Shakib and Mehedi turned the match in our favour: Soumya
After giving the side the impetus for a dominant eight-wicket win over West Indies in their tri-series opener in Dublin on Tuesday, Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar said that it was the performances of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz with the ball that turned the game in Bangladesh's favour.
West Indies openers Shai Hope and Sunil Ambris had sped to 80 without loss in the 17th over, and after they scored 381 for three against Ireland in the tri-series opener, it seemed another run fest was in the offing. That was when Shakib and Mehedi combined for a 14-over spell that yielded two wickets for just 56 runs, effectively taking the sting out of the Caribbean charge. Mehedi got rid of Ambris in his first over, the 17th of the innings, while Shakib got rid of Darren Bravo in the next over.
"Early on he [Mashrafe Bin Mortaza] was getting a lot of swing, but he didn’t get wickets then," Soumya, who scored a 68-ball 73 during a 144-run opening partnership with Tamim Iqbal, said after the match about skipper Mashrafe, who ended up as the most successful bowler with three wickets. "At the end, it suddenly became dark and cold and he got swing then too. It was very crucial that we got regular wickets then and that put our team ahead. More importantly, Shakib bhai and Miraz bowled well in partnership and that brought the match back in our favour."
What seemed like a total heading for 300 was kept to a manageable 261 for nine as after Shakib and Mehedi's tight spells, seamers Mashrafe and Mohammad Saifuddin kept things tight in the last 10 overs as West Indies managed just 64 for seven from overs 40 to 50. With half the job done, it was then the top four of the Bangladesh batting, led by Soumya and Tamim, that sealed the deal.
"Early on when they were batting then it seemed like they would score 300 and we would have to chase that. But we pulled things back later and restricted them to around 260 and then the plan was to play normally in the first 10 overs and score as much as possible without giving away wickets. The wicket was not easy to play shots on. Back-of-a-length balls were easier to play and pitched up deliveries were tougher. The plan was that if we could build a partnership, the game would turn in our favour.
"He [Tamim] told me that I should play my normal cricket and that the game would come in our favour. I said that it was all okay and if you get one over to your liking you can cover the runs. We were telling each other not to force the issue," Soumya said about discussions between him and Tamm, the senior partner.
While Tamim top-scored with 80 and Mushfiqur Rahim chimed in with a quick unbeaten 35 at the end, Shakib was the one who shone brightest as his unbeaten, run-a-ball 61 completed a brilliant all-round show.
"No, we don’t have any doubt among ourselves about him," said Soumya when asked how it felt to see Shakib excelling so soon after the all-rounder stirred controversy by choosing to opt out of an official team photo before the team left Bangladesh. "We don’t know what people outside are saying about him. We have a lot of belief in him and he played according to that."
