10

Mahmudullah was the other hero of the match along with Shakib. The way he kept his cool and took calculative risks was amazing to witness. In the middle overs, Shakib was seen tiring down. It was Mahmudullah who then kept Shakib going and took the counter attack as well.

He played exceptionally well to overhaul the target after having come at a time when the scorecard read 33/4. He finished with an unbeaten 102 off 107 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. It was his third ton in the ICC events. His celebrations said it all.

Mosaddek Hossain – 8/10

Mosaddek Hossain Saikat was the surprise of the match. He was perhaps the trump card of the skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. He was introduced to the bowling attack in the fag end of the innings. He ran through the Kiwi middle-order to finish with figures of 3/13 in his 3 overs. He dismissed Neil Broom on 36 and then had James Neesham stumped on 23. Later, he dismissed Corey Anderson for a golden duck.

Mashrafe Mortaza – 6/10

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza was all smiles to see his players overhaul the kiwi spirit in the match on the day when it mattered the most. Mortaza, on the personal front, was exceptional with the ball. He bowled very well in his quota of 10 overs. With the new ball, he bowled a maiden to contain the run flow in the early part of the innings. Albeit he did not take a wicket, he gave only 45 runs in the match. With his captaincy, he was spot on with his bowling changes.

Taskin Ahmed – 7/10

Taskin Ahmed was the bowler to watch out for with the new ball in the match. He took two key wickets in the match today. He dismissed Luke Ronchi early on in the innings to give the first breakthrough to the Bangladesh side. Later in the game, he dismissed the set batsman Ross Taylor to return with 2 wickets to his name. He bowled 8 overs and gave away 43 runs with the ball.

Rubel Hossain – 5/10

Rubel Hossain had a decent time with the ball in the match. The way he bowled tight lines in the death overs was commendable. He bowled a very good last over barring the ultimate delivery that went for a four. In the 10 overs that he bowled, he returned with figures of 1/60. He would surely like to improve on his economy rate with the ball.

Mustafizur Rahman – 5/10

Premier left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman was expected to call the shots with the ball in the day. The overcast conditions seemed to be tailor made for him. He was expected to make the most out of the conditions and swing the ball at ease.

However, he could not do much on the day with the new ball. He was very impressive in the death overs though. He returned with figures of 1/52 in 9 overs. He cleaned up Adam Milne with a peach of a delivery. It was his first wicket in the tournament this year.