**Official** Bangladesh in West Indies

[luckyeddie]

With respect to Rafique's hundred - Richard must be turning in his metaphorical grave.

 

[Neil Pickup]

How many times was he dropped?

And how many were by Fidel "Crystal" Edwards?

 

[luckyeddie]

How many times was he dropped?

And how many were by Fidel "Crystal" Edwards?

twice and twice (Saying that, if Fidel Edwards drops a catch, does it actually count as a chance?)

(sorry Liam - low blow).

 

[a massive zebra]

Rafique's highest test score before this innings was 32!

 

[Langeveldt]

Sheeesh, what is going on with the West Indies

 

[luckyeddie]

Rafique's highest test score before this innings was 32!

Well, a few of us have been saying for a year or more that Bangladesh were improving in leaps and bounds - should certainly have beaten Pakistan.

They are getting reasonably behind the ball, wearing the odd one for the team and not selling their wickets cheaply.

Hey presto centurions, others making fifties, partnerships, Dav Whatmore is a god, that kind of stuff. Belief. How you can instill belief in a team with a record like theirs is beyond me, but there seems to be a real 'togetherness'.

No predictions as to how the rest of the game will go, but from what I've seen in the past, this wicket will suit the Bangladeshi bowlers far, far more than it did the West Indian ones. Getting a bit of turn now, the odd one popping, some staying low - the next three days could be quite interesting.

 

[roseboy64]

The West Indians let the game slip from them.No offence to the Bangladeshis but they didn't really deserve that score.Poor fielding and bowling contributed to them getting over 400 and definitely for Ashraful getting that close to a century.All that said, good job Bangladesh.

 

[anzac]

I know it's early days in this 1st test, but the ODIs were close results even tho' they lost 3-0...........

combine this with their series v PAK & then ZIM, and my money would be on them beating the current ZIM team in a Test & ODI series.............

on current form they would probably rate higher than ZIM...........making this a 'genuine' battle between 8th & 9th teams..............

WIN would be thankful that BAN don't know how to win yet based upon the ODIs..............

Whatmore has done wonders.................ever since taking over just prior to the tour to AUS...........

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

It'll be harder to just throw the bat in test matches though when a team can spread the field and bowl wide of his off stump. I wonder how long his patience would hold before he holed out.

He didn't throw the bat all the time in the ODI series though. He batted very sensibly most of the time and rotated the strike very impressively.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

twice and twice (Saying that, if Fidel Edwards drops a catch, does it actually count as a chance?)

(sorry Liam - low blow).

I didn't see all of the play today, but are you sure that Rafique was dropped by Edwards? If that's correct, then Edwards has dropped 4 catches and counting, because it was Ashraful who he floored twice yesterday.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Sheeesh, what is going on with the West Indies

To be fair, it's a very flat pitch. It's the same ground that WI chased down England twice on in the ODI series. That said, the bowlers bowled quite poorly on day one, bar Gayle, Collins and Sarwan. Today, however, they were quite good of what I saw. The fielding (of Edwards really) hasn't been too great, but the Bangladeshis have played well and that shouldn't be taken away from them.

 

[Gaijin-san]

The West Indians let the game slip from them.No offence to the Bangladeshis but they didn't really deserve that score.Poor fielding and bowling contributed to them getting over 400 and definitely for Ashraful getting that close to a century.All that said, good job Bangladesh.

What the hell? You've just as good as berated Bangladesh, and finished off your post with a compliment. Ergo, what is the point?

There's a difference between a back-handed compliment and pure hypocrisy.

 

[luckyeddie]

The West Indians let the game slip from them.No offence to the Bangladeshis but they didn't really deserve that score.Poor fielding and bowling contributed to them getting over 400 and definitely for Ashraful getting that close to a century.All that said, good job Bangladesh.

Totally and utterly agree with every single word - when play eventually started I thought they'd blow Bangladesh away for 300.

Then 325.

Then 350.

Then.......

It looked as though, for the most part, the West Indian bowlers were doing the right thing, just dead unlucky - and then when the wickets didn't come it just went totally pear-shaped. If the ball went in the air it always seemed to be close to a fielder, but if it did go to hand it got Fidelled.

Word association suggests we should have expected it.....

Fidel Edwards
Fidel Castro
Cuba
Cigars

Close, but no cigar.

Glad you guy can take de jok.... ('scuse me, someone hat de door)























It's ok. I can still type with broken legs.

 

[luckyeddie]

I didn't see all of the play today, but are you sure that Rafique was dropped by Edwards? If that's correct, then Edwards has dropped 4 catches and counting, because it was Ashraful who he floored twice yesterday.

No, Liam - I'm not sure which batsman was dropped and when. The eyes are really poor at the moment (although Edwards has dropped 4 and counting) - and all lefties look the same to me.

(looks in mirror, sees not a tired old hack but a proud, noble Gestalt entity - part da Vinci, part Michaelangelo, part Einstein, part Julius Caesar, part Churchill, part Ayrton Senna, part Lara, part Sobers, part Gowe... lets not go overboard, part Clinton, part Bush, cuts left hand off, part Trescothick, slashes, misses toilet by a foot)

 

[luckyeddie]

What the hell? You've just as good as berated Bangladesh, and finished off your post with a compliment. Ergo, what is the point?

There's a difference between a back-handed compliment and pure hypocrisy.

Dead right.

It has to be a back-handed, grudging compliment delivered through clenched teeth

 

[blackcapsrule]

Wow Bangledesh are playing really well (and very slow). Im hoping they can get there first win.

 

[luckyeddie]

Wow Bangledesh are playing really well (and very slow). Im hoping they can get there first win.

Why do you suggest they are playing very slow? Their rate is in excess of 3 an over which is still pretty well the yardstick for international cricket - and a helluva lot faster than New Zealand scored in the second innings of the first test at Lords.

Main Entry: barbed
Pronunciation: 'bärbd
Function: adjective
1 : having barbs
2 : characterized by pointed and biting criticism or sarcasm <barbed witticisms>

(runs, ducks for cover)

 

[Neil Pickup]

I can't help but think that Bangladesh would have been better off with Manjural Islam Rana in the side rather than Alamgir Kabir.

Either way, there's still only four bowlers - so Ashraful needs to bowl well (and I expect Rafique to bowl pretty much unchanged).

 

[Prince EWS]

Faisal Hossain is a batting allrounder, so he'll do a bit of bowling.

Right arm medium pace I believe.

This fact supports the idea of playing Rana over Alagmir....

 

[Adamc]

Faisal Hossain is a batting allrounder, so he'll do a bit of bowling.

Right arm medium pace I believe.

This fact supports the idea of playing Rana over Alagmir....

Rana is a bowling allrounder who opened the batting in the Zimbabwe ODI series (and scored a fifty). I think he should be persisted with.