On a cold but
comfortable Friday, Nepal dished out an inspiring display to stranglehold
Bangladesh in their own backyard and at one point they were beautifully poised
to create an upset. Bangladesh again discovered themselves in a familiar
position like 2012 when a competent Bangladesh team was knocked out in the
quarterfinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup four years back in Australia. As a
matter of fact, the knockout stages have not been quite chummy for the Tigers.
When it mattered the most, the Tigers have let the opportunities slip out of
their hands most of the times. They were undone by the failure to handle
pressure.
An ugly misunderstanding between Joyraj Sheikh and Pinak
Ghosh spoiled a beautiful partnership, Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s lackluster
stroke-play and Joy Raj’s sudden rush of blood put Bangladesh under immense
pressure. At 98 for 4, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, the captain walked out to bat along with
Zakir Hasan with the aim to pull the match out of the fire. For more than an
hour and a half or so, the Mirpur crowd and world cricket were blessed to watch
one of the finest exhibitions of mature batting display by Zakir and Miraz
under pressure to steer Bangladesh home safely.
It was a unique partnership for quite a few reasons.
Playing the spinners more on the back foot
The track was not an easy one to bat on. It hinted about
sharp turn since the earlier part of the day. The chasing team was to find a
tough task ahead of them because of the nature of the track. As the day
progressed, the track displayed its nature in true sense of the term and the
Nepalese spinners were right on top. The best way to deal with the spinners on
such tracks is to get behind the line of the ball as much as possible and
execute strokes more on the back foot. Both Zakir and Miraz were quick to get
on the back foot against the spinners and it helped to boost their confidence a
lot.
Keeping wickets in hand
When a team discovers themselves in such a critical position
while chasing totals during such important matches, they suffer dismal
collapses. The best way to arrest such collapses is by spending more time at
the crease, get adapted to the situation and then start to cash in. Zakir and
Miraz occupied the crease more and this helped them to get accustomed to the
pressure.
Zakir and Miraz didn’t panic under pressure
Even when the required run rate was escalating, Zakir and
Miraz didn’t panic. They were unfazed by the statistical pressure and exhibited
the ideal grit and determination to wade through troubled waters. When the
going gets tough, if anyone loses their patience, they will lose the battle.
Zakir and Miraz won the crucial periods of the game by virtue of being patient.
Relying more on rotation of strike rather than big
boundaries
More often, the modern day batsmen think that the best way
to overcome pressure of escalating required run rate is by dealing with big
boundaries. But they easily forget the importance of taking singles and two’s
in every over . The rotation of strike is almost a forgotten thing in
limited-overs cricket at the moment. Picking up the singles and couples by
picking up the gaps in the field is an art and has been executed by many smart
operators of the past. Maneuvering the strike is as valuable as gold as it
never injects dullness in the scoreboard and helps to ease the pressure a lot while
chasing.
Zakir and Miraz showed immense maturity by maneuvering the
strike more rather than going after the ball. Such a ploy always kept the
scoreboard moving and put the fielders under pressure. Both of them were
intelligent enough to pick up the gaps and their investment of taking
calculative risks while taking the singles paid off with rich dividends.
Note: This article has been published in Cricwizz on 05/02/2016 The uniqueness of Zakir Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz's partnership
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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