Sarkar ton powers Bangladesh to 3-0

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Soumya Sarkar blasted a maiden ODI hundred and put on 145 with Tamim Iqbal as Bangladesh wrapped up a 3-0 series whitewash in emphatic fashion. They won by eight wickets, with more than 10 overs to spare, but such a margin was only possible because of a spectacular collapse from Pakistan.

Azhar Ali's 101, the first ODI century by a Pakistan captain in nearly five years, and his stands of 91 and 98 with Sami Aslam and Haris Sohail had taken Pakistan to 203 for 2 in the 39th over. They looked all set for a dash to a 300-plus total, but they lost their last eight wickets for 47 runs and set a distinctly below-par target of 251.

If it was going to test Bangladesh, they would need to lose early wickets, and Tamim seemed determined not to let that happen. Even as Sarkar picked up four fours in the first four overs, Tamim played watchfully, defending Mohammad Hafeez - who took the new ball upon his return from a bowling suspension - with a resolutely straight bat and shouldering arms to the first three balls he received from Umar Gul.

He put away the bad balls, but had only played six scoring shots in scoring 12 off his first 25 balls. By that time Sarkar had raced to 33 off 35, and Bangladesh were a solid 48 for 0 in 10 overs. By the end of the 17th over, the score had swelled to 86. Hafeez returned to the attack, and spun one sharply away from Sarkar to find the edge of his defensively thrust bat, only for Mohammad Rizwan - who had taken the gloves after Pakistan left out Sarfraz Ahmed - to put down the chance behind the stumps.

More from source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-pakistan-2015/content/story/865085.html

 

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1st ODI: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, Apr 17, 2015

 

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2nd ODI: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, Apr 19, 2015

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3rd ODI: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka, Apr 22, 2015

Pakistan 250 (49.0 ov)
Bangladesh 251/2 (39.3 ov)
Bangladesh won by 8 wickets (with 63 balls remaining)

Big celebrations in the Bangladesh camp. After wrapping up the series in the second ODI, Mash said that the job is yet to be finished. They have done it now, making it 3-0.

Tamim and Sarkar set up the chase, courtesy a brisk 145-run partnership for the first wicket. Sarkar was the chief aggressor this time, crunching 127 off 110 balls, his maiden century. He stayed there till the end as Bangladesh surged to a famous series win. Pakistan were sloppy with the ball and sloppier on the field. A difficult journey beckons for the visitors.

Tamim Iqbal, Man of the Series: I am enjoying my batting and that is the main thing. Thanks to the team, special thanks to Mushfiqur and Mashrafe. The best part of the series is that we were dominant.

Soumya Sarkar is the Man of the Match

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh captain: The way the boys are playing, it is pleasing. This is a good team. Soumya [Sarkar] was brilliant today. We will now focus on the T20 and then Tests.

Azhar Ali, Pakistan captain: First of all I would like to congratulate Bangladesh. They played good cricket. We played well in patches but we could not put it together. As everybody knows, the senior players have left. The youngsters have to stand up and we have to pull our heads together. We have some experienced guys for T20s and Tests. We will put in a better performance.

 

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Shakib, Sabbir fifties crush Pakistan

Bangladesh 143 for 3 (Shakib 57*, Sabbir 51*) beat Pakistan 141 for 5 (Mukhtar 37, Musafizur 2-20) by seven wickets

A maiden ODI series win, and whitewash, over Pakistan. And now a maiden T20 triumph over Pakistan. Bangladesh have dominated the limited-overs leg of this tour, and added to that narrative with a seven-wicket thrashing in Mirpur today.

A haphazard batting performance left the onus on the Pakistan bowling again. With only 141 to defend though, all Bangladesh needed was one partnership. That need increased a touch when the score slipped to 38 for 3, but Shakib Al Hasan and Sabbir Rahman steadied ship and shut Pakistan out with a 105-run stand. Both batsmen collected half-centuries and were around for the winning runs to be scored.

The strokes were crisp and they imposed themselves on the bowlers despite reputation. Umar Gul's two overs went for 23. Wahab Riaz was clattered for seven fours in four overs and nursed an economy rate near 10. Shakib and Sabbir were together for over 10 overs and the partnership run-rate was 9.84.

"They are in such a great momentum," conceded Shahid Afridi after the match. "We have to learn from the way the Bangladeshi players played"

It wasn't mere generosity either. After Pakistan had decided to bat, the cricket was so ordinary that it appeared the broadcasters had switched from the live feed to a blooper reel. Ahmed Shehzad, beset by rust, spent 10 balls on zero. He went hands first at the ball but could not find it. The defensive bat not working, he decided to hit his way out of trouble. Cue inside and outside edges. Finally, and ironically, the first promising stroke he played led to his downfall. A crisp lift, the elbow high and the head still, ended up in the hands of long-off.

A man who hasn't played for Pakistan in a month was paired with a man playing for Pakistan for the first time. Mukhtar Ahmed appears a power hitter, and despite trying a slog every other ball he walked baack with 37 off 30 balls. In contrast, Sabbir merged his strength with sound cricketing strokes.

Afridi hiked himself up to No. 3, for the first time since November 2013, missed two balls and was judged caught behind off when there was ample daylight between bat and ball. The umpires' two cents to a first hour of cricket that left much to be desired. Afridi even signalled for a review, and was told DRS wasn't being used for the match.

The saving grace though was Bangladesh's new ball bowlers. Mustafizur Rahman, a 19-year old left arm seamer, got the ball to jag around quite strikingly and tormented Shehzad - 10 balls faced, only one run scored. Mashrafe Mortaza hit the off-stump corridor. Shakib's darts around leg stump frustrated a set of batsmen, who wanted to cane the ball more than hit the gaps. What would hurt them more is despite the effort they spent, there were 49 dot balls in the innings and only one boundary in the final four overs.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-pakistan-2015/content/story/866065.html

 

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[MickeyD]

Well played, Bangladesh !!!!

 

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Pakistan tour of Bangladesh, 1st Test: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Khulna, Apr 28-May 2

Bangladesh 332 & 555/6 (136.0 ov)
Pakistan 628

Match drawn

Tamim Iqbal, Man of the Match: I am very pleased. Whatever I planed came off nicely. It was a much-needed innings for me and my team as well. I was in an attacking mode, he [Kayes] was controlling the innings. It was a great combination. I think Taijul bowled brilliantly on this wicket. 296 runs behind and it was a tough task. I played my role, Imrul played his role, Shakib and Mahmudullah did their job. It was a team effort. We have done well in ODIs are we are proving it in Tests. We have a big summer coming up.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh captain: It [the injured finger] is getting better. It is a great achievement. All the credit to the boys. The way Tamim and Imrul batted, it was unbelievable. It was difficult to take 20 wickets on the pitch. The top order took the responsibility. Imrul was not in the ODI squad but he played well. I am privileged to be the captain of this team. We have three more days for the next Test. We will prepare and hopefully take 20 wickets.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan captain: It was a slow wicket and was good for batting. Hafeez played really well. Tamim and Imrul enjoyed their batting. The wicket was very slow and difficult for the bowlers. We need to improve our performance with the ball. We also dropped a few catches in the first innings, which made a difference. After getting a 300-odd lead, we could have put them under pressure on any surface. All credit to Bangladesh. They saved the game, especially with the opening partnership. That opening partnership was the game-changer. Wahab and Junaid bowled well with the old ball.