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13th over: Bangladesh 56-1 (Tamim 20, Shakib 21) Bangladesh will be happy with this. First, Nabi finds so much turn that it costs him a wide, then they milk him for a two and two ones. If these two bat for another 45 minutes, that might just be the game.
“That’s not disrespect for GnR,” says Smylers, “this is disrespect for GnR — a cover version I was blissfully unaware of till it featured as a question on PopMaster this morning.”
12th over: Bangladesh 56-1 (Tamim 19, Shakib 18) Gulbadin Naib into the attack and Shakib flips two to backward square to raise Bangladesh’s fifty. Next ball, a leading edge to point - he was looking for midwicket - but with the fielders pushed back, no one was on hand to claim what would’ve been a dolly. I wonder, though, if Gulbadin has missed a trick here - the outfield is slow and his team need wickets, so put men in wicket-taking positions. A two and three singles follow, which is to say that Afghanistan need something and fast.
11th over: Bangladesh 49-1 (Tamim 18, Shakib 12) Mujeeb is struggling to exert pressure here. The batsmen take him for four, a two to Tamim and a single apiece, and I fancy he’ll be getting thanked pretty soon.
“Some countries do have special fans,” emails John Starbuck, “not least Pakistan and West Indies. For England, it’s the whole Barmy Army, which rather puts the kibosh on making a feature of it on the screens. But then, so many people (these days) are so used to appearing on screen, they probably barely notice older followers’ disdain.
10th over: Bangladesh 44-1 (Tamim 15, Shakib 10) Tamim shoves one to midwicket, then Nabi offers Shakib some width and he doesn’t need asking twice, clattering four through backward point. A single follows, then Tamim bunts down the ground; they run one, then another when a shy flies past the stumps. That’s Bangladesh’s best over in a while, nine from it.
9th over: Bangladesh 35-1 (Tamim 12, Shakib 4) The pitch is a little slow here, which might make for drama later on, but isn’t great for entertainment in the first instance, a little like in the South Africa-New Zealand match. In limited overs, we don’t necessarily need balance between bat and ball because even on a 400 track, a bowler can make the difference, but if we reckon that a 330-350 track is ideal, you want the ball coming on so there’s pace for the quick and strokemakers, along with dryness for the spinners. One off the over, and that a wide.
8th over: Bangladesh 34-1 (Tamim 12, Shakib 4) Three more singles from the over, and Afghanistan have slowed the socring; can they create a little more pressure?
“The simple and easy answer,” says Nick Parish, “is four groups of four, top two in each group go through to the quarter-finals. Yes, I know it doesn’t guarantee India get 73 games, but how much protection do the big countries need? Football, not normally a good example of anything, manages to deal with it when the big countries don’t make the knockout stage (hello Germany 2018, hello England, Spain and Italy 2014).”
7th over: Bangladesh 31-1 (Tamim 10, Shakib 3) Tamim takes a single, then Shakib nudges to point and sets off. A better throw from Shinwari and Tamim’s got a situation, but it’s wild and he makes it easily. He then adds another single and is looking nicely settled.
6th over: Bangladesh 28-1 (Tamim 8, Shakib 2) Mohammad Nabi into the attack and Tamim takes him for a single to deep square, the first of three in the over.
“I was at Headingley on Friday (I know, Jonah),” says Ben Powell, “and despite the result thoroughly enjoyed the day but for one or two interruptions. The cricket bat guitar and some sort of “greatest fan” cam that popped up at regular, infuriating intervals. The cricket bat guitar is crass and pointless IMHO (as I understand the kids say), but the greatest fan thing was just hopeless. Every time it came up, cue a couple of nervous looking fans, embarrassingly and half-heatedly waving at the camera, which always lingered just that little too long. Cue also less than zero reaction from the rest of the crowd. I’ve been to baseball and ice hockey in the States and Canada where they do this sort of thing regularly and it goes down a storm. That’s where such manufactured atmosphere should stay. Harrumph.”
5th over: Bangladesh 25-1 (Tamim 6, Shakib 1) My days, Afghanistan needed that, not because bangladesh have got away but because their entire strategy is predicated on early wickets. They know they can’t chase a biggie, so need to get to work from the off.
I really don’t know! If the soft signal is not out, this is not out, because the evidence is inconclusive - it looks like there are fingers under the ball, but there’s a fair chance it hits the ground nonetheless. Hashmatullah’s head is up so he probably doesn’t know himself, but the umpires have no option: they stay with the onfield decision.
And there it is! Liton drives and, down on one knee, Hashmatullah pouches it at short cover ... or is it? The soft signal is out...
4th over: Bangladesh 23-0 (Liton 16, Tamim 5) Dawlat overpitches and Liton twizzles him through midwicket, but the damp outfield permits him only three. Tamim then takes strike and plays three dots, before stepping into an uppish drive which flies just wide of Ashar mid off – he’s far to slow to move – and to the fence for four. He plays and misses at the next, but that’s no use to Afghanistan, who badly need a breakthrough.
“I will leave for you to decide if this is McCullum/Morgan-esque fresh and funky thinking or Fakhar Zaman scooping to first slip idiocy (I know which way I’m leaning)“ says Sam Collier, “but what about some kind of squash ladder affair? A roundrobin, teams initially ordered in reverse ICC ranking with the winning team moving one place above the team they defeat. Top four play semis as per the current format. It’d certainly keep the tension going right to the end...”
3rd over: Bangladesh 16-0 (Liton 13, Tamim 1) Three singles from over, Tamim now off the mark.
“In answer to your question, ‘How would you make this competition better?’”, emails Sarah O’Regan, “I suggest incorporating more national musical instruments, to replace the cricket bat guitar and its lugubrious Guns n’ Roses dirge. In its place, the outgoing batsman should nip over to the music stage, play a jolly little ditty on a didgeridoo, a dafli daf, or a rubab, before heading off for the walk of shame.”
2nd over: Bangladesh 13-0 (Liton 11, Tamim 0) Dawlat Zadran starts with two dots, both pitched up, but then a shorter one allows Liton to play off the back foot and he times it away beautifully, behind square on the off side - and for extra points, it tantalises Mujeeb into a long, fruitless chase and dive. Glorious. Two dots follow, then a single.
1st over: Bangladesh 8-0 (Liton 6, Tamim 0) Good start for Bangladesh, Liton taking a single from Mujeeb’s loosener and two wides follow. Liton then cuts a wide one and Rahmat Shah makes a right pig’s arse of the stop, allowing the ball by him and to the fence. A single follows, and already Afghanistan are under pressure.
How would you make this competition better? More teams, I’d say, then maybe two big groups, and we probably need quarter-finals. On the one hand, that’s a lot of games to eliminate not a lot of teams, but those knockouts will draw casual viewers, tutor them in the ways of righteousness, and induct them into this thing of ours. With just semis and a final, we’re asking too much from just three matches.
Afghanistan huddle. I reckon they’re discussing whether it’s a barm or a bun.
Right, anthem time. The intro to Afghanistan’s sounds not unlike Jump Around.
Mathematics corner: I was wondering what people did in offices before the internet, and if the following equation is true.
Work facilitated by the internet = work not done on account of the internet. Otherwise, how has productivity taken a colossal nosedive?
“So, Virat Kohli has been filed his fees for showing dissent,” emails Amod Paranjape. “Dissent my ass. It was pure and simple bullying and intimidation. We should not go on to win the World Cup. But since the universe rarely gives people what they want, we are sure to win it. Eh.”
I see what you’re trying to do there. I don’t know, though – I suppose I tend to err on the side of caution when handing out punishments for stuff that’s central to the drama, edge and attitude of the game - if an umpire can’t stand up to a player, then I’m not certain the problem lies with the player. I also wonder what happens to the money.
Both captains have made two changes. Afghanistan leave out Aftab Alam and Hazratullah Zazai, replaced by Dawlat Zadran and Samiullah Shinwari. As such, Rahmat Shah moves up the order to open instead of Zazai.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, leave out Rubel Hossain and Sabbir Rahman, with Mosaddek Hossain and Mohammad Saifuddin coming in.
I’m really looking forward to watching Afghanistan’s spinners - Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman offer such variety and nous. And, though Mark Nicholas and Ian Smith think their team should’ve batted, what’s the point in having good bowlers if they’re trying to defend 180?
That sounds sensible to me - if they don’t bat well, the match is over before it’s started. On the other hand, their bowling is their strong suit, so if they deploy it at the start, they can take control and hang on.
Ian Smith isn’t sure why, but thinks he’d bat.
While we wait, wrap yer peepers around this – I love love love Tony Cozier. Wendy Crozier, not so much – though these days, we’d probably call her Wendy Crozeiyay.
Related: ‘Surreal’ time in the TMS booth that came about by accident | Vic Marks
The toss has been delayed by 10 minutes, and will now be at 10.10am local time.
It looks on the John Major side of grey in Southampton, but we should be good to go on time.
Public service announcement: I just put on the radio, and heard a minute of a phone-in about Boris Johnson. With every fibre of my being, I urge you not to do the same, which is to say: thank expletive for cricket.
Swing the mood.
Related: Bangladesh hope brilliant Shakib Al Hasan can steer them to next level
At the risk of sound parochial, you’ve got to love Eoin Morgan’s brave, young England side. Not only are they the greatest one-day outfit there will ever be, but they are also the most altruistic. In deliberately losing to Sri Lanka, they have, in one fell swoop, revitalised their home World Cup. Because of their unique gifts, matches which meant nothing now mean something, and the world is a better place on their account.
Just ask Bangladesh. If they beat Afghanistan today, then India and Pakistan as well, they are through – provided Sri Lanka lose to South Africa, West Indies and India, and England only beat one of Australia, India and New Zealand. And they are capable of doing it. They have plenty of batting, canny bowling, and in Shakib al Hasan have an absolute star. Currently, he is the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer – with a higher strike-rate than both David Warner and Joe Root, who lie first and third – while his bowling is threatening, his leadership absolute and his mentality unflappable. If his team are to do it, it will probably be because of him.