New Landmark,New Milestone

Bangladesh White Washing Pakistan in ODI series was a new milestone that Bangladesh was planning to achieve. Bangladesh winning the only T20 match is a new landmark established. All four wins came in convincing manner. Bangladesh in its eighth T20 encounter against ICC third ranked team Pakistan won its first match of T20. Wonder what happened to the team since end of 2014? Zimbabwe was comprehensively white washed in all formats of the game – test series, ODIs and T20 . Bangladesh played ICC world cup very impressively qualifying for the first time for the quarter finals. The wins against England, Scotland and Afghanistan were all very impressive. Bangladesh even competed well against team of the tournament New Zealand. Since then confident Bangladesh cricket team is looking very adventurous, very imposing. They are not only winning but winning with a bang every match. Who knows in this new acquired momentum they may even win tests as well against Pakistan.

Pakistan is a strong side in T20 . Only possibly Australia has better attack than Pakistan with Umar Gul , Wahab Riaz , Sohail Tanvir , Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafiz. Bangladesh did not have a proven past in this format of the game. They even lost to Hong Kong in T20 world Cup last year. In the previous seven head to head contest Bangladesh was no match for superior Pakistan. But how strongly Bangladesh yesterday disproved “history repeats itself.”? Bangladesh rewrote a new page in history delivering crushing 7 wickets defeats to favorite (?) Pakistan The extent of domination of Bangladesh made cricket worked rocked and awed. Even boom boom Afridi had to concede that “Pakistan has to learn lessons from Bangladesh “. Mashrafee Bin Murtaza is the one and only cricketer of the world who dared to continue playing at the highest level of cricket defying his seven surgeries in both ankles. He is a brave commander who squeezes out the best from the soldiers under his command. He leads by personal example. He took an excellent athletic catch running like a cheetah and diving full length grabbing the ball inches off the ground. That was the beginning of events happening yesterday and shell shocked Pakistanis could post only 141 /5 in 20 overs. A teenager named Mustafiz on his debut bowled like a champion fast bowler rattling the experienced Pakistanis with his raw pace and swing both ways. 16 of his 20 balls were not scored off . He earned two prized scalps of Shahid Afridi (may be a bit lucky) and Mohammad Hafiz giving away only 20 runs. What a dream debut. We are sure world cricket will soon see Mustafiz and Taskin hunting wickets in different parts of cricket world very soon. Pakistan innings had very little to write about as Taskin , Shakib , Sunny and Mashrafee all bowled well .Two genuine Pakistani batsmen Sarfraz and Rizwan were ignored by their captain and sat out in the dugout.
Bangladesh could play a little more cautiously. But this Bangladesh team cares little about past reputation of the opposition. Tamim destroyed Professor Hafiz plundering 14 in his very first over. Poor Soumya was caught in a tangle and got run out without even getting a strike. Tamim himself lost his cool and edged to Hafiz in the slips off Umar Gul attempting an ambitious cut . Bangladesh little master Mushfique delivered four majestic strokes before losing his stumps to a quality Wahab Riaz delivery. This created opportunity for Super Shakib and emerging talent Shabbir for making contribution for the first time in the current Pakistan Bangladesh series. In earlier matches Tamim, Mushfique and Soumya did not let much for them in ODI.Shakib is the top ranked player in all format and Shabbir may be stepping into his shoes in not too distant future. These two super “S” of Bangladesh cricket matched stroke for stroke and literally toyed with Pakistan bowling. They really created Shock and Awe in Pakistan camp.

Pakistani bowlers Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Afridi, Ajmal and Hafiz had hardly experienced such mayhem. 105 runs were added in unfinished fourth wicket partnership as Bangladesh cruised home with another 7 wicket crushing win with 22 more deliveries not required to be bowled. Milestone achieved and landmark established. Shakib with 57 in 41 deliveries and Shabbir with 51 in 32 remained unconquered.
Proud Bangladeshi Prime Minister enjoyed the privilege of watching tigers trounce Pakistan and hand over trophies to the victorious captain Mashrafee.
Bangladesh will new found springs in their legs have reasons to feel confident that they may change their history of test cricket as well when it starts next Tuesday at Khulna closer to great Mangrove forest Sundarban the haven of Royal Bengal tigers. Well Pakistan will have heavy weights like Misbah, Younis khan, Hafiz Asad Shafique, Azhar Ali in the lineup apart from very potent bowling attack. But Bangladesh with the present momentum can compete for strongly than ever before.