ACC Trophy: Singapore looks to upset Bangladesh cart (7 October 1998)

7 October 1998

ACC Trophy: Singapore looks to upset Bangladesh cart

From Al-Amin

KATHMANDU, Oct 6: Kiran Deshpandey is not ready to resign without a fight. The 37-year-old captain of Singapore is looking forward to upsetting the Bangladesh cart when they take on the defending champions at the Tribhuban University ground tomorrow.

"Bangladesh is certainly the top team in the tournament. But we are looking forward. We are ready to give a dog fight," said Kiran, who is a good friend of his Bangladesh counterpart, Aminul Islam.

A left-arm spinner, Kiran, the long-standing captain of Malaysia, also led his side when Bangladesh 'A' toured the sprawling commercial city early this year. Faruque captained the second string Bangladesh team then in a couple of limited-over matches.

Aminul Islam, on the other hand, is not taking victory against Singapore as granted. The south-east Asians pulled off a stunning win over Papua New Guinea yesterday. "They are a spirited side and we are not taking them lightly ", said the Bangladesh captain. But Aminul is more concerned about the unpredictable wickets at Kathmandu than his opponents tomorrow.

"We have actually two enemies here. The first one is the wicket", said Aminul. The Bangladesh captain is hopeful of fielding a full strength side.

"Faruque Bhai has recovered and I think he will play tomorrow"., said Aminul. Faruque was suffering from diarrhoea for the last few days and could not play against Malaysia, which Bangladesh won by 141 runs on October 5.

Both Bangladesh and Singapore have three points each from two outings. And a victory for either will enable them a passage to the semi-finals from Group A with match in hand.

Source:: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)