Selfies don't save Bangladesh

This was the last game for the home team. Deep inside my heart I was hoping that as Australia hadn't won a single match in this World T20 and they are not a team from the subcontinent perhaps this match might be a good chance for Bangladesh to pull one back. Needless to write, Bangladesh once again disappointed their large fan base.

I would like to see Sri Lanka win this year's trophy because of the number of times they have played in Bangladesh in recent months. Before the World T20 they played the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and also a series against Bangladesh which equipped them well to play in these conditions. I hope Sri Lanka utilize this advantage.

Without a doubt, Aaron Finch was the key performer. His opening partnership with David Warner cemented Australia's win and removed all the hopes of the Bangladeshi supporters. Earlier in the match, Shakib Al Hasan's intense knock with the bat indicated that it might be his day. But his enormous failure with the ball didn't let it happen.

I would have given Mushfiqur Rahim a life. I would have also sent Mominul Haque to bat at No. 5 instead of Mahmudullah. Mominul is no Afridi or Gayle but unlike Mahmudullah he could have scored some boundaries which were needed at that time of the innings. Perhaps Bangladesh could have ended up with at least 20 more runs more if Mominul had been promoted.

Shot of the day
The six hit by Finch in the 17th over landed just a few inches away from me.

Crowd meter
Unlike other matches, the stands were not jam-packed, but the crowd was still substantial. Many people saved their tickets for the second match of the day.

Every Bangladesh boundary, especially during the Shakib-Mushfiqur partnership, was cheered by the crowd. However, Mahmudullah was heavily booed for his lack of boundaries. Also in the Grand Stand where I sat, the crowd became furious when Tamim Iqbal was out for 5. They started debating whether Tamim is in the team only because his uncle Akram Khan is in the board. In the 2nd innings, debutant Taskin Ahmed got the loudest chants for his dot balls.

Throughout the match the DJs' choice of music was poor. They couldn't come up with the type of music the situation demanded. However, after the end of 16th over in 2nd innings they played a number by the famous Bangladeshi band Miles, and spectators sang along gaily. As it was a day match, fireworks didn't make much impact. The mid-innings barrel-roll run didn't seem to attract people. They were more interested in taking selfies.

I prefer T20s to ODIs. Teams like Netherlands and Ireland can show their actual strength in this format. Moreover, T20 should be given priority for the globalization of cricket, more specifically if ICC really wants to spread cricket in China and USA.

It was a spectacular match to watch for neutral fans as more than 300 runs were scored in total and players from both the teams performed well. However, for the home country once again it was the same old story. The only positive thing in this match for them was Shakib and Mushfiqur's partnership.

I enjoyed the atmosphere around the field. I really appreciate how the crowd backed up Taskin. The crowd had almost no reaction about the team as a whole. This is probably because they knew the result was a foregone conclusion.

7.5