Bangladesh primed for Scotland battle to stay alive in race for quarterfinals

Bangladesh take on spirited Scotland on Thursday to stay alive in the race for reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Sports Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 4 March 2015, 06:37 PM
Updated : 4 March 2015, 09:52 PM

The match is set to start at 4:00am Bangladesh time at Nelson’s Saxton Oval.

Bangladesh may be a bit low on confidence on the back of a 92-run defeat against Sri Lanka after a comprehensive win in the opener against Afghanistan. 

But Thursday’s fixture gives them a crucial opportunity to boost their morale before they face off against much tougher opponents in England and New Zealand.

The Tiger’s paid the price of lacklustre fielding with a huge defeat against Sri Lanka, so it remains one of their big concerns against the Scots.

Bangladesh let a number of catches and run out chances go begging in Melbourne.

Fielding coach Richard Halsall has asked the players to enjoy their time in the field and to not take the extra pressure of the big stage they are performing on.

The Tigers are likely to tinker with the batting lineup.

With their match against Australia in Brisbane washed out, they fielded eight batsmen in their previous matches.

Mominul Haque, who was in at nine against the Afghans and at four against Sri Lanka, or opener Anamul Haque may have to sit the tie out.

Pacer Shafiul Islam could prove useful in New Zealand conditions while Arafat Sunny or Taijul Islam may be brought in to exploit the Associate nation's weakness against slower bowlers.

The Tigers are yet to get a decent start at the top of the order. Much depend on openers Tamim Iqbal and Anamul, who are yet to make their mark in this tournament. 

Despite not staying at the crease for too long, Soumya Sarkar has been playing positive shots. He may be shuffled up the order to face the opening deliveries and bring balance to the side.

Down the order, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim have been unable to be at their best due to lack of solid foundation and time to play themselves in.

Bangladesh have been holding them back far too long to deal with a top-order collapse rather than letting the duo try to dictate things earlier in the innings.

Bangladesh pacers had a hard time against Sri Lanka. Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, however, has not lost his faith in them and said that it was behind them. 

He believes the pacers will turn around against Scotland.

Vice-captain Shakib Al Hasan said on Tuesday that the pacers must take more responsibility in the World Cup because of pitches in Australia and New Zealand usually helping them rather than spin.

Mashrafe agreed with Shakib.

"Everybody expects pacers to do well on these pitches. Definitely, pacers have more responsibility than spinners in (giving) good starts."

“Yeah, we expect to win. When we lost, we also lost some confidence. So this is an opportunity to win this match and go with some confidence into the game against England," Mashrafe said.

He, however, thinks much will depend on Shakib for success in spin.

The southpaw is Bangladesh's primary weapon in the spin attack, and Mashrafe thinks his presence motivates the team.

"Shakib is a world-class spinner. If given the chance, whoever will play with him, I think, will do well."

Scotland captain Preston Mommsen sees no advantage for the spinner on the Nelson track. He believes the conditions favour his side.

"We are expecting a full spin attack from the Bangladeshis or we're preparing for that at least," Mommsen said.

The Scots have played many matches in New Zealand that add to their familiarity to the conditions there.

As a non-Test playing nation, Scotland eye the match against Bangladesh as a big chance for their first win in the World Cup. 

For that to happen, Matt Machan and Richie Berrington, their two stand-out players, will have to bat really well to counter the Bangladesh spinners.

The may bench opener Calum MacLeod who has scored just four runs in three innings in this World Cup.

The Scotsmen can take heart from the fact that their only win against a full-member nation came against Bangladesh in a Twenty20 International in 2012.

Also the fact that it was here at the Saxton Oval that another Associate nation, Ireland, defeated West Indies should inspire them.

They have left no stone unturned and hired former Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen as a consultant to help them with preparations.

Shakib, however, thinks it will not give Scotland much of an advantage over the Tigers.