Rain saves Bangladesh in final MCC encounter

The Marylebone Cricket Club team were on their way to a certain victory, before rain interrupted their last game of their three week tour of Bangladesh on Saturday. The Bangladesh national team, batting first, began with one blunder after another, as Mehrab Hossain, Javed Omar and Habibul Bashar all went back cheaply, with the score on 12/3. After 10.2 overs it was 18/3, when rain started pouring down.

The match was shortened by three and a half hours and reduced to a 35 over a side game. When play began, Bangladesh's fortune's did not change as they lost two more wickets in successive overs, as Naimur skied the ball to mid-off, and the captain Aminul Islam was run out, wanting to take a silly second run. Bangladesh were now in deep trouble at 24/5. Khaled Mahmud, the vice captain, was the savior for Bangladesh as he played a responsible knock of 44 off 66 deliveries.

There were small contributions down the order from Khaled Mashud, Fahim Muntasir and Enamul Haq. With only a few overs remaining, the late order batsmen, who were solely responsible for this recovery, had no choice but to go for the bowling, and lose their wickets. Bangladesh ended their innings 136 all out with Hasibul Hossain, being run out taking a second of the last ball. The MCC began their innings with what could have been a similar disaster, as their opener Will House, skied the ball to square leg where Enamul Haq dropped a sitter.

Later, he edged a ball that went through Mashud's gloves for four. He was once again dropped by Aminul off Fahim, but Khaled Mahmud ultimately trapped him lbw for 24. Matthew Wood and one down Ben Smith were still batting at 18 and 5 respectively, when rain interrupted the game for the second time. The covers were put on, and later it was decided to abandon the match, since the time remaining was not enough to bowl the minimum 25 overs required for a result.

This ends MCC's three week long tour of Bangladesh as they go back home undefeated. Earlier, they drew a three dayer against Bangladesh Crikcet Board President's XI and a four dayer against Dhaka Metropolitan. They won the one dayer against Bangladesh Cricket Board XI. Against the national team, they drew both the three day match and the one dayer.