The luckless Bracewell
Plays of the day from the first day of the second Test in Mirpur
Mohammad Isam in Mirpur
21-Oct-2013
Tamim Iqbal eventually ran out of luck • AFP
The drops
Tamim Iqbal had two lives in the first session. When the batsman was on 5, wicketkeeper BJ Watling dived in front of Ross Taylor at first slip and dropped the one-handed attempt. Soon after, when Tamim was on 10, the captain Brendon McCullum spilled a chance at second slip. It was a similar shot, as Tamim tried to flay at full, slightly wide deliveries. On both occasions, the luckless bowler was Doug Bracewell.
Tamim Iqbal had two lives in the first session. When the batsman was on 5, wicketkeeper BJ Watling dived in front of Ross Taylor at first slip and dropped the one-handed attempt. Soon after, when Tamim was on 10, the captain Brendon McCullum spilled a chance at second slip. It was a similar shot, as Tamim tried to flay at full, slightly wide deliveries. On both occasions, the luckless bowler was Doug Bracewell.
The unintended dummy
McCullum placed his close-in fielders in pairs. For Marshall Ayub, he had two short covers when the batsman kept driving the ball with ease. He placed two at short midwicket for Tamim Iqbal, and Mominul Haque was also given two gullys when he kept playing the fine cut shot repeatedly. Mominul was finally caught behind while Tamim's catch was taken at gully when there was only one fielder in the region.
McCullum placed his close-in fielders in pairs. For Marshall Ayub, he had two short covers when the batsman kept driving the ball with ease. He placed two at short midwicket for Tamim Iqbal, and Mominul Haque was also given two gullys when he kept playing the fine cut shot repeatedly. Mominul was finally caught behind while Tamim's catch was taken at gully when there was only one fielder in the region.
The shot
Marshall Ayub's innings of 41 had a few attractive shots, particularly those driven through the covers. Using a tight technique, he goes right up to the ball with a short front step. His first boundary was the best of the six he hit, taken on top of the bounce as he planted it between the two cover fielders. The previous ball, the first Ayub had faced, had given him three because the slow outfield held the ball back.
Marshall Ayub's innings of 41 had a few attractive shots, particularly those driven through the covers. Using a tight technique, he goes right up to the ball with a short front step. His first boundary was the best of the six he hit, taken on top of the bounce as he planted it between the two cover fielders. The previous ball, the first Ayub had faced, had given him three because the slow outfield held the ball back.
The soft dismissal
In the battle for the softest dismissal of the day, Mominul Haque's awkward stretch to a poor Corey Anderson delivery pipped Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal's dismissals. If left alone, Anderson's delivery would have been called a wide, and it was too short to even attempt a shot. However, Mominul was rooted to the crease as he threw out his hands and edged to Watling. Anamul got out to miscued pull early in his innings and Tamim tapped one towards third-man, a shot too risky for a batsman in the 90s.
In the battle for the softest dismissal of the day, Mominul Haque's awkward stretch to a poor Corey Anderson delivery pipped Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal's dismissals. If left alone, Anderson's delivery would have been called a wide, and it was too short to even attempt a shot. However, Mominul was rooted to the crease as he threw out his hands and edged to Watling. Anamul got out to miscued pull early in his innings and Tamim tapped one towards third-man, a shot too risky for a batsman in the 90s.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. He tweets here