Dubai: The Bangladesh-New Zealand contest swung from one end to the other end, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats, until the final run was scored. Both teams were handing the initiative back to their rivals, but in the final analysis of the game, the turning point was the run out that resulted in the dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim and the two run out chances that were missed by Bangladesh to dismiss Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.
The Tigers were going strong after a perfect start at 110 for two with their star batsmen Shakib Al Hassan and Mushfiqur stitching together a 50-run stand for the third wicket. But against the run of play, Mushfiqur did not get the right response from his partner and was short of his crease. It was an unfortunate dismissal as it happened between Shakib and Mushfiqur, who have been playing together for a decade for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh did not recover from that misfortune to be dismissed for 244, with four balls still remaining for the innings to be completed. New Zealand crossing the line with only two wickets remaining indicates that another 20 or 30 runs would have made a big difference to the outcome.
Adding to that the Tigers did not pounce on the chances that came their way, first in the 12th over when Williamson was well short of his crease, but he was ruled not out after Mushfiqur removed the bails off before the throw came in.
Again in the 14th over, when Taylor scampered home after a wide throw gave the required time for the veteran New Zealander to survive the chance and complete the single. Williamson and Taylor stitched together a 105-run partnership for the third wicket, which formed the base for the narrow victory.
The Tigers, after having beaten South Africa and giving New Zealand a good fight, are on the prowl. Rivals beware!
