Cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff 9y

Tamim goes after Zaheer

World Cup, Cricket

This was no David slaying Goliath, simply a case of a weaker team playing to its potential and a strong team failing to keep to its standards.

Rahul Dravid's decision to bat, with the world's best batting line-up - on paper at least - and with Bangladesh lacking a Holding or a Thomson, was a fair call. What India did not have was respect - for the opposition or for the conditions. Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique dismissed India for 191. It appeared an achievable chase but could Bangladesh's young and shaky line-up negotiate Zaheer and Co?

Where the inadequacy of one team ended, the beauty of the other came to the fore, making this a game of two halves. We had only barely heard of a 17-year-old called Tamim Iqbal; they said he was the hardest hitter of a cricket ball in Bangladesh. Often that isn't saying much; on this day, it said everything. With poise, balance and hand-speed reminiscent of a young Saeed Anwar, Tamim drove on the up with panache and precision.

At the start of his fourth over, with Bangladesh at 27 for 1, Zaheer Khan tested Tamim with the short ball. The appeal for a catch was turned down, but the delivery provoked a rash response: 17-year-old Tamim jumped out of his crease and swung wildly. Two run-less deliveries later he drove a shortish ball on off to the point boundary. He finished the over by leaping out again but making contact this time, for a four through mid-off. The first round went to Tamim, but Zaheer came back in his next over to concede just three runs.

Round three: Mushfiqur Rahim took a single off Zaheer's first ball. Tamim, on 31, faced the second. It was full and outside off. He drove it through extra cover for a sizzling four to bring up Bangladesh's 50. Zaheer countered by coming round the wicket and bowling a short ball. Tamim cut it past point. No run off the next ball, bowled on a length. Then Zaheer tried the short stuff again. This time Tamim charged down the track and pulled it for six over long-on. Bangladesh's asking rate, thanks to the 15-run over, had dropped to under three and a half .

"If Mashrafe had broken the backbone of the Indian team, Tamim hammered the final nail in the coffin with dazzling strokeplay," said Akram Khan, the former Bangladesh captain. "I can assure you that we did not have the courage in our generation to play cricket like this."

Tamim went on to make a half-century, along with Mushfiqur and Shakib Al Hasan, and Bangladesh wrapped up the game by five wickets, with more than an over to spare. India fought, for sure, making Bangladesh work for their win. But it was the erstwhile minnows who fought the good fight. India went on to register a big win against Bermuda but lost to Sri Lanka and left the World Cup, along with Pakistan, after the first round.

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