Subdued Bangladesh seek resurgence

Hosts face Windies in cautious frame of mind after Hong Kong defeat.

DHAKA: Bangladesh will look to bounce back from an embarrassing setback last week when they begin their Super-10 campaign in the World Twenty20 against the West Indies in Dhaka on Tuesday.

The hosts crashed to a two-wicket defeat against unheralded minnows Hong Kong in a first round match in Chittagong on Thursday, narrowly escaping an early exit from the tournament.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim accepted it would be tough to come back after the loss, but said the unpredictable Twenty20 format gave him hope.

“It’s not going to be easy to get over what happened in the last game, but cricket is full of surprises,” Rahim told a media conference on Monday.

“Any team can win in the shortened game, and so can we. But we will need to play to our full potential.”

Rahim said the West Indies, the defending champions, also will be under pressure after their seven-wicket defeat to India on Sunday.

Dhoni backs struggling Yuvraj to hit form

As he trudged back to the pavilion after a 19-ball struggle in the World Twenty20 on Sunday, Yuvraj Singh looked a shadow of the talismanic all-rounder who delivered two World Cups for India.

He managed just one run and conceded 13 off his only over in India’s opening World Twenty20 match against Pakistan. And it was another forgettable outing on Sunday against defending champions West Indies.

He dropped explosive opener Chris Gayle in the deep and was not even required to bowl his left-arm spin, a weapon which proved crucial in India’s 50-over World Cup victory in 2011.

When he came in to bat, Yuvraj struggled to middle the ball and was dismissed after a laboured 10. Needing five runs from two overs with eight wickets in hand, India eventually won with two balls to spare.

Fortunately for Yuvraj, India won both matches with ease and captain MS Dhoni is willing to be patient with him.

“Yuvraj is perhaps the best player in Twenty20,” said Dhoni. “You can say he’s not in his rhythm. There is invariably some pressure on an individual returning to the side. It takes a couple of games at least.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2014.

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