Bangladesh’s disappointing run in the ICC Champions Trophy ended with inclement weather having the final say as their last group stage match against Pakistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Both teams came into the match with the knowledge that they were no longer in the run for the semi-finals, as they both lost their first two matches.
There were ominous signs over the match as the weather forecast had not been good. Before Thursday’s match, Australia and South Africa also had to share the points in the match at the same venue.
Steady rain fell all afternoon at the stadium, with no opportunity for the covers to come off at any point. First the toss was delayed, and then the match was called off at 3:27pm local time, just under an hour and a half after the scheduled start time.
By gaining the sole point and by virtue of a better net run rate, they finished third in Group A ahead of Pakistan, which remained their only consolation from this match.
Bangladesh began the tournament with a six-wicket defeat to India in Dubai before losing to New Zealand by five wickets in Rawalpindi.
In both the matches, batting was the main culprit for the Tigers. Against India, the top order failed miserably despite a fighting hundred from Towhid Hridoy in the middle order.
And then the middle order lost its way against the Kiwis and ended up with a below-par total.
But Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who earlier said that they were going to the competition with a goal to become champions, found positives from a grim tournament.
‘If you look at our two matches, we lost those, but the way we held the game for long periods of the game was very inspiring for us,’ Shanto told former Pakistan captain Ramij Raza in the post-match presentation.
‘We hope we can learn from our mistakes. We will make a proper plan and execute the plan going forward. But the good thing is we made comebacks in both the matches and then held the game for a long period,’ Shanto added.
He also remained hopeful with his bowling attack.
He said, ‘We have always struggled with our fast bowling unit, but in the last few years a lot of fast bowlers have come through. Some of the fast bowlers back home are doing very well. The likes of Taskin and Rana are coming in. Fizz is there.’
‘We have a very good bowling attack. Now we also have Rishad Hossain, the wrist spinner. I hope they will do the job and do the best for the team,’ added the Bangladesh captain.Â
However, Shanto admitted that they will have a lot of work to do in terms of batting, especially while rotating the strike.
In the two matches, Bangladesh gave away as many as 340 dot balls, which is almost 57 per cent of the allotted balls.
‘I felt we’d have to practice properly in the nets,’ said Shanto. ‘We have to think about strike rotation. It is very important how we practice, and I hope the boys will understand what we need to do.’
