Minnows Stand Tall

When push came to shove, Bangladesh finally delivered with awin. The occasion made it all the more momentous. It was Bangladesh's 100thone-day international since making its debut in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in1985-86.

Whether the full-house crowd at the Bangabandhu NationalStadium sensed that history was in the offing, one cannot say. It was thecountry's sixth ODI victory, but the first over India and the first at home. Thecrowd egged the side on, throughout.

The victory, by 15 runs in what was a cliff-hanger of asecond one-dayer in the three-match series, might have come against anexperimental Indian side, without Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan and RahulDravid.

But this win has kept the series alive. The final match, alsoday/night, will be played here on Monday.

Dravid being rested so as to give way to Dinesh Mongia wasnot in the original plan. And Dravid was missed sorely. Left-hander Sriram didhis bit, as he notched up his maiden half-century (91 balls), but runs alone didnot matter in a situation like this, it was also about marshalling theresources, which only comes with experience.

A target of 230 should not have been difficult for asecond-string, even a third string, Indian side, but the passion that the hostdisplayed this day was different, the kind that was not seen earlier in theseries.

Obviously, the confidence was gained from two clearincidents: Md. Ashraful's masterful century in the second Test and the sheercloseness of the first one-dayer, which India won by 11 runs.

Virender Sehwag's exit, bowled by `man of the match' MashrafeMortaza with the very third delivery of the innings, must have taken a lot ofpressure off the home side.

For, Sehwag is the kind who can win a contest in a matter ofa few overs.

And with Yuvraj Singh being dismissed — driving TapashBaisya away from the body to be caught in the covers — with the team score atfive, the pressure was beginning to grow on India.

The host managed to dry up the runs for India in the firsthalf of the innings.

Md. Kaif, who fashioned India's victory in the first one-dayerin Chittagong, kept the scoreboard moving with his innovative play — Sriramand he put on 63 for the fourth wicket — before Rajin Saleh ran out the UttarPradesh cricketer.

It left India at 170 for seven in the 41st over, and thecontest had turned course.

The home side's medium pacers Mortaza, Baisya, Nazmul andAftab Ahmed bowled wonderfully, not to forget the experienced left-arm spinnerMd. Rafique who bowled tightly in the middle overs. The fielding did not giveanything away either.

Agarkar departed immediately after Kaif but Joginder Sharma,in only his second one-day International, played with a cool head. The Haryanacricketer took the score to 204 with Zaheer Khan before the latter was caught inthe deep off the last ball of the 45th over.

There came a point when last-man Murali Kartik and Joginderhad to get 18 at run a ball. Kartik was dismissed, run out to a direct hit byAftab Ahmed.

Opting to bat, the host was under pressure immediately whenpinch-hitter Md. Rafique fell leg-before to left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan playing`half-cock'. Skipper Habibul Bashar's fears of another top-order collapse cametrue when the steady opening bat, Nafis Iqbal, and the skipper himself, who hadtop-scored in the previous match, departed by the ninth over.

Iqbal was medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar's 200th victim and'keeper M.S. Dhoni's first. The

Mumbaikar became the fourth Indian after Kapil Dev, JavagalSrinath and Anil Kumble to reach the mark.

Md. Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed put on 44 in 60 deliveries forthe fourth wicket while the latter, who notched up his maiden half-century (67),added a crucial 44 runs for the sixth with Khaled Mashud in 54 deliveries.

The 19-year-old Aftab, who hails from Chittagong, battedpositively, out-shining Md. Ashraful, who came up with a cameo 28 that includeda hooked six off Zaheer and another over covers off left-arm spinner MuraliKartik. However, it was Kartik who claimed Ashraful, caught and bowled afterbeating him in the air.

Aftab mustered 36 off 53 deliveries in the company of KhaledMahmud for the seventh wicket before being bowled by Kartik while giving thecharge.

The tail did not give in easily, Mortaza (31 not out) added42 with Baisya and Nazmul for the last two wickets. None deserved the Man of theMatch award more than Mortaza.

Agencies