Feature

Van Meekeren's swift recovery, and applause for a fan

Plays of the day from the World T20 Group A match between Bangladesh and Netherlands

Mohammad Isam
Mohammad Isam
09-Mar-2016
Tamim Iqbal came close to being stumped for 46  •  Associated Press

Tamim Iqbal came close to being stumped for 46  •  Associated Press

The quick's recovery
Paul van Meekeren didn't take too long to make up for his dropped catch in the first over of the match, which gave Soumya Sarkar a reprieve. Sarkar miscued a slog that looped high to third man but van Meekeren let it slip through and the ball went for four. Van Meekeren, however, countered by dismissing the batsman with his first ball.
Asked to bowl the fourth over, he got Sarkar to cut a ball that was too close to his body, edging it to the wicketkeeper. Mudassar Bukhari, who had kicked the turf in disappointment after watching van Meekeren's spill off his bowling, exchanged high fives and smiles with his team-mate. Later, the pair combined for a wicket - Bukhari took the catch of Nasir Hossain, off Meekeren's bowling.
The chase
Netherlands' fielding is one of their strengths so the van Meekeren drop was an exception. Their skill in the field was on display in the third over when Ben Cooper brilliantly chased down a big hit from Sarkar. Most fielders may have given up seeing the elevation on the ball and the cheer of the crowd but Cooper ran full length, slid and managed to pull the ball back.
The miss
Roelof van der Merwe bowled a much fuller delivery after Tamim Iqbal hit him for a straight six at the start of the 13th over. Tamim, charging down the track, missed the full ball, which turned out to be too full for wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi, too. Van der Merwe was livid at the miss. Tamim had given up and, had the chance been taken, it would have been a waste for the batsman, who had batted well to make 46 at that stage.
The appreciation
At the start of the 20th over, Tamim Iqbal flat-batted Logan van Beek for a six over wide midwicket where Tom Cooper was stationed. The fielder turned to see someone in the crowd take the catch one-handed. Cooper applauded the effort with a smile, before returning the ball back to the bowler.
The sticky bails
Tom Cooper inside edged Mashrafe Mortaza onto the stumps but the bails did not come off. Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim had his hands on his head, and informed Mashrafe of what had happened. But the bowler simply turned around and, later in the over, removed Roelof van der Merwe with a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper.
Aggressive captaincy with the bat
With his side's best hitter just back in the shed, Netherlands captain Peter Borren could have chosen to take a bit of time and slow down the game. But he did just the opposite, taking a high-risk approach to keep the run rate up. Borren reverse-swept Nasir Hossain for two fours in the same over, using the offspinner's relatively quick pace to get the ball past third man for four.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84